disasters in the Philippines.3 The World Bank also stated that annually the
country has to spend 0.5% of its GDP on natural disasters.4 Between 1998
and 2009, the country had to deal with costs of up to US$24.3 billion (23.9%
of GDP) due to storms, exposing 12.1 million people.5
The various possible factors contributing to the occurrence of supertyphoons like Yolanda and other extreme weather events now include
human-induced climate change. Natural variability is now occurring on top
of, and interacting with, background conditions that have already been
altered by long-term climate change. According to scientific experts,
“[w]hile natural variability continues to play a key role, climate change has
shifted the odds and changed the natural limits, making certain types of
extreme weather more frequent and more intense.”6
In the era of climate change, the Petitioners feel that the real value of
the statistics and reports of disaster-related casualties has not been given
adequate expression. The real life pain and agony of losing loved ones,
homes, farms—almost everything—during strong typhoons, droughts, and
other weather extremes, as well as the everyday struggle to live, to be safe,
and to be able to cope with the adverse, slow onset impacts of climate
change, are beyond numbers and words.
Climate change interferes with the enjoyment of the Filipinos’
fundamental rights. Hence, the Petitioners demand accountability of those
contributing to climate change.
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3
C. Ancheta, J. Bojo, V. Dato, J. Heister, M. Kariuki; J. Morton, Z. Trohanis, J. Tuyor, M. Villaluz, F.
Virtucio,, S. Wedderburn, Y. Zhang, Yabei. A strategic approach to climate change in the Philippines.
World Bank, 6, http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2010/04/15198885/strategic-approach-climatechange-philippines (last accessed on Apr. 20, 2016).
4
Id.
5
IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part B: Regional Aspects.
Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, Small Islands [Barros, V.R., C.B. Field, D.J. Dokken, M.D. Mastrandrea, K.J. Mach, T.E.
Bilir, M. Chatterjee, K.L. Ebi, Y.O. Estrada, R.C. Genova, B. Girma, E.S. Kissel, A.N. Levy, S.
MacCracken, P.R. Mastrandrea, and L.L.White (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United
Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 688, at 1638.
6
Climate Communications, Overview: Current Extreme Weather & Climate Change,
https://www.climatecommunication.org/new/features/extreme-weather/overview/ (last accessed on Sept.
15, 2015).
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