Administrator of the National Food Authority of the Philippines, in his remarks about Typhoon Yolanda which “left a path of death and destruction, claiming no less than 7500 precious Filipino lives, mostly in economically vulnerable communities,” this threat extends to both present and future generations. Yolanda, or Typhoon Haiyan as it is more commonly known internationally, was an extreme weather event. According to the IPCC, the risk of having further extreme weather events and the resulting endangerment of human lives is “moderate to high at temperatures of 1°C to 2°C above preindustrial levels.”19 A recent report by the World Bank affirms this risk, finding that “further health impacts of climate change could include injuries and deaths due to extreme weather events.”20 In the context of climate change, extreme weather events may be the most visible and most dramatic threat to the enjoyment of the right to life but they are by no means the only one. Climate change kills through drought, increased heat, expanding disease vectors and a myriad of other ways. According to a report by the Climate Vulnerable Forum and DARA International, climate change is already responsible for approximately 400,000 deaths per year and that number is expected to rise to 700,00 by 2030.21 In order to uphold the right to life, States must take effective measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change and prevent foreseeable loss of life. The right to self-determination “There are realities where extreme events surpass the ability to adapt…and displacement and migration are the only avenues for survival.” Mary Robinson, President, Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice Article 1 of the UN Charter calls for respect of the “self-determination of peoples”. Further, Common Article 1 of the ICCPR and the ICESCR states that “all peoples have the right of selfdetermination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.” States must respect the right to selfdetermination of all peoples and ensure that they have the necessary resources to provide for themselves. Climate change not only poses a threat to the lives of individuals; but also to their ways of life and livelihoods, and to the survival of entire peoples. During the panel discussion, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, highlighted that “the realisation of the rights to self-determination and development” are “being seriously challenged” by climate change. Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries have identified even warming of 1.5°C as a “serious threat” to their continued existence.22 These views are supported by the IPCC in its review of the effects of rising 19 IPCC, AR5, p. 19. The World Bank, Turn down the heat: why a 4°C warmer world must be avoided (2012), p. xvii (hereinafter Turn down the heat 2012). 21 See DARA and the Climate Vulnerable Forum, Second edition: A guide to the cold calculus of a hot planet (DARA and Climate Vulnerability Monitor, 2012), p. 17. 22 World Bank, Turn down the heat 2012, p. xiii. 20 Page 14 of 28