Memorandum for the Petitioners
2
I
PREFATORY STATEMENT
Many Filipinos do not have the choice but to face
and survive the storms and typhoons, andfloods and
the consequences that come with it. Not having
water and electricity and not knowing that your
family is safe. . . I have seen how poor communities
have become even more vulnerable to the impacts of
climate change. i believe that through this petition,
our stories and our voices can be heard. I hope that
people of influence would listen to us. I believe that
governments and corporations have the choice to
choose people over profit, and businesses have a
right to do business, but us we also have the
right to live.
- -
Ms. Veronica Cabe, Fifth Inquiry Hearing,
London2
It is an age-old story: the fate of many decided by the actions of a few.
As a country, the Philippines has been the victim of someone else’s greed and
recklessness for too long. Its history is one of a people conquered . Its
narrative is one of resilience in the face of colonization, war, tyranny, and
poverty. Now, the Philippines looks to its future.
n
—
—
July 2019 matched and may have broken the record as the hottest
month 3 in history, 4 and 2018 , when the public hearings for this National
Inquiry began, was globally the fourth hottest year on record .5 The World
Meteorological Organization’s Secretary-General, Petteri Taalas, explained
that “[fjhis is not science fiction. It is the reality of climate change. It is
happening now and it will worsen in the future without urgent climate
action.”6
1
Testimony of Ms. Veronica Cabe, Transcript of Proceedings: National Inquiry on the Impact of Climate
Change on the Human Rights of the Filipino People, and the Responsibility of the “Carbon Majors," if
any, Fifth Hearing, 6-7 November 2018 , pp . 1 1 1 - 1 1 3 (hereinafter, “TSN dated 6-7 November 2018 ”), also
available at: http://chr.gov .ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/NICC-TSN-December- l 1 - to- 12-2018- MetroManila-Philippines.pdf (last accessed on 12 September 2019).
3
Around 1 . 2°C warmer than the pre - industrial era .
4
World Meteorological Organization ( 01 August 2019 ), July matched\ and maybe broke, the record for the
hottest month since analysis began, available at https://public. wmo. int/en/media /news/juIy-matched-andmaybe-broke-record-hottest-month-analysis- began ( last accessed on 12 September 2019).
5
Climate Central (06 February 2019), The 10 Hottest Global Years on Record, available at
https://www.climatecentral .org/gallery/graphics/the- 10- hottest-global- years- on-record ( last accessed on 12
September 2019).
6
World Meteorological Organization , supra note 4.