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10 Dec, 2014

PH pushes developing nations to cut emissions – Manila Bulletin

December 10, 2014, Lima, Peru, (The New York Times) – As the torrential rains of typhoon “Ruby” flood the Philippines, driving millions of people from their homes, the Philippine government arrived at a United Nations climate change summit meeting on Monday to push hard for a new international deal requiring all nations, including developing countries, to cut their use of fossil fuels.

It is a conscious pivot for the Philippines, one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies. But scientists say the nation is also among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and the Philippine government says it is suffering too many human and economic losses from the burning of fossil fuels.

Previously, Philippine negotiators – most notably, climate diplomat Naderev Saño, who shot to fame last year after staging a hunger strike in the wake of the deadly susper-typhoon “Yolanda” (international name “Haiyan”) – have not been shy about demanding that the industrialized world cut its carbon emissions.

But now, the negotiators say, the Philippines is pledging cuts of its own and urging other developing nations to follow suit, a significant shift that they hope will advance global negotiations.

Read the rest: PH pushes developing nations to cut emissions | Manila Bulletin