Last year, the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change released a special report stating that global change needs to happen before 2030 if the planet is going to reverse the impacts of climate change
The ‘I am Climate Justice Movement’, sparked by the youth of the world and guided by our elders, calls upon everyone to initiate and sustain the change that needs to take place. To start your individual journey, please make a Pledge to take simple steps for personal change.
We are asking governments around the world, including the Philippines, to support a UN Resolution at the UN General Assembly in September later this year to trigger an International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on the duties of States to protect Life of the present and future generations…in light of the climate crisis. Such an opinion will assist the Philippines and other countries in understanding their legal duties regarding climate change impacts.
Today, April 22, Earth Day, the I am Climate Justice Movement in the Philippines, joined by the different youth-led organizations in the country, will be sending a petition letter to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Climate Change Commission, asking for their support by sponsoring this UNGA Resolution on September. This letter will be re-filed on June 5, 2019 in celebration of the World’s Environment Day 2019. The June 5, 2019 re-filing is simultaneous with the international legal action of other ICJ Movement coordinators in other countries, to also petition their governments to support this UNGA Resolution.
In line with the vision of the ICJ Movement to trigger local, national, and international legal actions for inter-generational climate justice, today our coordinators all over the Philippines are also leading the filing of local legal initiatives in the barangay and municipal level. The local legal initiatives are for the implementation of the following environmental laws: Rain Gardens (RA6716, EO 774), Road Sharing (Sec. 9, Executive Order No. 774), Waste Management ( RA9003), and Fish Sanctuaries (Sec. 81, RA 8550, as amended by RA 10654). These local ordinances are filed pursuant to the power of the people to directly pass local ordinances per Sec. 120-127 of the Local Government Code.
Asia Wy, co-convenor of I am Climate Justice Movement in the Philippines, observes:
“The youth has the time, energy and capacity to care for our common planet. We lack the experience but we have to use what we know and do what we can to give ourselves and the future generations a fighting chance in this climate crisis.”
“The root of our environmental problems is the crisis in governance and further worsened by civil society inaction. We can’t continue with this “business-as-usual” mindset because the lives of the present and future generations are at stake. We need to call out our leaders, they have the duty to protect our Life, and they should do it now,” says Ruzzel Morales, co-convenor of I am Climate Justice Movement in the Philippines.
The I am Climate Justice Movement in the Philippines will continue to gather signatures of support from the concerned individuals and group until the re-filling of this petition-letter on June 5, 2019. The ICJ Movement urges everyone, particularly the youth, to sign the petition at https://www.bataris.org.ph/petitions/dfa-support-the-filipino-youth-in-the-un-general-assembly.
For more information:
Asia Wy: [email protected] | 09267251316
Ruzzel Morales: [email protected] | 09557812530