Typhoon Hagiput before making landfall. Photo credit: NOAA.

By Anders Lorenzen

It’s becoming increasingly common for extreme weather events to occur during the annual COP negotiations for global deal to combat climate change.

They largely take place in developing countries who have done little to contribute to the climate change challenge; an unfortunate and noted dichotomy.

Last year, as COP began in Poland, the tragic and devastating super typhoon Haiyan wrecked havoc in the Philippines. In what became one of the highlights of a dull and ineffectual round of climate talks, Philippines climate negotiator Yeb Sano’s pleaded emotionally to the western world to take the climate threat seriously. He has since become an inspirational environmental advocate and darling of the youth climate movement and environmental NGO’s. The Philippine government was however less amused and banned him for taking part in this years climate summit as a negotiator.

This year, a week ago as negotiators were settling into long talks at the COP20 in Lima, another devastating typhoon hit the Philippines state, casting another blow on several of the regions still recovering from Haiyan. Typhoon Hagupit (known locally as Ruby) made landfall on the evening of Saturday 6th of December with wind speeds of 125mph, slowly moving west with widespread heavy rains and torrential downpours passing very close to the capital Manila. In the region of a million people were forced to evacuate their homes in preventive measures. Fortunately the this years response was strongly coordinated and the death toll has so far been low, with only 21 people confirmed dead and 920 people injured. Whilst still serious, this is nothing like the 6,300 lives lost during Haiyan.

It’s been one week, #UNFCCC Lima #COP20. What’s up? Get it done! There is no time to waste.
— Yeb Saño (@YebSano) December 6, 2014

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The climate crisis strongly reminds us that the kind of world order we have cannot be the kind of legacy we pass on to our children.
— Yeb Saño (@YebSano) December 5, 2014

Yeb Sano took to Twitter to encourage world leaders to strike a deal and Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, rerouted his visit to Lima to and headed to the Philippines where he assisted the local Greenpeace office with visiting affected areas bringing relief and aid. Yeb Sano is joined him. Writing in EcoWatch, Mr Naidoo said: “I am joining Greenpeace Philippines and Yeb to visit the worst hit areas, document the devastation and SEND a clear message from climate change ground zero to Lima and the rest of the world that the ones that are responsible for the majority of emissions will be held accountable by the communities that are suffering the impacts of extreme weather events linked to climate change”.

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Typhoon #Hagupit Hits #Philippines: #Climate Catastrophe Is Here Now! http://t.co/2oCLK5FqJK @KumiNaidoo @Greenpeace⊕http://t.co/Mx4RXHLPqO
— Yeb Saño (@YebSano) December 7, 2014

At the time of writing it is yet unclear if a meaningful outcome has been reached in Lima as talks had been extended well into Saturday.

Related news:

COP20 final day updates

Lima climate talks begin as countries eye building momentum

Youth Activists stand in solidarity with the Philippines and are being thrown out of UN climate talks

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