This is what climate change looks like from the underside

This is what the struggle for climate justice looks like on the frontlines at this moment. In the last 48 hours ~half a million people~ have had to evacuate their homes in coastal areas of the Philippines as they prepare for the landfall of Typhoon Ruby. Last year Typhoon Haiyan (the strongest typhoon in recorded history) devastated this region leaving thousands of people dead and over 4 million people homeless. Tens of thousands of people are still living in tents and temporary shelters in this region. I was in this region of my mother’s island for most of the last month, the recovery will take generations. I struggle to imagine what it is like to need to evacuate your home while still living in such precarious conditions.

When you listen to the needs of people already being impacted by climate change it becomes clear that the top priority is immediate relief to support basic necessities (a home, access to their land and livelihoods). For instance, the first demand of the People Surge (an alliance of grassroots survivor groups) is “Provide P40,000 immediate financial relief to every affected family. This is based on the framework that relief distribution has been insufficient and rehabilitation plan is uncertain. This amount only covers for at least two months of decent living for a family of six in the Eastern Visayas Region prior to the typhoon.” To put this in context that’s about $1,000 Canadian.

Instead the local governments have been designating “No build zones”. Declaring huge residential areas (often urban poor neighbourhoods) as unsafe for living. My cousins lost their home to such a policy in 2011 after Typhoon Sendong. What has become clear in the last 10 years in countries like Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and Indonesia is that these are state policies meant to disguise massive land grabs. With real estate sometimes being sold to private interests for the development of luxury properties and hotels.

Tacloban is the city you saw photos of in the news last year after it was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. The photos below were taken in the last 24 hours. After people evacuated one of these areas “the City Government of Tacloban through the City Engineer’s office has treacherously demolished makeshift stalls at the public market without formal notice”. A few weeks ago I bought water and fruit at these very stalls on a daily basis. Many of the people most impacted by Haiyan were struggling to support their families through these stalls. What these photos don’t show you is that right behind the photographer is a newly renovated McDonalds that reopened around the one year anniversary of the typhoon using the disgusting slogan “To new beginnings.” This is so infuriating.

The Philippines topped the list of countries most impacted by climate change in the annual climate risk index published this week. What needs to be recognized is that **Every single one of the 10 countries at the top of this list were colonized by Europeans (Philippines, Cambodia, India, Mexico, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Pakistan, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Argentina, Mozambique) ** Every single one of these countries has been (and continues to be) exploited for labour and resources by globalized capitalism** and many of these nations are still under some form of western (mostly American) military occupation.

These are not “new beginnings” – this is the perpetuation and acceleration of racist/patriarchal violence that began when European ships left for “the unknown” with the expansion of Empire in their hearts.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world the United Nations has gathered “leaders” to try and come up with a plan to “solve” the climate crisis. The West (and this includes NGOs) is to terrified to talk about these realities because it immediately becomes clear who is responsible and the sheer size of the debt that needs to be paid (keeping in mind that money can’t solve all these problems). Last year Yeb Sano, the lead UN climate negotiator from the Philippines was on a hunger strike at these meetings and said “We’d like to make clear the difference between humanitarian aid and climate change compensation in the context of historical responsibility.” This year he was prevented from attending the negotiations and is instead helping with the preparations for this next storm.

Western climate activists no longer raise the issue of adaptation funding (resources needed to adapt to these impacts). As a result, the even more immediate issue of “Loss and damage” (repairable damage or permanent loss due to the impacts of climate change) is not even on the table at these UN/NGO negotiations. We need to step up and start doing a better job of listening to impacted communities and giving voice to their demands.

Thoughts and prayers to my brothers and sisters bracing for this storm and helping others do the same. There are many hearts praying for your safety around the world. Each day more and more of us are trying to learn how to fight alongside you in true solidarity. Sulong.

Global Power Shifter, Sean Devlin, is a Filipino-Canadian activist, whose roots comes from Leyte, a community most impacted by Supetyphoon Haiyan. He is fighting for climate justice and the founder of ShitHarperDid, a movement started by a few artist in Canada highlighting social injustices including climate change. Sean was involved druing the people’s mobilization in Tacloban during the one year from Haiyan’s landfall.