"To anyone who continues to deny the reality that is climate change, I dare you to get off your ivory tower and away from the comfort of you armchair," Sano said.

The negotiator spoke emotionally about the devastation that the typhoon had caused across the Philippines, and then made the direct link to the climate crisis.

"What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness." said Yeb Sano, Philippines lead negotiator "The science has given us a picture that has become much more in focus," he said. "The IPCC report on climate change and extreme events underscored the risks associated with changes in the patterns as well as frequency of extreme weather events. Science tells us that simply, climate change will mean more intense tropical storms. As the Earth warms up, that would include the oceans. The energy that is stored in the waters off the Philippines will increase the intensity of typhoons and the trend we now see is that more destructive storms will be the new norm."