Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change is Not the End of the World

Today is Blog Action Day. That's the day when bloggers get together to effect change and this year's topic is Climate Change.

Which is super relevant to me because next month, my short story How to Build the Perfect Sand Castle is going to be published in Under the Weather, an anthology about Climate Change published by Frances Lincoln.

My short story is based loosely on the plight of an island in my native Philippines where the effects of a one degree rise in sea temperature and uncontrolled development have caused the rapid erosion of its beautiful white sand beach.

I live in England where Climate Change feels like this horrible thing that lurks somewhere in the far future. It is a dystopian fantasy, a worst case scenario that exists on the websites of environmental campaigners and mealy mouthed politicians.

Well last month, Climate Change made a personal appearance in the Philippines in the form of Typhoon Ketsana (locally known as Ondoy), which created a deluge that was biblical in proportion.

To mark Blog Action Day I made this video reflection on the epic flood. I took liberties with photographs and videos posted on the internet for which many thanks to the various sources (including my friend Mike Alcazaren and my brother Randy Quimpo).

The text is an excerpt from the powerful re-imagining of the Noah's Ark story by Geraldine McCaughrean, Not the End of the World. The music is Dapithapon by Joey Ayala from his Lumad sa Syudad album.

If you can't see the video go straight to its page on YouTube

Please give to the Red Cross Philippine Floods Appeal

Please help victims of the monster-flood in the Philippines

It seemed to happen while I wasn't looking.

I've been away on a trip that involved a lot of driving, no mobile signals and no access to the internet. The first I heard of the floods in the Philippines was a series of messages on Facebook, my contacts in the Philippines sending out thanks and appeals.

The Philippines is used to lashings of typhoons but this is different.

Here's a video from CNN:

The New York Times has this slideshow of photographs showing the appalling conditions in the aftermath of the floods.

As I write, another storm has struck the Philippines. If you are based in the UK, you can help by giving to the Red Cross appeal.

The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 by Harriet Goodwin

If you're a writer or anyone who loves books, watch this:

And here's another someone launching a career to inspire children, Harriet Goodwin.

My daughter and I bussed it to the Waterstones in Islington last night to attend the launch of a book by yet another Undiscovered Voice.

The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 was the first book snapped up by agent Sarah Davies who was one of the judges to the UV competition and it also has the distinction of being the first one-off young fiction title to be published by Stripes Publishing.

Authors take note: it was a nice Waterstones for a book launch, the party took place at a spacious upper floor, good acoustics for the book reading, fab Upper Street restaurants nearby, and MOST importantly, a short, door to door bus journey from my house (thanks, Harriet).

Here's the powerhouse behind the book: Harriet, Julia Churchill of Greenhouse Literary Agency standing in for Sarah Davies, and Jane Harris, who edited the book.

Julia read a message from Sarah

Stripes publishing team in a dignified and mature scramble to take photographs (health and safety notice: no editors were injured in the taking of this photograph)

Hat with her exceedingly tall and sparkly nine year old daughter who is ripe for recruitment to my daughter's recently formed My Mum Is Writing A Novel support group

And as the party wound down, the SCBWI people took shots of each other posing with random books.

Sarwat with Twilight, Margaret with When Cats Turn Bad, and Candy with Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country,

As one does.

Well done, Harriet. Now onward and upward!