The climate crisis hits poor countries the hardest, 1

BY FR. SHAY CULLEN

THE PHILIPPINES is the hardest-hit country in Asia by the frequency and greater intensity of typhoons indisputably caused by climate change. The World Meteorological Organization says the Philippines climate disasters have increased five times more intense in the past 50 years. What you read here is the truth, it is painful and self-inflicted pain by humankind but knowing the truth might set us free.

The heating of the oceans and rising sea levels all impact the Philippines. Roxas Boulevard will be underwater in 20 years. The mango and banana harvests have been badly affected with a decline in mango production by 4 percent, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in 2022.

The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UNFCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) is ongoing in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt until the 18th November 2022 and over 100 heads of state have attended. For the past ten years, the rich countries have promised to reduce greenhouse gases, move away from fossil fuel and compensate the poor countries but most never did. In fact, CO2 emissions have increased, a record of shameful lies. Corporations have lied, too, by “green-washing” their CO2 polluting projects. Al Gore reveals at COP27 “. . . that the top 14 individual polluters are all gas and oil fields and their associated facilities, despite their emissions being “significantly under-reported” by 50 percent. Methane leaks and flaring was found to be three times more than what they reported to the UN. Methane is eighty times worse for the atmosphere than CO2.

In fact, all the oil companies lied again and again and still lie to the world and make billions of extra profits from selling the oil and gas at exaggerated prices upon which the world economy depends. The EU passed a law forcing them to pay an extra “windfall” tax.

The General Secretary of the UN, Antonio Guterres, said that the world is on the road to a fatal crash with its foot on the accelerator for not stopping the burning of fossil fuel. In fact, the world has increased its output of deadly CO2 by14 percent. Governments of rich nations continue to give financial subsidies to oil exploration companies. “The fossil fuel industry is killing us”, Guterres said, “and leaders are out of step with their people, who are crying out for urgent climate action.”  This increase in emissions means that holding the global temperature below 1.5 degrees increase will not be possible. The planet has warmed continually for the past eight years and will continue to get hotter. We can expect more disastrous climatic events.

The climate crisis is getting worse, not better, and the planet is in convulsions. If you have doubts about it, consider the following. Thousands of experts and scientists report that 2022 is the worst year for climate disasters. The Philippines has had the worst series of super typhoons in living memory bringing floods and devastation.

Pakistan had a massive drought with 62 percent less rain and endured temperatures of 40 degrees centigrade. Then the non-stop rains came and 33 million people had to flee as one third of the country was under water. One thousand five hundred people died. China, the worst producer of CO2 in the world, had temperatures over 40 degrees as well that lasted for 70 days, followed by floods. Massive floods also devastated parts of South Korea with twice the average rainfall and the worst floods in 80 years. (To be continued)/PN