Greenpeace & HAPI-Bacolod paint the youth’s hopes for our climate

By Joshua O. Villalobos
HAPI Scholar

Greenpeace Philippines, in partnership with Humanist Alliance Philippines, International – Bacolod unveiled a mural painting in Brgy. Villamonte, Bacolod City in time for the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) which took place in Glasgow, Scotland.

The mural painting in Bacolod was led by artist and HAPI Member Kelly Kim Sepida and youth civic leader Genrick Catalonia along with other youth volunteers, HAPI members, and volunteer artists.

The piece is part of the Greenpieces of the Pangarap, Hindi Panaginip campaign of Greenpeace. The mural in Bacolod, which looks like a puzzle piece, is part of a bigger picture of puzzle pieces made in Albay, Bataan, Bohol, Iriga, Marikina, and Tacloban.

The activity’s overall aim is to mobilize street and community artists to express their hopes and frustrations of the ongoing climate crisis using the theme “Hope Through Action.”

Pangarap, Hindi Panaginip was also inspired by calls from various Filipino climate activists during the sixth anniversary of the petition filed before the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines last 2015.

The Climate and Human Rights Petition

The petition, filed by various environmental organizations and frontline communities before the CHR, is an inquiry regarding the responsibility of fossil fuel industries over the human rights violations caused by the worsening climate impacts.

The respondents in the petition are “carbon majors” like Shell, Chevron, Total, and other fossil fuel and cement companies. This push for legal action on corporate responsibility was said to be the first of its kind around the world.

To this day, the petitioners await the decision of the said commission with regards to the petition filed six years ago.

HAPI Painting in Bacolod

Sepida said that he hopes that the public art would raise awareness from people in the community to pursue climate action and as well as pressure government leaders and corporations to be true to their commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Catalonia, on the other hand, sees the mural as an opportunity to spark conversation regarding the urgency of the climate crisis.

He also expressed gratitude to the Sangguniang Kabataan of Barangay Villamonte headed by Hon. Shaine Solidum for facilitating the space for the painting.

The fight for climate justice

For a long time now, the Philippines has been at the forefront of the battle in pursuing climate justice and demanding radical and ambitious climate action. HAPI is notably one of the foremost humanist organizations in Asia to actively push for climate justice.

Climate justice is a global call to integrate social justice and human rights in contextualizing climate conversations. It also stemmed from the observation that those who have the least contribution to climate change are suffering the worst of its impacts.

The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change; it is always hit by extreme weather events such as typhoons that continue to affect the development of the country and the livelihood of the poor (not to mention the lives lost).

Sepida and Catalonia both called on their fellow young people to participate in the climate conversation as it is their future that is at stake. They have also called on fellow humanists to support the movement towards a just and livable future for their generation and the generations yet to come.