In the lead up to the 10th anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan's (locally known as Yolanda) historic landfall in the Philippines, 12 core Climate Walkers and supporters from a diverse coalition of climate and human rights advocates began their solidarity walk from Manila to Tacloban for the Climate Justice Walk 2023: A People's Journey for Climate Justice.[1] Walking from historic Luneta Park in Manila, the 30-day walk pays tribute to the more than 6,000 lives lost to Typhoon Haiyan – the most powerful storm of 2013 that devastated 44 Philippine provinces, with Tacloban bearing much of the storm's fury.
This year's Climate Justice Walk will retrace the steps of the first climate walk held in 2014, commencing at Kilometer Zero in Rizal Park, Manila and concluding at 'Ground Zero' of Haiyan's impact in Tacloban. The 1000-kilometer journey on foot and on bicycles will culminate on November 7, 2023, on the eve of the Haiyan 10th anniversary, with the Climate Walkers expected to meet and converge with local storm survivors and impacted communities as they cross the iconic San Juanico bridge on their way to Tacloban.
This solemn walk is a powerful testament to the 16 million Filipinos profoundly affected by Haiyan's devastation, amplifying the call for Climate Justice and demanding urgent action from world leaders to address the climate crisis on behalf of vulnerable countries like the Philippines.
Naderev "Yeb" Saño, Lead Walker and Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia said:
"Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded, has been pushed back into memory. The importance of conscious and intentional global ambition is all the more urgent as more and more people are reeling from the climate emergency's impacts. The statistics for people who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods as a result of climate change are continuously rising. Filipinos refuse to accept the vicious cycle of destruction and reconstruction. We also refuse to accept that we are reduced to numbers, so it is our aim to remind the whole world."
With the recent surge in extreme weather events across the globe - from torrential rains that caused massive flooding in Libya, Greece, Hong Kong, and most recently in the US city of New York, to record-breaking wildfires ravaging forests in Canada, Russia, and the US state Hawaii - the urgency of climate action has never been clearer or more dire.
The Climate Justice Walk is supporting the wave of climate litigation cases worldwide, including the Philippine Commission on Human Rights' landmark inquiry that found legal grounds to hold big fossil fuel companies and other corporate entities accountable for their climate-destroying business models that lead to human rights harms.[2] The walk demands world governments to intensify their ambition for the Global Stocktake, mobilise essential resources for the Loss and Damage Fund of the UNFCCC, and elevate the call for climate reparations.
