By ELIYA AHMAD, age 12
A massive typhoon hit the Philippines on November 8, 2013, destroying homes in countless villages. PHOTO: EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection
A massive typhoon hit the Philippines on November 8, 2013. As one of the strongest on record, Supertyphoon Haiyan orphaned many children, separated many others from their families, and destroyed villages and countless homes. The water level rose drastically, sweeping away people and buildings alike.
Three days later, at the 19th Annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP19), representatives from all over the world gathered in Warsaw, Poland, to discuss climate change and how to prevent it. Naderev “Yeb” Saño, a representative from the Philippines, spoke up, saying that denying the existence of climate change or the connection between climate change and storms like Supertyphoon Haiyan was pointless, since countries all over the world are feeling the effects of melting sea ice and rising sea level.
COP19 Philippines representative Naderev “Yeb” Saño stands with youth delegates. He pledged to fast until a solution for the changing climate was decided. PHOTO: Emma Biermann of 350.org
During the typhoon, there were winds of 195 miles per hour. According to Saño, the storm “was so strong that if there was a Category 6,* it would have fallen squarely in that box.” The casualties so far stand at more than 6,000 people dead, with an additional 1,800 missing or unaccounted for. According to the United Nations, 14 million people were affected (almost twice as many people as live in New York City), including 1.8 million children who were displaced and separated from their families when the storm hit. Towns have been flattened into heaps of rubble, and even now that the storm is over, many of the towns that had been hit the hardest in the typhoon are having trouble getting supplies such as food and water.
At the climate change conference, Saño pledged to fast** until a solution for the changing climate was decided. He did this in solidarity with the people of his country, who are struggling to find enough food to survive, and for his brother, who was busy helping to rescue people in the villages the storm had hit hardest and had not eaten in three days. Immediately, many people joined him on the fast, agreeing that a result needed to come from the talks.
Youth delegates at the COP19 in Warsaw, Poland, show their frustration with the conference. PHOTO: Connected Voices
The Philippines is not the only place that is or will soon be feeling the impacts of the changing climate. All over the world, temperatures have risen, leading to an increase in tropical storms and a rising sea level. “The climate crisis is madness… we can stop this madness right here in Warsaw,” Saño said. “We cannot sit and stay helpless staring at this international climate stalemate. It is now time to raise ambition and take action.”
Despite Saño’s passionate words, environmental groups and youth delegates at the conference found the talks to be so unproductive that they walked out of the conference to show their disappointment over the lack of action taken. Anjali Appadurai, a youth delegate who started attending the conferences as a high school student, told Democracy Now!, “We’re not abandoning the U.N., we’re just abandoning this COP, because it’s just gotten so bad.” After 20 years of negotiations, she and fellow activists are ready to see real change.
*Storms are ranked based on intensity, with Category 5 as the most severe.
**Fast: To choose not to eat to show support for a cause.
Dear Editor of Indykids,
In response to the article “Broken Promises” by Eliya Ahmad I learned that the typhoon that hit the Philippines was massively destructive and was very dangerous and they need food so i had an opinion to use a helicopter or more to deliver food and water because the roads were destroyed so you can’t use land vehicles.
I also have an opinion about the conference that they should start using each others’ ideas instead of fighting at Cop 19.
-Aiden Donaldson
Dear editor of Indykids,
In response to “Broken Promises:Typhoon Haiyan and the UN Climate Change Conference” by Eliya Ahmad, I think the Typhoon is sad because some kids get separated from their parents and a lot of people and family’s lost their homes.The COP19 should help people and they should make an agreement -Mayra Medrano
Dear editor of Indykids,
“Broken Promises” about Typhoon Haiyan by Eliya Ahmad made me realize that the Philippines are in trouble. I think it’s really sad because people are losing their families and homes but they also have no food. I also think that the COP19 should help them instead of just doing nothing about it.-Marylynne Sandino
Dear editor of Indykids,
“Broken Promises’’ by Eliya Ahmad made me think that the Philippines should get more food, water,and shelter. And that the families should not get separated because kids are turning in orphans and parents stay without kids. Cop19 should work harder and use wind mills so it doesn’t ruin the earth.
Dear Editor of Indykids,
From this article “Broken Promises” by: Eliya Ahmad about the super typhoon in the Philippines , I learned that many children got orphaned because they have been separated by their parents. I think that the government should’ve helped the Philippines because the Philippines needs help. They could give shelter ,and water to the people in need.
-Ashley Renee Aurelio
Dear editor of Indykids,
I read “Broken Promises” about a typhoon that hit Philippines that caused lots of kids to separate from their parents. I think that is pretty sad that lots of kids lost their parents and became orphans. I think the COP19 conference should try to find out what is causing natural disasters and they should stop it by finding out what’s wrong with the Earth. If they give up, there will be another typhoon or other disasters.
Dear editor of Indykids,
I read the “Broken Promises” and I think the COP19 should try harder to help the earth from BIG storms. One idea is using solar panels and wind mill.
Dear editor of Indykids,
I read “Broken Promises.” The meeting failed. They should think of more ideas to stop global warming and they should stop killing cow because when they fart they cause global warming. And they have to stop using coal. They should use windmills and solar panels.
From Oliver.
Dear editor of Indykids,
I read the article about the typhoon. My opinion is that they should send food on helicopters so the people can eat because they don’t have that much food. My other opinion is don’t buy beef because its making the earth hotter.
Dear editor of Indykids,
From this article, “Broken Promises” by Eliya Ahmad age 12, I learned that in November 8,2013 there was a typhoon and it hit the Philippines. My opinion is that the president should make people stop selling things that hurt the earth like beef. Beef hurts the earth because the cows release gas that makes the earth get hotter.
Dear editor of Indykids,
I read “Broken Promises:Typhoon Haiyan and the UN Climate Change Conference” by Eliya Ahmad.I learned that the Philippines got attacked by a typhoon and lots of people got homeless and lost their family members.My opinions is that we need to help the homeless Philipinos and give them food.
Dear editor of Indykids,
In response to “Broken Promises” I think that we should help the Philippines by giving
them food , and also help other people that don’t have homes.
Dear editor of Indykids,
I’m sending you this letter because I read “Broken Promises.” A question I have is what happened after the conference to rebuild the philippines. An opinion I have is that people should protest to stop buying beef, coal or anything else that makes the world hotter.