Typhoon Hagupit killed 21 people, destroyed nearly 1,000 homes in the Philippines, and “worked its way into discussions at the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference” before being downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday, Climate Progress reports.
“The impacts of climate change are beyond our capacity already,” Mary Ann Lucille Sering, commissioner of the Philippines Climate Change Commission, told delegates in Lima. “This is no longer just a job for us, but a fight for our survival and the future of our nation.”
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Typhoon Haiyan killed at least 6,300 in the Philippines during last year’s climate conference, Valentine writes, prompting the country’s lead negotiator Naderev “Yeb” Saño to break down while discussing the link between climate change and severe weather.
“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 your armchair,” he said. “You may want to pay a visit to the Philippines right now.”
In Lima this week, the Philippines assumed the presidency of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, an alliance of 20 poor and vulnerable countries. “We want to be defined not by how much we suffered but how much we recovered,” Sering said.
