Noy seeks bolder action vs climate change

TOKYO (via Smart/PLDT) – President Aquino yesterday called for bolder action among nations to combat global climate change as he thanked the international community for helping the Philippines deal with the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Aquino said there must be an international mechanism to address climate change that all nations would follow.

Speaking at the 40th Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Japan Commemorative Summit here, the President said the consequences of climate change would not discriminate between economic powerhouses and developing states.

Aquino stressed the need for greater connectivity, not just for trade but also for saving lives and ensuring a reliable and consistent flow of information, goods and people.

“It is incumbent upon all of us, especially for the countries that have the capacity to contribute significantly in combating climate change, to come up with an equitable mechanism that every nation, every corporation and every individual will adhere to. I have personally witnessed the degree of devastation brought by Haiyan (Yolanda). And it is my belief that we all have a crucial role to play in ensuring my nation or any nation, for that matter, does not once more suffer through a tragedy of this scale,” he said.

“As we all know, our respective nations cannot be caught in a vicious cycle of preparation, devastation and reconstruction. Haiyan is a reminder to all of us that just as we are determined to safeguard the interest and welfare of our people by improving our capacities to prepare for and respond to natural calamities, we must also commit ourselves to dismantling the conditions that enhance the effects of these disasters,” he added.

Yolanda struck the Visayas and Southern Luzon on Nov. 8, leaving more than 6,000 people dead.

While Aquino thanked the ASEAN and Japan leaders for the help they extended to typhoon survivors, he lamented that less industrial nations such as the Philippines “bear a disproportionate amount of suffering from the effects of climate change.”

He said the solidarity that ASEAN and Japan showed for Filipinos in the wake of Yolanda “reflects your people’s sincere and genuine regard for the welfare of my country.”

“The support of the international community, particularly of Japan and our brothers in ASEAN, tells us the Philippines is not alone in confronting the many different concerns of our time, one of which is the need to effectively manage and prepare for natural calamities,” he said.