EP 15: Landmark Climate Victory and its impact on PH Climate Fight

It was hailed as a victory for the planet  - a Dutch court ordering oil giant Royal Dutch Shell to cut carbon emissions by net 45 percent by 2030 based on 2019 levels.

Climate activists hope this would now set a precedent to hold other big oil companies — the so-called big polluters or carbon majors — accountable for seriously damaging the environment. 

Here in the Philippines, the Commission on Human Rights initiated a landmark inquiry three years ago into how these multinational companies were allegedly violating human rights by contributing heavily to carbon emissions.

The Philippines, of course, served as an unfortunate illustration of the devastating impact of climate change. 

Remember “Yolanda”, a category 5 typhoon that killed more than 6,000 people displaced 4.1 million others across 44 provinces. the estimated cost of damage — 5.8 billion dollars. 

To be fair, oil companies have been rolling out programs toward clean energy.

But given the scale of the problem, much of these initiatives may still be considered inadequate if not tokenism. 

In this episode, Christian Esguerra talks to Greenpeace Southeast Asia's Yeb Saño and Manila Observatory's Atty. Tony La Viña to go back to the Dutch court’s ruling and how exactly it could benefit the struggle for climate justice in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world.