Six of the eleven most deadly typhoons to strike the Philippines post 1947 occurred since 2014. However, EcoWatch says this is not down to bad luck. The country is drowning in a perfect storm of climate change, geography and population explosion.
The Predisposing Factors Facing Philippines
The Philippines archipelago is in the western Pacific Ocean where the temperature of the naturally warm water is rising. This phenomenon is releasing additional heat into the atmosphere, a recipe for increasing storms.
The population has mushroomed to a hundred million people living on thousands of islands. Warning them, and then evacuating them would challenge even the United States logistically. It is an impossible task for the poor nation on its own. Going green for the sake of climate change is difficult for people struggling to survive. Every typhoon costs the Philippines 2% of GDP in lost production, plus another 2% to recover.
Concerned Citizens Strike Out Against Carbon Majors
The Philippines’ citizens have secured Greenpeace’s support in accusing 47 corporations of “having significantly contributed to climate change”. They have called for these ‘carbon majors’ to be accountable in a test case. This mirrors many other countries’ fight against corporations with massive carbon footprints.
The Conversation Blog reports this claim revolves around Filipinos’ human rights to “life, health, food, water, sanitation, adequate housing, and self-determination.” There is a global upsurge in fury about this assault. However, we need to understand the cause and effect relationships better before such lawsuits can be proven.
In the final analysis, there is only one way to turn the climate around, and this way begins with us. Because the carbon majors are too wealthy, and have too many lawyers for the Philippines’ citizens to overcome them in courts. We must stop consuming the products of the 47 corporations. Because the only way to hope to get rid of a cancer is to cut it out.
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Preview Image: Mayon is the Philippines’ Most Active Volcano
