Naderev "Yeb" Madla Saño: From Victim to Fighter

KOMPAS/BRIGITTA ISWORO LAKSMI

Yeb Sano

Naderev "Yeb" Madla Saño, 43, as the head of the Philippine negotiating team, was invited to speak at the 2013 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Warsaw, Poland. At the time, he was still in deep mourning, as Hurricane Haiyan, the strongest storm in Philippines history, had hit his father\'s hometown, Tacloban.

"I cried for 15 minutes. Haiyan destroyed my father\'s hometown. Many of my friends died," Yeb said during a meeting at the Kompas editorial office, after he was selected as the Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia in February 2016.

During the two-week Warsaw climate conference in 2013, he spoke for those who could no longer speak because their lives had been claimed by the strong hurricane. More than 6,000 people were killed, 1,800 were missing, and more than a million people lost their jobs to the disaster. "The occasion prompted me to initiate a climate campaign through the largest organization (Greenpeace)," he said.

Yeb has been actively campaigning for the environment since he was a student. He worked with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for 14 years from 1997, including as the National Director of Earth Hour, an annual event that encouraged individuals, communities and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights for one hour.

He was then named the Philippines Climate Change Commissioner, and became widely known as the chairman of the Philippine negotiating team at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Since early February, Yeb has been on board the Greenpeace vessel, the Rainbow Warrior, which is currently on a campaign tour through the Philippines, Indonesia, southern Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and to Phuket, Thailand. The campaign issues are specific to each region, such as pollution (Jakarta), climate justice (Philippines), forests and coral reefs (Papua) and coral reefs (Bali), forests and land rights (Malaysia). The campaign will end in Phuket.

In 2014, Yeb participated in the Greenpeace floating campaign to the Arctic on the Esperanza. Ahead of the Paris Climate Conference in in December 2015, Yeb, as Spiritual Ambassador of OurVoices, led the People\'s Pilgrimage for about 60 days along with his brother GA Sanõ, who survived Haiyan. Thousands of people joined the pilgrimage in September-December 2015, walking from Rome to Paris over a distance of about 1,500 kilometers. The Paris conference made history when all UNFCCC member states approved the Paris Agreement.

The agreement contains the world’s determination to maintain the increase in the Earth\'s temperature below 2 degrees Celsius with a maximum effort of 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050, which refers to the global average temperature before the industrial era.

All signatories are required to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the National Determined Contribution (NDC).

Family activist

Yeb said aboard the Rainbow Warrior on Saturday (18/3/2018) that before entering different civil society organizations, he worked for the government on climate change issues. Yeb grew up in a revolutionary family. His parents opposed the government of Ferdinand Marcos, and his mother and father were imprisoned.

As a teen, Yeb read books about activism that his father had hidden. One of these was Rules for Radicals by American Saul D Alinsky. Her mother was very concerned about Yeb\'s choices. However, Yeb recalled his father\'s words: "If anyone on the other side of the fence is beaten and we sit quietly on the fence, we are worse than those who do the beating."

All of Yeb\'s siblings are involved in activities related to humanitarian and environmental issues. As the Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia since January 2016, Yeb has been concerned about the implementation of the 1.5-year-old Paris Agreement. According to him, the only fast track to tackling climate change was by transforming the energy infrastructure.

Until June 2018, the Rainbow Warrior will tour its Southeast Asia campaign that highlights several issues, such as greenhouse gases (GHG), palm oil, coal, healthy seas and plastic waste. He acknowledged that issues such as oil palm should be handled carefully so as not to cause a negative impact.

Palm oil products are used in lipsticks, chewing gum, cooking oil, shampoo and soap. "Many goods contain palm oil products and it contributes greatly to the Indonesian economy. I believe that palm oil can be produced under sustainable principles. We are working with communities that sustain forests for future generations to enjoy," he said.

The latest issue is plastic waste. China is the main source of plastic waste in the ocean, followed by Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. In addition to these Southeast Asian governments, the companies that produce plastic waste should be held responsible.

Central issue

Yeb warned that climate change was a central issue of life, because no life sphere would escape its impact, as Naomi Klein describes in This Changes Everything.

"Many of the global issues, poverty, hunger and others are being ignored by many governments. However, governments should pay attention to climate change. Otherwise, the impact will grow worse and all of our hard work will be meaningless. I am fighting hard for climate change," said Yeb.

As an activist, he strongly expects civil society participation in implementing the NDC, such as through global negotiations that involve civil society. "The involvement of civil society is lacking, as if it had nothing to do with the global discussions at the UNFCCC," he said.

Yeb is one of the few activists who are vocal about climate injustice. In the Philippines, he petitioned against 47 coal and oil companies that were not held accountable for human rights violations from the effects of climate change. For Yeb, it is clear that the issue of climate change is an issue of injustice.

KOMPAS/BRIGITTA ISWORO LAKSMI

Yeb Sano

Born: Manila, Philippines

Education: Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy), Bachelor of Technology (Computer Electronics); Masters degree (Community Development); Oxford Climate Policy Center Fellow, Oxford University

Wife: Eunice Agsaoay

Children: Yanni, 14; Amira, 10

Occupation: Executive Director, Greenpeace Southeast Asia (2016-present); Program Director, WWF Philippines Climate Change (14 years); National Director, Earth Hour campaign, the Philippines (2008-2010); Chief Negotiator of the Philippines Delegation, UN Climate Change Conference COP-19 (2013); Global Ambassador, Seize Your Power Campaign; Ambassador, Save the Arctic Movement