Nanawagan si Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic C. Leonen sa gobyerno na makialam na sa kaso hinggil sa climate justice na inihain sa International Court of Justice (ICJ) upang mabigyang katarungan ang mga biktima ng kalamidad na dulot ng pagbabago ng klima bunsod ng pagkasira ng kalikasan.
Anang mahistrado, dapat na maging maagap ang aksiyon ng gobyerno, lalo na’t maraming sektor ang patuloy na nagdurusa dahil sa krisis sa klima.
““If we are to remain true to our advocacy for climate justice, being one of the states that stand to be most affected, and also because of the skills we have as lawyers and public rights advocates, we need to intervene in this pending ICJ case for an advisory opinion on climate change,” ani Leonen sa kaniyang talumpati sa recognition rites ng University of the Philippines (UP) National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) na ginanap kamakailan.
Nauna nang naghain ng petisyon ang ilang grupo sa ICJ para hingin ang opinyon nito hinggil sa resulta ng mga hakbang at mga bagay na bigong gawin ng mga bansa sa daigdig na nakaapekto sa klima ng mundo.
Ayon sa mahistrado ng Korte Suprema, bilang bansa na bulnerable sa natural na kalamidad dahil sa ating lokasyon, mas dapat na pagtuunan ng gobyerno ang epekto ng pagbabago ng klima sa kabuhayan ng mga magsasaka at mangingisda, at maging ang epekto nito sa bansa sa kabuuan dahil nakasalalay pa rin ang kabuhayan ng bansa sa pangisdaan at sakahan.
Samantala, binigyang-diin ni Virginia Benosa-Llorin ng Greenpeace Philippines, ang kahalagahan ng pakikisangkot ng Pilipinas sa makasaysayang kasong ito, lalo na sa pagsingil, hindi lamang sa mga gobyerno sa daigdig kundi maging sa malalaking kumpanya ng fossil fuel na may malaking kinalaman sa pagbabago ng klima ng mundo.
“The landmark UNGA resolution vindicates the work of communities in the Philippines, who have long stood up for climate justice and have defended their rights in the face of climate impacts caused by the activities of rich nations and fossil fuel companies. However, we continue to demand an ICJ advisory opinion that represents the interests of the climate-affected people, including Filipinos in seeking climate justice, as well as payment for loss and damage–not just from states but also from fossil fuel companies that have contributed the lion’s share to historical and present carbon emissions,” anang environmental advocate.
“We believe that the Philippine government can substantially contribute to the proceedings. The climate change and human rights report of the Commission on Human Rights’ National Inquiry on Climate Change (2015-2022) was one of the first proceedings globally to have examined the link between climate impacts and human rights harms. The findings and recommendations in this report, which notes states’ and the private sector’s duties in the context of climate change, could be a key source of information for the ICJ’s discussions, and could further strengthen the case for an advisory opinion in favor of climate-vulnerable nations,” aniya pa.