Amicus Curiae Brief presented by ClientEarth 21 November 2016 Climate Change Commission (CCC) under the Climate Change Act of 2009 as amended by the Republic Act 10174. In fact, the Secretary of the CCC Emmanuel De Guzman said recently that: "building climate-resilient communities is a moral imperative to help preserve the basic human rights of the poor and the marginalized who are most vulnerable to extreme weather events...adaptation, mitigation, and risk reduction are moral imperatives and clearly social justice in action. Building the resilience of our communities, especially the vulnerable poor and the marginalized, allows them not only to preserve their basic rights but also presents opportunities to thrive despite weather extremes and rising sea levels."30 35. Section 2 of Rule 2 of the Omnibus Rules of Procedure gives the Commission the power to investigate not only past human rights violations, but “threats of violations”. Thus, the Commission may consider future threats to human rights posed by the current and ongoing emissions of greenhouse gasses from the operations and products of the Carbon Majors. This power is of crucial and critical relevance to this investigation and the recommendations of the honourable Commission, which should aim at preventing future human rights violations and impacts in the Philippines. 36. Although, inherently, some uncertainty remains regarding the exact nature and extent of the projected physical effects of climate change31 in the Philippines, the scale of the risks is clear. The Petition provides significant evidence regarding the 30 http://climate.gov.ph/15-press-release/146-ccc-climate-change-is-a-human-rights-issue The scientifically accepted physical effects of climate change include a rise in average global surface temperatures, a rise in sea levels, continued ocean acidification, and an associated and related increase in extreme weather events, including heat and rainfall events, including tropical storms. 31 19