Download TYPHOON HAIYAN: Destruction in the Philippines

News in Review – January 2014 – Teacher Resource Guide TYPHOON HAIYAN: Destruction in the Philippines MINDS ON Did you know that typhoons, hurricanes and
cyclones are essentially the same thing? These
extreme weather events just have different
names based on where they originate. Storms
developing in the Atlantic and Northeast
Pacific are called hurricanes. Storms emerging
in the Northwest Pacific are called typhoons.
Meanwhile storms that come to fruition in the
South Pacific and Indian Ocean are called
cyclones. All three weather events involve
high winds, heavy rainfall, massive waves and
flooding.
Wouldn’t it be a lot simpler to just use one
term when referring to these storms (i.e. call
all of them hurricanes)? Why would some
countries be opposed to selecting one term
over another?
SETTING THE STAGE It may have been the worst storm in recorded
history. With winds approaching — and at
times surpassing — 300 km/hour, torrential
rainfall and massive storm surges, Typhoon
Haiyan swept through the Philippines leaving
over 6 000 dead, thousands more missing,
scores of others injured, and thousands upon
thousands homeless. Authorities believe that
at least 11 million people were affected by the
storm.
Typhoons are nothing new to the Philippines,
but Haiyan was particularly powerful and
shockingly devastating. According to some
reports, there were so many people killed in the
city of Tacloban that corpses littered the streets
with some bodies dangling from trees,
unceremoniously deposited there by either the
fierce winds or the violent storm surge.
Typhoon Haiyan did more than bring
devastation to the archipelago of the Philippines.
The storm managed to bring the topic of climate
change back to the headlines. This happened
largely due to the efforts of a Filipino diplomat
named Yeb Sano who delivered a speech to
delegates at the UN’s climate change conference
in Warsaw, Poland. Sano pulled no punches as
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he directly linked the ferocity of Typhoon
Haiyan to the world’s changing climate. To
accentuate his point he staged a hunger strike for
the two-week duration of the conference,
imploring delegates to finally take meaningful
steps toward reducing harmful greenhouse
gases.
While scientists are reluctant to support Sano’s
claim, many observers are wondering if Sano
might be right and Typhoon Haiyan is just one
example of the remarkably powerful storms that
will become more common as our planet
continues to warm.
An archipelago is a group, cluster, or collection of islands. The Philippines is made up of over 7 000 islands with the population of the country living on 2 000 of those islands. To consider 1. How powerful was Typhoon Haiyan?
2. Do you support Yeb Sano’s claim that Typhoon Haiyan can be directly linked to global climate
change? What do you think of his choice to resort to a hunger strike to capture the attention of
delegates at the UN conference on climate change in Warsaw?
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VIDEO REVIEW Pre‐viewing When Typhoon Haiyan hit the city of Tacloban, wind speeds exceeded 300 km/hour. The high winds
were followed by a 5-metre storm surge that washed over most of the city. With a population of 220 000
people, Tacloban suffered over 2 500 deaths with close to 90 per cent of the city either damaged or
destroyed by the typhoon.
If a storm of this magnitude hit your town or city, what kind of devastation would you, your family and
your friends face? Imagine one per cent of the population dying, many more getting hurt or becoming ill,
and over 90 percent of the place you call home being laid to waste. Describe how this prospect makes you
feel. Share your insights with a person in your class.
While viewing 1. How many people did Typhoon Haiyan leave in a state of hardship? How many people are believed
to have been killed by the typhoon?
2. How many islands make up the nation of the Philippines? Why is it more difficult to provide
emergency assistance to a nation of islands than a unified mainland nation?
3. What was the Filipino name for Typhoon Haiyan?
4. How did Rosy’s children help her build a house that was strong enough to survive the typhoon?
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5. What happened to the coastal houses in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan?
6. What is the nickname for the area of the Philippines that is seen as the most vulnerable place in the
world when it comes to tropical storms?
7. What kinds of houses need to be constructed if the Philippines hopes to combat future tropical
storms?
The World Meteorological Society names storms. In the case of the tropical cyclone that hit the Philippines on November 8, 2013, the WMS named the storm Typhoon Haiyan. The Philippines has its own naming system and called the storm Typhoon Yolanda. The archipelago faces an average of 19 typhoons a year. Post‐viewing Canada’s 500 000 Filipinos, whether they are ancestors, immigrants or on work visas, send roughly $2
billion back to relatives in the Philippines in a given year. This is a part of a larger $26 billion pot of cash
that Filipinos living abroad funnel back to their ancestral homeland. When Typhoon Haiyan struck,
electricity, communication systems and basic infrastructure were destroyed in some areas. What impact
do you think the typhoon had on the ability of Filipino’s living abroad to communicate and support their
families?
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DID CLIMATE CHANGE PLAY A ROLE? Minds on The United States has been the single
largest producer of greenhouse gases
since 1850. Currently China is leading
the world in greenhouse gas
emissions. Meanwhile, it has become
clear that Canada will not meet the
greenhouse gas reduction targets
agreed to when the government
signed the 2009 Copenhagen Accord — a major
international agreement on climate change. All
three nations are major economic powers, as
well as leading global polluters.
Do you think countries like the United States,
China and Canada should be obligated to
financially compensate poor nations ravaged by
extreme weather that may have been caused by
climate change?
Yeb Sano’s impassioned speech Just days after Typhoon Haiyan swept through
the Philippines, Naderev “Yeb” Sano made an
impassioned speech to delegates attending the
UN conference on climate change in Warsaw,
Poland. Sano, a Filipino diplomat, told delegates
from over 200 countries that he would go on a
hunger strike until UN member nations came up
with meaningful actions to help slow the pace of
climate change. “What my country is going
through as a result of this extreme climate event
is madness,” he said. “We can stop this madness.
Right here in Warsaw” (Toronto Star,
November 12, 2013).
Discord in Warsaw While Sano’s speech was met with a standing
ovation, the prospect of meaningful action
proved to be elusive over the course of the twoweek conference. Wealthy nations were almost
in constant disagreement with developing
nations on many of the key issues.
Environmental groups were also frustrated by
the lack of progress made by delegates as the
conference wore on. In fact, developing nations
and environmental groups walked out of the
talks on separate occasions, demonstrating the
level of discord surrounding the conference.
The climate change debate is over The only real consensus coming out of the UN
conference came with the acknowledgement of
one fact: the climate change debate is over. The
link between greenhouse gases and the overall
warming of the planet is now scientific fact
(The Guardian, November 13, 2013). November
2013 was the 345th straight month where the
average global temperature exceeded the 20th
century average. Unless all nations unite to fight
pollution and reduce emissions, greenhouse
gases will continue to warm the Earth and the
weather will continue to become more volatile.
Extreme weather is coming Climatologists are quick to point out that
different areas of the world will experience
extreme weather events due to the warming of
the planet’s oceans. These extreme weather
events might include heat waves and droughts as
well as bitter cold and blizzards. In other words,
the frequency of destructive storms like
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typhoons might not increase, but their strength
and ferocity will. As the oceans warm, the
weather will continue to change and become
much more deadly. These types of scientific
conclusions are the ones that inspired Sano to
make his impassioned speech and to stage his
hunger strike.
The road leads to Paris The conference in Warsaw was the stepping
stone for a major international climate deal
scheduled to be signed in Paris in 2015. If a
consensus can be reached, the Paris deal will
establish a new set of rules regarding greenhouse
gas emissions and compensation for those
nations bearing the brunt of global warming’s
most damaging consequences. Fortunately the
UN conference in Warsaw did manage to keep
the international dialogue going, making the
likelihood of a large-scale deal in Paris a
possibility (however remote). Delegates agreed
to a provision called the Warsaw Mechanism —
a pledge to help poor nations suffering through
climate-change related events like droughts,
floods, cyclones and desertification (when fertile
land turns into desert). They also agreed to take
steps to preserve the world’s tropical rainforests.
However, when asked if he felt meaningful
action had been taken at the conference, Yeb
Sano was quick to voice his disappointment. The
Warsaw meetings lacked the urgency needed to
slow the pace of climate change. As he
concluded his hunger strike at the end of the
conference, Sano expressed his hope that the
lessons coming from the power and fury of
Typhoon Haiyan would be taken to heart so that
some kind of profound and enduring agreement
can be reached in Paris in 2015.
To consider 1. What was the subject of Yeb Sano’s speech to delegates at the UN climate change conference in
Warsaw?
2. Why is the climate change debate officially over?
3. What is the Warsaw Mechanism?
4. Do you think the nations of the world can come to a consensus on climate change at the Paris meeting
in 2015?
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DEBT RELIEF AS HUMANITARIAN AID? Debt repayment In the wake of the devastation brought by Typhoon Haiyan, the
Filipino government paid $1 billion to nations to which they owed
money — part of an $8.4 billion debt repayment schedule for 2013. In
2104, the Philippines will pay another $8.8 billion toward their
foreign debt. Tim Jones, a reporter for the U.K.-based newspaper The
Guardian, asks the question: why not forgive the Philippines their
debt so they can focus their resources on rebuilding their nation in the
wake of Typhoon Haiyan? (The Guardian, December 23, 2013)
Poverty Matters Jones’ article appeared in his Poverty Matters Blog on The
Guardian’s website. The article also highlights the following facts:
•
Much of the Philippines debt stems from the rule of dictator Ferdinand Marcos who ran the
country from 1965 to 1986. Marcos borrowed massive sums of money from foreign nations and is
believed to have stolen $10 billion from Filipino coffers.
•
Close to 16 million Filipinos live below the poverty line.
•
The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank promised to lend (not give!) the Philippines
close to $2 billion for reconstruction efforts — thus exacerbating an already intense debt problem.
•
The Philippines does not qualify for most international debt relief schemes because the annual
average income of Filipinos is close to $3 000 (the average income in Canada is a little under
$50 000). By international standards, this makes the people of the Philippines too rich to receive
debt relief grants.
Tim Jones makes the point that, while approximately $100 million was pledged by the international
community to help the Philippines in the immediate aftermath of the typhoon, ten times that amount went
to debt repayment in the short time between the typhoon’s touchdown in November and the end of the
calendar year. Perhaps the aid effort could be seriously bolstered by a campaign of debt forgiveness that
sees the Filipino government focus on reconstruction without the burden of foreign debt hanging over
their shoulders.
To consider Should wealthy nations and institutions forgive at least part of the debt owed by the Philippines while the
nation attempts to rebuild in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan?
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CANADA RESPONDS Minds on Canada has an excellent reputation for humanitarian aid in the face of natural disasters. While many
nations promise money and resources, Canada makes sure the money and the resources make their way
to those who need help the most. In other words, Canada goes beyond promising help: they make sure
the help promised becomes a reality. Does this make you proud to be a Canadian or is this just the
morally correct thing to do and, therefore, nothing to be proud of?
Deep roots in Canada Strong government response While the government of the Philippines
scrambled to respond to the devastation wrought
by Typhoon Haiyan, Filipino Canadians waited
anxiously for news regarding loved ones caught
in the path of the storm. Over the years more
than 500 000 people have come to Canada from
the Philippines, so the sense of worry was
profound and the images emerging from the
worst hit areas did not help matters.
Meanwhile, the government of Canada put
together disaster relief resources as soon as they
could. Initially pledging $20 million in aid, the
Harper government went a step further, agreeing
to match donations made by Canadians — which
eventually totalled $35 million. They also agreed
to prioritize immigration requests coming from
those hardest hit by the typhoon. Finally, Canada
deployed the Disaster Assistance Response
Team (DART) to the Philippines. A team of
over 300 Canadian Armed Forces personnel
produced close to a half million litres of purified
water, treated over 6 000 injured or ill Filipinos,
cleared over 100 kilometres of road and
delivered 230 000 pounds of food and supplies
to some of the hardest hit areas.
Leading the charge The Filipino community in Canada led the
charge with food drives and fundraisers — many
of which emanated from their local churches.
They coordinated their efforts with global
humanitarian aid agencies that were working
diligently to bring relief to the areas that needed
it the most.
In 2010, the Philippines became Canada’s largest source of immigrants, surpassing immigration from both China and India. To consider How did Canada respond to the devastation brought on by Typhoon Haiyan? Was the response adequate
or should Canada have done more?
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