OUR FIVE POINTS OF UNITY
Climate Justice
We recognize that the ongoing climate crisis, if not averted, will lead to global catastrophe and must be urgently addressed. Therefore, it is imperative to demand justice for the climate from corporations and governments who have contributed the most to the degradation of the environment, whose accountability stems from their willful ignorance of the climate crisis and their wanton contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, and continued use of environment-damaging activities.
Urgent Climate Action
We recognize the urgency of climate action based on science and the need for informing and organizing the youth to lead the global action against the climate crisis. With the Philippines ranking as one of the most vulnerable places on Earth impacted by climate change, it is imperative for us to declare a climate emergency as defined by the people and have concrete plans on addressing the current and the possible future effects of this climate crisis.
Youth-led Collective Action
As a youth alliance, we aim to unite the broadest sector of the youth. The youth will inherit the planet, but we refuse to inherit a dead planet. In this regard, there is a need to mobilize and collectively sound the alarm to demand justice for the Earth. The historical victories of collective action have proven the need for the Filipino youth to stand united with the multisectoral, inter-generational struggle for the survival of our species.
Defend our Environmental Defenders
Environmental defenders around the world suffer from thousands of human rights violations. With the Philippines as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for environmental defenders, the call to stop the persecution of those in the front lines of environmental defense must ring loud and clear. Our call for climate justice must include justice for those in the front-lines of the fight for our planet.
System Change
We recognize that the wasteful, profit-oriented global system is the main contributing factor to the ongoing climate crisis. Since the emergence of coal-powered industries, these industries have constantly heated the atmosphere leading to disastrous changes in the climate. With maximum profit as the goal, the reigning system of greed encourages corporations and governments to plunder the environment and generate massive amounts of waste. To prevent further global degradation, there must be a system-wide scale of change and action to transition to a pro-environment, pro-people, planned, and needs-based system.
Brief History
With the rise of the youth-led climate movement in 2019, YACAP was formed to be the broad youth-led climate alliance in the Philippines. The idea was born from the collaboration of the two founding organizations – Agham Youth and Saribuhay. In August 2019, in the lead up to the September 2019 Global Climate Strike and imminently afterwards, more organizations started joining the alliance and the group’s prominence started to grow.
With an initial focus on organizations, rather than individuals, individuals were lumped together in one group regardless of their location. However in 2020, during the pandemic, the alliance adapted, continued to grow, and more individuals expressed their interest to join. Soon the need for local chapters for individuals was clear and the individuals were grouped into five different regional chapters.
YACAP has chapters across the Philippines, representing different regional clusters as defined by our current membership demographic. As our alliance grows, we hope to have chapters in the regional, provincial, and even city level.
Our Member Organizations (as of June 2023)
Our chapters (as of June 2023) are:
North and Central Luzon
National Capital Region
South Luzon
Visayas
Mindanao
Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines 