On November 8th 2013 the Philippines was hit by what is considered to be the most powerful tropical cyclone to ever make landfall. The effect of typhoon Haiyan, just days before the UN climate negotiationscommenced in Warsaw, was a poignant reminder to the UN delegates, and the rest of the world, of the human devastation that can be wrought by climate change. Some of the worst-affected were the 4.5 million people who were forcibly displaced from their homes.
The situation in the Philippines is just one of the many examples demonstrating how climate change is driving people from their homes, and an indication of the scale of the human devastation we can expect as global temperatures continue to rise. The global community needs to overcome the political stalemate enveloping international climate negotiations and work towards developing a new framework that guarantees protection and assistance to the world's growing number of climate refugees. Without it we will witness a growing number of similar situations of protracted displacement, situations through which we are compromising the human rights of vulnerable people not only in the Philippines, but around the world.
A video by Dobrin Kashavelov (Bulgaria/Philippines) - Age Group 18-35