joins communities to demand corporate accountability and reparations for climate loss and damage
TACLOBAN, Philippines (06 November 2023)—Ahead of the 10th anniversary of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), and five years since it last docked in the city, the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior returned to Tacloban City this week to join climate-impacted communities in their demand for climate reparations from the world’s biggest oil and gas companies.
While in the country, the Rainbow Warrior will honor the courage and determination of Filipino communities that are standing up for justice in the face of devastating climate impacts. The Greenpeace Ship Tour will carry their stories of hope beyond the Philippines to foster international solidarity for climate justice.
Before arriving in the Philippines, the Rainbow Warrior was in the Pacific Islands to support the historic campaign of Pacific Island communities to seek the first-ever advisory opinion on climate change from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the world’s highest court. It then proceeded to western Australia where it joined communities in their struggle against a fossil fuel company conducting seismic blasting and drilling in an important whale habitat.
Communities in the Philippines that are least responsible for climate change are on the frontlines of the crisis, losing their lives, homes, and livelihoods from floods, storm surges, landslides, destructive winds, and intense rains brought regularly by super typhoons. Meanwhile, many coastal communities are also experiencing the threat of rising sea levels and ocean warming and acidification, also brought about by climate change.
A 2023 report found that the world’s top fossil fuel companies owe a total of USD 99 trillion (PHP 70 billion) in climate loss and damage to compensate communities most affected by the crisis.[1] Meanwhile, the biggest investor-owned fossil fuel companies, including Shell, Exxon Mobil, British Petroleum, and Chevron, continue to rake in record profits, with the fossil fuel industry as a whole earning USD 4 trillion for 2022. This comes at a time when world temperatures have reached record highs, and as global climate damage costs continue to soar.[2]
Greenpeace believes that fossil fuel companies must pay their climate debt: give money to climate-impacted communities to compensate for the losses and damages—both economic and non-economic—experienced by people. They must also stop fossil fuel expansion and phase out fossil fuels by committing to a just transition. The group calls on the Philippine government to demand justice and reparations by making polluters pay for climate impacts.
To further bring the stories of climate-impacted communities into public consciousness, Greenpeace is also launching the “People’s Museum of Climate Justice” alongside the tour. A living and growing museum, the exhibit will feature objects of memory, mementos, and art pieces contributed by climate survivors from Eastern Visayas, Bohol, Metro Manila, and different parts of the Philippines, creatively illustrating their experiences of the climate crisis. In Tacloban, the exhibit will be open to the public from November 6-10, 2023. Guests can enter the exhibit for free by registering online at act.gp/shiptour2023reg.
The visit of the Rainbow Warrior happens in the lead-up to the United Nations’ Climate talks (UNFCCC COP 28) to be held at the end of November in Dubai, where discussions on a financial mechanism for climate loss and damage will be highlighted. ###
Notes to Editors
[1] Time to pay the piper: Fossil fuel companies’ reparations for climate damages
[2] Less than half of global cost of climate disasters insured, broker Gallagher Re says | Reuters
For more information on schedules, activities, and other ship tour details, please contact:
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