Norman Russel: Motions — Typhoon—PhilippinesText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNorman Russel: Motions — Typhoon—Philippines[Sitting date: 12 November 2013. Volume:694;Page:14532. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader—Green): I rise on behalf of the Green Party to speak to this terrible event that has befallen the people of the Philippines. I think that the best way I can acknowledge those who have died and the suffering of those who are currently trying to find their way through the rubble in the Philippines is read out a statement by the Filipino people themselves. This is a statement by Yeb Sano head of the Philippines delegation to the UN climate talks. He read this statement at the opening of the climate talks in Warsaw in the last few hours. His home has been devastated. Many of his family are missing.These are his words: “It was barely 11 months ago in Doha when my delegation appealed to the world … to open our eyes to the stark reality that we face … as then we confronted a catastrophic storm that resulted in the costliest disaster in Philippine history. Less than a year [after] we [could not] imagine that a disaster much bigger would come. With a … cruel twist of fate my country is being tested by this hellstorm called Super Typhoon Haiyan” which has been described by experts as the strongest typhoon that has ever made landfall in the course of recorded human history. It was so strong that if there was a Category 6 it would have fallen squarely in that box. … we remain uncertain as to the full extent of the devastation as information trickles in in an agonizingly slow manner because electricity lines and communication lines have been cut off … .The initial assessment show that Haiyan left a wake of massive devastation that is unprecedented unthinkable and horrific affecting 2/3 of the Philippines with about half a million people now rendered homeless and with scenes reminiscent of the aftermath of a tsunami with a vast wasteland of mud and debris and dead bodies.” He said: “Despite the massive efforts that my country had exerted in preparing for the onslaught of this monster of a storm it was just … too powerful and even as a nation familiar with storms … Haiyan was nothing we have ever experienced before or perhaps nothing that any country has ever experienced before. The picture in the aftermath is ever slowly coming into focus. The devastation is colossal.”I will continue with a quote from Yeb Sano head of the Philippines delegation at the UN climate talks: “To anyone who continues to deny the reality that is climate change I dare you to get off your ivory tower and away from the comfort of your armchair. I dare you to go to the island of the Pacific the islands of the Caribbean and the islands of the Indian ocean and see the impacts of rising sea levels; to the mountainous regions of theHimalayas and the Andes to see communities confronting glacial floods to the Arctic where communities grapple with the fast dwindling polar ice caps to the large deltas of the Mekong the Ganges the Amazon and the Nile where lives and livelihoods are drowned to the hills of Central America that confronts similar monstrous hurricanes to the vast savannas of Africa where climate change has likewise become a matter of life and death … Not to forget the massive hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico … And if that is not enough you may want to pay a visit to the Philippines right now.The science has given us a picture that has become much more in focus. The IPCC report on climate change and extreme events underscored the risks associated with changes in the patterns as well as frequency of extreme weather events. Science tells us that simply climate change will mean more intense tropical storms. As the Earth warms up that would include the oceans. The energy that is stored in the waters off the Philippines will increase the intensity of typhoons and the trend we now see is that more destructive storms will be the new norm.” [Interruption] I am speaking quoting from the Philippines head of delegation who spoke of the typhoon in the last few hours and am quoting from that speech. “Typhoons such as Haiyan and its impacts represent a sobering reminder to the international community that we cannot afford to procrastinate on climate action.” He said that the Warsaw conference “should muster the political will to address climate change” and raise ambition.Metiria Turei: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. For all that there is a great deal of chatter my colleague is entitled to speak on this motion and I would like it to be heard in silence because even sitting next to him I cannot hear what he is saying.Mr SPEAKER: Can I just remind the House that this is a very serious motion we are debating. The member has a right to deliver his speech. It would be better if it was delivered without a political message but the message is in the hands of Dr Russel Norman for him to complete his speech.Dr RUSSEL NORMAN: Thank you Mr Speaker. I am quoting from the Philippines head of delegation at the Warsaw climate conference. He says: “What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness. The climate crisis is madness. We can stop this madness. Right here in Warsaw.” He said that it was the 19th conference of the parties to annual meeting of the UN climate talks but that “we might as well stop counting because my country refuses to accept that a COP30 or a COP40 will be needed to solve climate change. And because it seems that despite the significant gains we have [made] 20 years hence we continue to fail in fulfilling the ultimate objective of the Convention. Now we find ourselves in a situation where we have to ask ourselves—can we ever attain the objective set out in Article 2 which is to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system?”.He went on to say: “We find ourselves at a critical juncture and the situation is such that even the most ambitious emissions reductions by developed countries who should have been taking the lead in combating climate change … will not be enough to avert the crisis. It is now too late too late to talk about the world being able to rely on [developed] countries to solve [it]. We have entered a new era that demands global solidarity in order to fight climate change.” He said that this is why means of implementing support for developing countries is so crucial. He went on to say: “We cannot sit and stay helpless staring at this international climate stalemate. It is now time to take action. We need an emergency climate pathway.”This is Yeb Sano head of the Philippines delegation. He says: “Super Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in my family’s hometown and the devastation is staggering. I struggle to find words even for the images that we see … I struggle to find words to describe how I feel about the losses and damages … [I] wait for word as to the fate of my very own relatives. What gives me renewed strength and great relief was when my brother succeeded in communicating with us that he has survived the onslaught. In thelast two days he has been gathering bodies of the dead with his own two hands. He is hungry and weary as food supplies find it difficult to arrive …”.He said that he calls on the Warsaw conference “to pursue work until the most meaningful outcome is in sight…This process under the UNFCCC”—the climate change convention—“has been called many names. It has been called a farce. It has been called an annual carbon-intensive gathering of useless frequent flyers … But it has also been called the Project to save the planet. It has been called ‘saving tomorrow today’. We can fix this. We can stop this madness. Right now. Right here in the middle [here]. I call on the [Polish president] to lead us … Can humanity rise to the occasion? I still believe we can.”Those are the words of Yeb Sano head of the Philippines delegation. Let us honour his words and the words of the Government of the Philippines and take action on climate change as they are asking us to do.