Philippines Climate Delegate: 'I Will Refrain From Eating Food' Until Meaningful Progress in Sight

Eleven months ago a climate delegate from the Philippines made an impassioned plea in the aftermath of what was then considered one his nation's worst natural disasters.




A different typhoon than the one that just literally ripped his nation apart and then drowned it. Ten thousand and counting, gone...

Yesterday as COP 2013 opened he again made another impassioned plea and added that while his own brother searched for family and helped pile up dead bodies had no access to food and while his fellow Filipinos starve as they try to recover from this horrific storm... and for as long as there is no meaningful solution to addressing Climate Change, he will not eat during the COP.

It's so hard to choose which words from his speech that will convey it properly. I hope people will click the link and read the whole speec h.

To anyone who continues to deny the reality that is climate change, I dare you to get off your ivory tower and away from the comfort of you armchair. I dare you to go to the islands of the Pacific, the islands of the Caribbean and the islands of the Indian ocean and see the impacts of rising sea levels; to the mountainous regions of the Himalayas and the Andes to see communities confronting glacial floods, to the Arctic where communities grapple with the fast dwindling polar ice caps, to the large deltas of the Mekong, the Ganges, the Amazon, and the Nile where lives and livelihoods are drowned, to the hills of Central America that confronts similar monstrous hurricanes, to the vast savannas of Africa where climate change has likewise become a matter of life and death as food and water becomes scarce. Not to forget the massive hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern seaboard of North America. And if that is not enough, you may want to pay a visit to the Philippines right now.

The science has given us a picture that has become much more in focus. The IPCC report on climate change and extreme events underscored the risks associated with changes in the patterns as well as frequency of extreme weather events. Science tells us that simply, climate change will mean more intense tropical storms. As the Earth warms up, that would include the oceans. The energy that is stored in the waters off the Philippines will increase the intensity of typhoons and the trend we now see is that more destructive storms will be the new norm.

This will have profound implications on many of our communities, especially who struggle against the twin challenges of the development crisis and the climate change crisis. Typhoons such as Yolanda (Haiyan) and its impacts represent a sobering reminder to the international community that we cannot afford to procrastinate on climate action. Warsaw must deliver on enhancing ambition and should muster the political will to address climate change.

In Doha, we asked “If not us then who? If not now, then when? If not here, then where?” (borrowed from Philippine student leader Ditto Sarmiento during Martial Law). It may have fell on deaf ears. But here in Warsaw, we may very well ask these same forthright questions. “If not us, then who? If not now, then when? If not here in Warsaw, where?”

What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness. The climate crisis is madness.

The sad part is, aid comes with a price. I never understood that. We are only as secure and healthy as we can afford and it is not recognized as a basic human right. Until we can give as a species and expect nothing in return...

The official death toll is still under 2000 but that is obviously expected to rise. It certainly provides a nice distraction for those wearing corruption on their sleeve lately.

I wonder how my healthcare plan will cover me during a typhoon?

reply to post by Kali74


I hope he changes his mind and eats when he can. Everyone in his country is under such stress and shock after the megatyphoon. As for the world agreeing on anything to do with climate change, well good luck with that.

Anyone who denies climate change is in denial. I happen to fall into the crowd that argues for its cyclic nature. However, I also give some credence to the idea that we haven't helped matters. In my heart I understand that climate change isn't like a bomb or if it is, it's a bomb that explodes over time. From where I sit, with my layman's view of things, this is just the beginning and if I'm all wrong on the cyclic notion and it's all on us, I think we're well beyond the tipping point, the place of no return, V1......The bomb has gone off! Voluntary fasting may draw attention and perhaps that's a worthy goal but we need to accept what's happening, and rapidly, plot a course to survive! We can tax it, levy it and discuss it till the proverbial cows come home but at the end of the day we're faced with only one question....What do we do about it, how do we abandon a sinking ship?

Yes a very sad Natural disaster in the Philippines.

Just like the terrible natural disasters in Thailand, India, Pakistan, China etc etc, anywhere where there is a massive population of people in dense living conditions.

Climate Change, yes Everyone knows there is climate change, even in recorded history of several 1000 years, there have been times of intense cold of mini ice ages, warm periods, droughts, volcanoes, tidal waves, hurricanes, typhoons etc etc.

As far as the Climate goes, the Earth has Never been static, not to mention the Sun's "moods".

So yes Climate Change is here, Climate Change was here 20 years ago, Climate Change was here 1000 years ago....Climate Change will still be here 4 Billion years in the future when the Earth is burnt to a cinder by the Sun...and People will still be complaining...Why havent we done something about the Sun?, look its So big, cant we tax it or something?????

reply to post by gort51


Except it's not natural... the storm itself was natural, the strength of it though was intensified by warmer oceans. How'd the oceans get warmer? It's not the sun that got stronger, it's not that we're tilted toward the sun thus getting more energy from it... so what's happening? The greenhouse gas effect is what's happening. How is CO2 increasing? By us burning fossil fuels.

reply to post by Kali74


Not to diminish the loss of life and sadness of the recent typhoon, but your op wreaks of opputunism. On average we have experienced category 4 or better every six years in the us alone over the last hundred years.

The green movement are actually to blame for most of the pollution today. By regulating american companies out of business less responsible 3rd world countries such as china pollute far more with there lenient green policies.