Comment, from Sunday Herald, 08 June 2014
by Yeb Sano, climate change commissioner for the Philippines
If more communities are to avoid the destructive impacts of storms and typhoons caused by climate change - like the one that devastated my homeland - then developed countries like Scotland must deliver on their promises to cut their emissions. They need to set a positive example, demonstrating that a transition to a low carbon economy is not only achievable, but highly desirable.
No one can forget the images of the Philippines in November 2013: scenes of destruction, boats beached on the shore, vast areas littered with rubble and debris, streets no longer recognisable, people mindlessly walking around immense wastelands of mud and debris looking for the remains of their houses and for signs that their loved ones are alive.
Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the most powerful storm to have ever made landfall, caused massive devastation in my family’s home town and hundreds of other towns. It claimed many thousands of lives, flattened millions of homes, and left many with nothing but the clothes they had on their backs and an already poor country with a clean-up bill of $36bn.
At the time, I was away from my home, negotiating for my country at the UN’s international climate change conference in Warsaw, Poland, unsure of even my own family’s fate. In the UN world of climate jargon and acronyms, it felt important to me to highlight the real human effects of climate change in plain English.
This is what I said to my fellow conference delegates: “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…What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness. The climate crisis is madness. We can stop this madness.”
The recent statement from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on the impacts of climate change spells out with clear scientific evidence the madness of the self-inflicted pain of climate change. We know we must now try to prepare for more Yolandas coming our way, for more 300mph winds, storm surges and sea level rise. No country is immune, from northern Scotland to the southern tip of Africa, we are all likely to feel severe impacts of climate change.
The future of my country, your country, and for the millions of people across the world most at risk from a destructive climate lies in our ability to join forces and respond as one to a global challenge that will eventually hurt us all. Thankfully, this response has already started: almost 500 climate laws have been passed in 66 countries, and many of these are in developing countries and emerging markets.
I find an important parallel in the context of climate justice as my own country, the Philippines, legislated its Climate Change Act in 2009, the same year that the Scottish Parliament passed the Scottish Climate Change Act. For Scotland, it represented one of the strongest pieces of climate legislation that offered sincere efforts to reduce emissions. For the Philippines, coping with climate change impacts and adaptation were the primary policy drivers.
The Scottish Climate Change Act follows scientific advice and commits Scotland to meet annual emissions reduction targets, and achieve at least 42% reductions by 2020 and at least 80% by 2050. I applaud Scotland for its strong statement of intent and this manifestation of global leadership. In a world looking for positive examples of low carbon leadership, Scotland could provide a powerful example of a successful transition to a low carbon economy.
Having signalled your intention with an ambitious Climate Act, we are now watching to see how you fulfil your promise of climate justice. The world needs to see leadership demonstrated by turning commitments into actions, by cutting emissions across a developed economy and by putting in place the measures needed to secure a fair and equitable low carbon economy.
I know from my friends at WWF Scotland that while that journey has started and much is being done to harness the power of the wind and the waves, there remains much more to do if the promise of the Climate Act is to be fulfilled. Scotland’s total emissions might be small, but the delivery of its climate legislation could be significant, offering a benchmark for climate ambition for other developed nations and a greener development pathway for developing nations and emerging economies.
However, Scotland’s legacy and lasting value must be found in the action it stimulates, the policies it drives, the emissions it reduces and the targets it meets. We need those countries that have signalled their commitment to cutting emissions to show the world that a low carbon economy is possible and offers a safe and fair future for all.
This means making different, sometimes difficult and bold, political decisions today to those made yesterday, prioritising low carbon investment now, and providing leadership so that others will follow. This is what will give the world a sense of hope that there are people who truly care.
Scotland has done much to acknowledge its responsibility to climate justice and its historical contribution to global climate change. For the sake of my people in the Philippines, and the millions of others affected by climate change around the world, I appeal to the good government of Scotland to fulfil the promise made by your Climate Change Act.
Yeb Sano was the lead negotiator for the Philippines at the 2013 UN climate summit in Warsaw, where he wept and fasted after his country was devastated by a massive typhoon. He is also an ambassador for the environmental group, WWF. His speech to the climate summit can be watched here.
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