Link to article: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/at-least-2-killed-over-30m-affected-as-supertyphoon-slams-the-philippines
Typhoon Goni, locally referred to as Typhoon Rolly, hit the Philippines early Sunday morning, November 1st. As of Sunday, 10 have been reported dead. The massive floods have caused landslides and mud pits all over the country as people scramble to recover their property and belongings. Typhoon Goni is considered to be one of the most severe storms to have hit the Philippines since 2013, and it is one of eight to hit the Philippines this year alone.
Evacuation measures, always difficult, are being made more complicated by Covid-19. Rebuilding efforts are hopeful to begin soon, although another tropical storm recently made landfall in the Philippines, threatening more damage.
Due to its geographical location, the Philippines is predisposed to tropical storms. Because of this, the country is considered highly vulnerable to climate change. As storms grow more powerful and occur more frequently as the average global temperature increases, the Philippines is seeing the negative effects first hand.
The extended damage caused by persistent storms is putting extreme stress on the country economically, socially, and politically. This kind of damage disproportionately affects lower-income individuals who do not have the resources necessary to either timely evacuate or protect their homes.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, an NGO, is on the ground helping with rescue operations, and the Singapore Red Cross has pledged to donate $50,000 to the Philippine Red Cross.
The issue of climate change is an example of the collective goods problem. If all countries came together with a common goal, it would be relatively simple to create a succinct plan to address climate change. However, because there isn’t a common world government, it is much more difficult to work together and come to a solution through international cooperation. Countries act in their own self interest, which almost always is economically motivated. It is an unfortunate fact that while climate change regulations are economically unappealing, little progress will be made through legislation.