MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / June 19, 2013) – Climate justice and cyber-activists launched the online-offline track of the Cut n’ be Just Campaign and demanded industrialized countries to start drastic reductions in their greenhouse gas emissions.
Gerry Arances, national coordinator for the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, said the historical, accumulated and continuing excessive emissions of industrialized countries are the main cause of the climate crisis.
He said Campaign’s online petition will bring the clamor of affected Filipinos directly to the officials of these countries who have long been failing to meet their obligations to undertake huge cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions.
Arances said the CUT n’ be JUST campaign is PMCJ’s contribution to a global campaign effort to prevent the climate crisis from reaching catastrophic levels.
PMCJ mobilized students from the University of the Philippines, Miriam College, Ateneo de Manila University and writers to simultaneously post articles and blogs online focusing on climate change and the demands for climate justice.
“As a student who’s heavily affected by climate change, we see the urgency for action. We must compel the United States, the European Union and other rich, industrialized countries to answer to the demands of Filipinos. Our people are among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts,” said Erika Erro, representative of the Student and Youth for Ecological and Economic Democracy.
The petition also demands that countries provide reparation for damages already caused and will be inflicted to the Philippines and other developing countries.
Flora Santos, a community organizer and representative of Sanlakas, shared the experiences of communities affected by climate change: “Ang mga maralita ang humaharap sa hagupit ng pagbabago sa klima, sila din po ang parating sinisisi sa mga baha. Pero sa pagsingil sa mga mayayamang bansa na magbawas ng usok, maipapakita natin kung sino ang sanhi ng pagbabago sa klima at kung sino ang dapat magbayad.”
Lidy Nacpil, convenor of PMCJ, also said that current pledges of wealthy nations and industrialized countries fall very short of what is just and what is necessary to prevent climate catastrophe.
She said: “The negative impact we are experiencing today are just from a 0.8 degree Centigrade increase in global temperatures since 1900. Scientists are saying that the targeted cuts by rich, industrialized countries will lead to 5 degrees Centigrade increase in global temperatures before the end of this century. It will be massively devastating. We must aim to stabilize global temperatures as far below 1.5 degrees as possible.”
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