Climate Justice

The right to life is the most basic of all human rights.

Therefore, the survival of mankind should be the universal goal and commitment of international leaders and the world community as a whole.

As the world celebrates International Human Rights Day, the importance or urgency of global action to slow down, if not reverse, climate change or global warming can never be over-emphasized.

At least, this was the consensus at the Paris climate talks among leaders of both developed and developing countries which are grappling with the catastrophic effects of a gradually heating-up planet—melting polar ice caps, longer and larger droughts, rising sea levels, fiercer storms and other weather disturbances, and declining agricultural productivity.

Indeed, the planet is in peril. And we absolutely agree with and support the sentiment and concerns of a lady lawmaker, a climate champion, and environmental advocate.

Thus, we yield this patch of newsprint to Senator Loren Legarda:

The 2015 Paris Climate Conference is a crucial event for the future of humanity and of the world. Clearly, we all know that we have to take action against climate change. But the issue now is how much action we need to take.

We have seen many times the impact of natural hazard extremes and the prevalence of disaster risk, exacerbated by climate change. They wipe out entire cities and communities.

This climate crisis affects food, water, settlement, jobs, livelihood, human welfare, safety and security, poverty reduction, economic growth, and, consequently, our overall pursuit of sustainable development.

Scientists agree that the main cause of climate change is attributed to human activity and its production of excessive greenhouse gas emissions that alter the composition of the global atmosphere. Unless drastic cuts in GHG emissions are introduced, global temperatures are projected to increase by 0.3 to 4.8 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.

In COP 21 we are aiming to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius. But the Philippines and its fellow members of the Climate Vulnerable Forum demand for a more ambitious climate deal.

We need to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius to be able to survive.

The world cannot afford further delays, more so the vulnerable people who end up as climate refugees in their own communities, they who suffer again and again from tragedies brought about by a climate crisis not of their own doing. These vulnerable sectors include indigenous peoples, farmers, fisher folks, and persons with disabilities, women, children and the elderly.

For the sake of the vulnerable, we seek climate justice now to restore the dignity of those suffering and to strengthen the resilience of the poor and recovering.

For the sake of future generations, we seek a commitment to act now and to implement a holistic solution.

Nations with the capacity and resources to aid vulnerable countries must commit their support. The COP21 agreement should define with clarity how to operationalize financing for mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage, technology, transfer and capacity building.

We must seek climate justice because it is our human right. We need to take urgent climate action because humanity’s future depends on what we do now and what we will fail to do. Let us not make failure an option. Let us make resilience and sustainability our future.

Source: Journal Online