Tiempo Climate Newswatch

The Philippines has been hit by a series of storms, causing flash floods, landslides and mudslips and leaving at least 1,000 people dead or missing. The sequence began during the period November 17-20th when tropical storm Muifa lingered on the east coast before passing over the country, closely followed by tropical depression Merbok. Both storms made landfall on the main island of Luzon. Suffering multiple strikes, the towns of Baler and Dingalan in Quezon Province were among the worst hit. Environment Secretary Mike Defensor claimed that, in the case of flooding in Nueva Ecija, north of Manila, "there is no doubt that illegal logging... is the cause of the flash floods. Strengthening to typhoon force, Muifa also made landfall in Vietnam, killing at least 40 people.

Following heavy rains associated with a tropical depression earlier in the week, Typhoon Nanmadol hit the north of the country on Thursday December 2nd. Gusts reached 220 km/h (138 mph). The town of Real in Quezon province was particularly hard hit, with 400 troops despatched there with relief supplies. As well as homes and crops, roads, bridges, powerlines and other infrastructure have been destroyed, seriously hampering rescue efforts. "Together as a nation, we will rise from the devastation," said President Gloria Arroyo. "We need one great heave to deliver the relief supplies, find the missing, rescue the isolated, feed the hungry and shelter the homeless."

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Despite strong evidence that climate change will prove disastrous for the polar region, Arctic Council delegates meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, have missed "a chance to show leadership on climate change," according to the WorldWide Fund for Nature. The conference declaration encourages "effective measures" to cope with climate change but it makes no specific recommendations. Opposition from the United States made it impossible to reach a stronger consensus. Delegates broke into laughter when Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja announced that "it was the best possible declaration that could be adopted today."

Arctic peoples are joining up with small islanders to campaign against global warming. "We are two of the world's most vulnerable areas," commented Sheila Watt-Cloutier of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference. "Linking up makes a lot of sense. We can start working together, mobilizing ourselves at various UN forums or global negotiations sessions to turn up as a team," she said. The Inuit plan to petition the Organization of American States, to brand global warming a human rights abuse by the United States.

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After sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific islands have made the least progress towards the UN's Millennium Development Goals, according to a the latest assessment by the UN Statistics Division. Of the 20 key targets, six areas show no change or else show negative progress. There has been a decline in measles immunization, an increase in the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, a decline in forest cover, and limited access to drinking water and sanitation.

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the UN Development Programme have released the Pacific Islands Regional Millennium Development Goals Report, which concludes that "in some sectors, in particular, health, there is a real risk that some of the region's gains could be reversed." In January 2005, Mauritius will be the venue for the UN International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.

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