This afternoon, Filipino negotiator Yeb Sano delivered the signatures of over 600,000 people from around the world who are joining him to call for action at the UN Climate Talks in Warsaw. Here’s the transcript of the speech he gave at the event:
We stand here knowing that hundreds of thousands maybe even millions around the world are standing with us in this difficult time for our country, but also in this difficult time for the planet, for the climate.
We are deeply moved and deeply touched by this expression of solidarity from hundreds of thousands of people and we are here to deliver their voices into this process, into this national stadium here in Warsaw. We hope that they can create the kind of impact that people around the world — billions and billions — are desiring.
This is a call, once and for all, to take ambitious steps to address climate change, which is now affecting lives and livelihoods. We are very glad and heartened to see this kind of solidarity being expressed by civil society, especially by many young people here. I cannot thank them enough for what they have done in supporting the call for action in the climate negotiations.
We stand with them as well as they stand with us.