Remembrance of Super Typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda
and all other climate change catastrophes that impact us across the world, and
Call-out to everyone to join the world’s largest climate fast December 1st, 2014, the opening of COP 20, UN Climate Conference in Peru
Contents
- World Music on this first anniversary of Super Typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda
- The Climate Walk: A People’s Walk for Climate Justice
- Philippines Demands Climate Justice
- Comments from individuals involved in the Fast for the Climate initiative on the anniversary of Super Typhoon Haiyan
- Climate Walk approaching Ground Zero
World Music on this first anniversary of Super Typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda
One year ago, Super Typhoon Haiyan hit land in the Philippines, killing more than 15,000 with many still unaccounted for and tearing apart the lives and livelihoods of whole communities.
The impacts from that storm are still ricocheting around the world. One of the things born in the wake of the storm was a movement which uses fasting as a way of calling for urgent climate action.
Today, the Fast For The Climate initiative is global and, one year on, fasters are remembering the victims of Haiyan.
On the occasion of the anniversary of the typhoon, Desert Rose, a popular South African world music band has launched a song dedicated to climate justice called Bring Back The Life. Yusuf Ganief of Desert Rose, Sacred World Music Group, South Africa, writes:
“Bring Back The Life is a multilingual world music song that draws on the indigenous African traditions and the concept of Ubuntu, highlighting the vice of greed as one of the great challenges and drivers of climate injustice. We are fasting and dedicating this song to the millions who are suffering from climate change and whose voice may not be heard.”
To view video
The Climate Walk: A People’s Walk for Climate Justice
“Our destination is not only Tacloban. Our destination is the hearts and minds of the
nation and the whole world, hearts and minds that can change the world.” Yeb Saño
Dubbed as the Climate Walk: A People’s Walk for Climate Justice, the march gathered various environmental groups, celebrities, government officials, faith groups, youth, and individuals during its launch last October 2 in Luneta, Manila, the International Day for Non-Violence, to take on a 40-day walk to reach Tacloban City on November 8, the first anniversary of the super typhoon’s historic land fall.
Led by Philippine Negotiator to UN Climate Change Talks and Climate Change Commissioner Naderev “Yeb” Saño, the Climate Walk campaigned for local governments to commit to taking action against the climate crisis by committing to draft their own Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAP) and Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Programs and for world leaders to take drastic, urgent action against climate change.
Yeb Saño, the usually shy negotiator from the Philippines whose family’s hometown, Leyte, suffered most the wrath of Typhoon Haiyan, was ushered into the international spotlight when he delivered a very emotional speech at the UN Climate Talks last year in Warsaw at the height of the devastation of Haiyan that hit the Philippines. In his speech, he called on world leaders to “stop the climate change madness” and started a fast during the COP - until a meaningful outcome could be been achieved at the COP. Saño’s own brother, AG Saño, a popular visual artist in the Philippines, survived the onslaught, helped gather dead bodies and rescued survivors.
In a recent statement in one of the Climate Walk programs in Samar, Eastern Visayas, Yeb Saño said “This battle can only be won in the grassroots. We cannot wait for sovereign nations to take action. We must, at the grassroots, embrace solutions.”
Philippines Demands Climate Justice
In 2013, the Philippines suffered the tremendous impact of Typhoon Haiyan, taking more than 10,000 lives and destroying farmlands, fisheries, and livelihoods of people. Months after, Southern Luzon and Northern Visayas were again hit by Typhoon Rammasun (Glenda), which damaged billions-worth of infrastructures and livelihood. Recently, Typhoon Mario (Fung-Wong) flooded the streets of Metro Manila, paralyzing the country’s capital and causing about PhP 1.14B crop damage.
Following the People’s Climate March last September 21 in NY, which mobilized about 400,000 people, Climate Walk encouraged people deemed most vulnerable to climate change – farmers and fisherfolks – as well as youth, faith groups, and the public to support the Climate Walk even in their own little ways. Photos of “selfeets” or “selfies of feet” began flooding social media as netizens from all over the world showed their support to the Climate Walk.
“Our destination is not only Tacloban. Our destination is the hearts and minds of the nation and the whole world, hearts and minds that can change the world,” Saño ended his statement.
For more inquiries and updates on the Ground Zero Tacloban activities of the Climate Walk, please contact Rash Caritativo (+63) 917 863 8055 or email at media.climatewalk@gmail.com.
For photos and stories of the climate walk, you may download at http://bit.ly/1zr6hYP. Kindly credit photos to Climate Walk.
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Comments from individuals involved in the Fast for the Climate initiative on the anniversary of Super Typhoon Haiyan:
Alan Burns, 68, founder of Carolina Climate Action, from North Carolina, USA.
“I’m walking to help bring the world’s attention to extreme events such as Haiyan and I’m witnessing first hand the reality on the ground. As the only non-Filipino walking the 1,000Km, I’m learning every day how people are still suffering one year after Typhoon Haiyan hit.”
Wael Hmaidan, Director, Climate Action Network International (CAN)
“One year on, the death of thousands of innocent people during Super Typhoon Haiyan is still fresh in our memories. The anniversary of the disaster comes as the synthesis of the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report confirms that climate change will cause severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems, with our vulnerable communities to be hit the hardest of all.
Impacts from the changing climate, like worsening storms such as Haiyan, can be reduced, but only if governments aim for a complete phase out of fossil fuel pollution and scale up the just transition to 100% renewable energy.”
Sujato Bhikkhu, Australian Buddhist monk of the Theravada forest tradition, International Network of Engaged Buddhists.
“Though the teachings of all the world's spiritual leaders remind us of what is essential, still we fall again and again into greed, heedless of the destruction it brings. The developed nations of the world, having consumed far too much and given back far too little, are seemingly determined to keep on consuming the earth until there is nothing left. This goes beyond immoral, and borders on madness.”
“In light of suffering from disasters such as Super Typhoon Haiyan, we must unite in a bid to redeem humanity, not by bargaining over who gets to consume the most resources, but by striving to see how little we can use, how small a footprint we can leave. 2500 years ago, the Buddha spoke of how human greed changes the climate for the worse: are we now ready to listen?.”
Climate Walk approaching Ground Zero
Sixty-eight-year-old faster Alan Burns joined 11 other activists on a 1,000 km, 40-day walk from Manila, the capital of the Philippines, to ground zero, in Tacloban. The walkers arrive at ground zero, tomorrow, November 8th - on the first anniversary of the typhoon (Below, see more information on the events planned for November 8th). The walk comes just six weeks after the world’s largest public demonstration in support of climate action, which brought 400,000 people to the streets of New York on the eve of the UNSG’s Climate Summit.
The anniversary of Super Typhoon Haiyan is a painful reminder of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s warning in its Fifth Assessment Report that climate change will leave “severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts", threatening many of life’s basics - water, food, shelter and security.
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Below is the schedule for Climate Walk to Ground Zero for November 8th, the day Climate Walk arrives in Tacloban. Remember that the time in Tacloban, Philippines is 13 hours in advance of EDT.
November 8, 2014
2:00 AM Climate Walk leaves Basey, Samar
6:30 Climate Walk starts walking across San Juanico Bridge, where Tacloban
officials “make salubong”.
9:00 Climate Walk will arrive at the site of the Mass Burial Grave, where the LGU of
Tacloban, reps of international and local NGOs will hear a mass by the
Archbishop by 10 am
11:00 Climate Walk will make a human formation led by Greenpeace of their
statement to world leaders at the Baluyan Tower across from Tacloban City
Hall.
12:00 PM The Climate Fair Program takes place
- Comm. Naderev “Yeb” Saño, Philippine Chief Negotiator to the UN Climate Talks, will address the people of Tacloban
- Screening of videos of the Climate Walk
- Musicians and DAKILA members Noel Cabangon and Nityalila Saulo will lead the singing of “Tayo Tayo”, song of the Climate Walk
- Tacloban Manifesto will be unveiled
- Local officials will sign a pledge of their commitment to action.
3:00 Climate Walk will be at the Paddle-out ceremony led by Oxfam, Guli-at
Cancabato, and local fisher folks at Concabato Bay
5:00 Climate Walk joins city-wide candle-lighting ceremony (i.e. 4 am EDT)
8:00 Climate Walk Concert at Tacloban City Hall grounds, featuring Noel Cabangon,
Kitchie Nadal, and local artists
Contacts:
For more information, please contact Ashwini Prabha on +33 6 34 02 19 66 or aprabha@climatenetwork.org or Alan Burns in the Philippines on +63 9062 277 000.
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December 1st 2014
Join the world’s largest Climate Fast on December 1st 2014.
More information at www.fastfortheclimate.org