On climate justice and human rights

The United Nations Development Programme explains climate justice as “putting equity and human rights at the core of decision-making and action on climate change.” The concept has been used widely to highlight that “countries, industries, businesses, and people that have become wealthy from emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases have a responsibility to help those affected by climate change, particularly the most vulnerable countries and communities, who often are the ones that have contributed least to the crisis.”

The recent massive flooding in many parts of Metro Manila and some provinces in Northern and Southern Luzon in the wake of Supertyphoon “Carina” (international name: Gaemi) once again demonstrated how extreme weather events associated with climate change have brought devastation to people’s lives and properties. It once again surfaced our people’s pre-existing vulnerabilities and our government’s debilities in being prepared for a climate change extreme event.

Metro Manila slum areas were among the most badly hit communities with houses made of light materials standing cheek-by-jowl with each other. According to a report, there are now 526 slum communities in the metro with an estimated 2.5 million people—all facing intense challenges of intergenerational poverty, lack of access to basic social services, and perennial environmental problems like air, water, and noise pollution.

Many people blame urban slum dwellers themselves for their pitiful situation—many of them have left relatively comfortable lives in rural areas in search of their dreams and the proverbial pot of gold in the big cities of Metro Manila.

Our unequal social structure has spawned pockets of both urban and rural impoverished communities that are most vulnerable to adverse consequences of extreme weather events. Such vulnerabilities are abetted by our government’s perennial disregard for its responsibility to ensure people’s safety and security and that this is an obligation entrusted by the public through their votes during elections.

Climate justice enjoins governments to mitigate the disastrous effects of climate change extreme weather events to prevent their impacts on people’s human rights to live decently, with all their rights and privileges being honored and granted.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights has issued key messages about the responsibilities of states, or governments to ensure that “appropriate adaptation measures are taken to protect and fulfill the rights of all persons, particularly those most endangered by the negative impacts of climate change.”

Among these are people living near rivers and waterways, low-lying coastal zones, and congested and heavily populated urban slum enclaves with poor and inadequate sanitation facilities.

Government officials are obliged to build adaptive capacities through continuous training in survival skills, first aid techniques and strategies, including the provision of basic needs already pre-positioned in vulnerable communities.

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Climate justice also calls on governments to strictly enforce environmental policies and laws to limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are the main culprit in the current crisis created by climate change events.

Those whose businesses and industries have contributed immensely to the amounts of greenhouse gas emissions must be held accountable and be obliged to contribute to efforts mitigating the effects of climate change especially on poor and vulnerable communities. These communities, after all, have the least contribution to the climate change crisis.

We are right in the typhoon belt and the ring of fire—both aggravating our safety and security when strong typhoons and earthquakes hit. The Philippines is also in an archipelago, a situation that intensifies our pre-existing vulnerabilities vis-à-vis extreme weather events and climate change upheavals.