MANILA, Philippines — Amid the devastation wrought by Typhoon Odette, an environmental group on Saturday renewed its call for the declaration of a climate emergency, warning that the crisis will continue to worsen every year.
The Philippines — ranked as one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change — is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons every year, which typically wipe out harvests, homes and infrastructure in already impoverished areas.
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Odette, the strongest typhoon to lash the disaster-prone Philippines this year, has killed at least 21 people. It exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility at 12:40 p.m.
"Even with warnings in place, the intensity and the damage brought by this typhoon was unprecedented," Greenpeace Southeast Asia Executive Director Yeb Saño is quoted as saying in a statement.
"As we seek immediate recovery for our fellow citizens in the aftermath of Odette, we demand that our institutions see this as another wake-up call -- and this time, they have to take it seriously," Saño added. "These typhoons will get worse, more unpredictable, and more destructive should they remain merely reactionary to the climate crisis."
Over 300,000 were preemptively evacuated across the Visayas and Mindanao. Nearly 150,000 have been displaced.
"We stand with our fellow [F]ilipinos in Negros, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, Surigao, and all areas affected by Typhoon Odette," Greenpeace said. "Even with warnings in place, the intensity and the damage brought by this typhoon was unprecedented."
"Support the call for the declaration of a national climate emergency. Demand climate justice, now." — with a report from Agence France-Presse