"Bali has for the first time drawn up a roadmap for all countries to tackle climate change. But a handful of powerful countries have relegated the overwhelming scientific evidence to a footnote. The Bush Administration—dragging Canada, Japan and Russia in tow—has thrown away the compass and is trying to force us all to take the journey in a gas-guzzling 4x4, not the solar-powered speedster that the world urgently needs."
"The Bali result sets the stage for addressing fairness—all countries will have to limit emissions. But rich countries will have to kick the carbon habit first and poor countries need to see them do it. A door has been held opened for the US to join. The danger is that developing countries will be forced through the same door."
"Without a clear range for the global emissions cuts needed, this deal fails to keep us from the brink of exceeding 2°C of warming. Far from the negotiating halls of Bali, poor people waist-high in floods and children malnourished by failed harvests will demand to know, why did world leaders not see what we face and act urgently to stop it?"
"This outcome is a clear call to the citizens of the United States, Canada, Japan and Russia. Demand more. Only you can push your governments to deliver justice for poor people facing the next drought, flood or cyclone."
"Developing countries came to Bali ready to talk, willing to listen, but also demanding to be heard. A handful of the richest nations—led by the Bush Administration—have rebuffed their will and sapped the strength of what Bali had to offer. It's a deep insult to the world's poorest people."
"All the countries of the world are now united around delivering the Bali Roadmap by 2009, despite repeated US moves to hollow out these talks. But the level of ambition in the agreement still does not match the urgent need. The cost of not going far enough will be felt a long way from the air-conditioned halls of this luxury hotel. It will be paid in poor countries, by women and men forced to reap the failed harvests of our collective inaction."
"At long last the UN climate talks have started to grapple with the devastating impacts climate change is already having on the world's poorest people. Coping with these impacts comes at a price that rich polluters must pay. Under pressure from developing countries, Bali has delivered clear progress: a fund for adaptation is now in place and all countries agree that more money must be raised. But with estimated costs exceeding $50 billion annually, we now need to see rich countries put some serious money forward."
]]>Tense negotiations over the last few weeks have exposed disagreement amongst governments, with some countries, including Italy and Canada, reluctant even to reiterate promises made two years ago in Gleneagles to increase aid to poor countries, and others, led by the US, blocking progress on climate change.
Negotiations on the Africa communiqué were not concluded last week as planned, and emergency discussions between G8 officials are being hastily scheduled for early next week.
Max Lawson, Senior Policy Advisor at Oxfam said: "Talks are going down to the wire and it is astounding that the G8 may not even be willing to reiterate the pledges they made in 2005 to increase aid for Africa. They are failing to live up to what they promised, and now they are trying to hide from their responsibility."
In 2005 the G8 promised to increase overall annual aid levels by $50 billion by 2010, and said that half of this increase - $25 billion - would go to Africa. Oxfam has shown that on current trends, the G8 are likely to miss the target by $30 billion, with the main culprits being Italy, where aid is falling, France, where aid is stagnant, and Germany, whose aid increases are far from enough to meet the promises made in Gleneagles.
Specific financial commitments on HIV/AIDS and education are also being resisted in favor of noncommittal platitudes. Proposals for annual monitoring of aid increases linked to the regular meeting of G8 finance ministers have been quietly ditched. Reports suggest that the G8 chair, Germany, is not pushing this issue as much as it could, in contrast to the strong leadership being shown on the climate issue.
Lawson: "Climate change is a massive challenge, to which all rich-country governments must respond with more money for adaptation and measures to reduce emissions and limit warming to as far below 2 degrees as possible. However, the drive to get agreement on climate must not detract from vital debates on aid. G8 summits must not be simply about making promises, but also about keeping them."
Oxfam said the failure of some G8 countries to increase aid stands in contrast to the welcome announcement yesterday from the US of an extra $30 billion over 5 years to fight HIV-AIDS.
Lawson: "There is still time for the G8 to get this right. Out of this meeting we need to see clear annual timetables for the promised aid increases, which will be publicly monitored by finance ministers. The money is desperately needed to help save lives and boost development in Africa and around the world. The G8's credibility rests on their ability to follow through."
]]>UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will meet heads of state and other officials from more than 150 countries in New York on Sept 24 to build momentum for talks toward a new international climate agreement beginning in Bali this December.
Oxfam is concerned that climate change is increasing poverty and vulnerability among poor people who are least responsible for the problem and least able to bear its effects. The changes needed to tackle the causes and effects of climate change must be both adequate and fair to the world’s poorest people, Oxfam says.
Rich countries must make sharp and binding carbon reductions in a post-2012 deal, Oxfam says. There is widespread scientific consensus that the ramifications of global warming reaching above 2°C will be catastrophic, particularly for poorer countries.
“The significance of this meeting is that all countries are at the table, including developing countries that are in the front-line of climate change,” said Greg Puley, head of Oxfam’s New York office. “Rich countries must lead the way for a global binding deal at the UN on emissions reductions. They can build trust by providing the kind of support that the world’s poorest people need to prepare for the damaging impacts of climate change at least $50 billion or more a year,” he said.
“Rich countries have come up extremely short in providing finance for adaptation, despite being most responsible for the problem. Current pledges are less than 1% of what’s needed. At this meeting, they could start to set that right and make adaptation a central part of a future deal,” said Puley.
]]>Altogether 20 million people in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal have been affected by flooding in the current monsoon, forcing many from their homes.
"Across the region people are struggling to cope with what is for many the worst flooding in living memory,” said Ashvin Dayal, head of Oxfam in South Asia. “Millions of the very poorest have lost their homes, their possessions, and their livelihoods. Thanks to good preparation we have responded quickly and saved lives, but people desperately need our help to get back on their feet again.”
Last week, Oxfam and its partners in Bihar, northern India, managed to rescue stranded villagers using 20 small boats they had ready as part of their disaster contingency plan for the flood-prone area. The groups have also tapped their emergency stocks to provide essential household items and temporary shelter for displaced people.
Oxfam has been working on village-level flood preparedness with local authorities in all the three countries. In Nepal, for instance, preparedness has meant that people’s raised homesteads have not been flooded and their raised drinking water sources, such as tube-wells, are still safe. This is true for many prepared villagers in Bangladesh and India too.
"These floods show how important it is for governments and the international community to be prepared for when disasters strike,” said Dayal. “Today we are providing emergency aid for those who have lost everything. In the long term we must work with local authorities to help vulnerable people in the flood-prone areas of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal to cope with increasingly erratic and unpredictable weather."
Oxfam is currently responding to this and more than 30 other emergencies around the world. To make it possible for Oxfam to respond to emergencies and work to overcome poverty and suffering, you can make a donation to our Global Emergencies Fund.
]]>The legislation, which will now go to the full Senate for consideration, marks a first for the US in the endeavor to drive national action on climate change. It would use revenues from the auction of greenhouse gas emission permits to provide assistance to vulnerable developing countries to adapt to climate change impacts. This would generate at least $1 billion a year for adaptation funding at the outset of the program, increasing over time.
Oxfam estimates that unavoidable climate impacts in all developing countries require at least $50 billion per year, of which rich countries, including the US, Japan, Canada and the EU, should be responsible for more than 80 percent. The Senate vote comes at a pivotal moment in international climate talks in Bali this week, where developing countries are calling for greater adaptation assistance.,/p>
“Assisting poor communities around the world who are already facing climate impacts is an essential element of any future global climate agreement,” said Oxfam America’s David Waskow. “Taking this action in US legislation will send a clear message to poor countries at the international negotiations that the US Congress is not just standing idly by. In addition to financing adaptation, the US and other rich countries also need to cut their own emissions first and fastest as well as provide money and technology to help poor countries achieve a low-carbon future.”
Funds generated by the Lieberman-Warner Act would be overseen by the US Agency for International Development and used for such purposes as supporting the development of climate change adaptation plans in least-developed countries, and promoting the adoption of low-carbon and energy efficient technologies in least developed countries.
“The proposed legislation is a change of tune that clearly recognises international obligations to address the effects as well of the causes of its on-going greenhouse gas contributions,” said Waskow. “Now it’s up to the full Senate and the House of Representatives to build on this legislation to ensure robust adaptation assistance to respond to the damage that is caused by climate change in the context of global poverty”.
It is also critical that Congress explores how such efforts can work in tandem with other international action to provide for effective and fair delivery of assistance at the community level in developing countries, according to Oxfam. The US has yet to contribute to any of the existing multilateral funds to support adaptation in poor countries.
Ambitious cuts in harmful greenhouse gases are critically important to developing nations, as they will bear the brunt of climate change through increased floods, droughts, and ruined livelihoods. While the Lieberman-Warner legislation approved by the Senate Committee today is an historic step forward, more needs to be done, according to Oxfam.
“The ball is now rolling to reduce our harmful carbon emissions, but scientists tell us we need to cut emissions by 80 percent by 2050 in order to avoid dangerous impacts on the poor,” continued Waskow. ”As the world’s largest historic emitter, the United States has a responsibility to dramatically reduce its contribution to the problem and also to start helping poor countries address the increasingly severe impacts of climate change.”
]]>“Oxfam extends our most heartfelt congratulations to Vice President Al Gore and the members of the IPCC, recognized by the Nobel Foundation for their work in raising the consciousness of millions of people about the impact of climate change around the world.
“Climate change is one of the greatest moral and ethical dilemmas ever faced by human kind. The world’s poorest people are already among the hardest hit by the impacts of global warming, with increasingly dangerous consequences for millions of people should the international community fail to act.
“Oxfam hopes that this recognition will reinforce the urgency of international action on climate change ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali. World leaders need to muster the political will to reduce global warming emissions through mandatory international targets and assist the most vulnerable communities adapt to climate impacts.
“Al Gore’s tireless efforts have especially made climate change undeniable, propelling the topic to the top of the international agenda where it belongs. Oxfam applauds the recognition of this great American leader and hopes that others in leadership positions, especially in the United States, will find the courage and conviction to follow his example.”
]]>“The bill’s authors should be commended for getting the ball rolling on reducing dangerous emissions,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. “An effective legislative solution, however, must also include robust funding to help the poor deal with the impacts of global warming.”
The world’s poorest people are already among the hardest hit by the impacts of global warming, and climate change will increasingly pose one of the greatest challenges to global poverty reduction efforts in the 21st century, according to Oxfam. Even with significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the impacts experienced by impoverished countries will be severe, and the United States has a responsibility to assist those communities coping with global warming impacts such as droughts, floods and disease.
“Assisting vulnerable communities in dealing with the consequences of climate change is an important part of a strategy to increase global stability, national security, and to restore the United States' international credibility,” said Offenheiser. We look forward to working with the Senate to produce a bill that better addresses global poverty and with it, related national security concerns.”
The bill’s provision on the creation of a new Program on National Security and Climate Change may provide an opportunity to address impacts on vulnerable countries, but the bill should ensure that the world’s poorest will receive funding to adapt to severe climate impacts, according to Oxfam.
“As one of the world’s largest historic emitters, the United States has a responsibility to address the increasingly severe impacts of climate change—both by leading the effort to reduce global warming emissions and by financing assistance to the most vulnerable communities around the world facing climate impact,” said Offenheiser. “We hope that this legislative effort will go further in achieving these goals.”
“This bill provides an important starting point for the Congressional debate on climate change solutions to follow,” Offenheiser added. “We are committed to working with Senators Lieberman and Warner and the other members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to address the impacts of climate change on those who are most vulnerable and least capable of dealing with global warming’s consequences.”
]]>Human-induced climate change is already causing harm to the world’s poorest people who are the least responsible for emissions and least able to adapt to climatic shocks. Oxfam called on major emitters to urgently take action to keep global warming below 2°C/3.6°F and help the poorest people to cope with the impacts.
“In contrast with this week’s high level UN meeting that aimed to build momentum for a new international climate agreement, many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable nations were not invited to participate, or even to observe, this week in Washington,” said Jim Lyons, Oxfam America’s vice president for policy and communications. “This week’s efforts should not distract from the central task of achieving a post-2012 binding UN climate change agreement and addressing the adaptation needs of poor nations.”
As one of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters, the United States has a responsibility to address these increasingly severe impacts – both by leading the effort to reduce global warming emissions through mandatory international targets and by financing assistance to the most vulnerable communities to adapt to climate impacts, according to Oxfam.
“The world’s poorest people are already among the hardest hit by the impacts of global warming, and climate change will increasingly pose one of the greatest challenges to global poverty reduction efforts in the 21st century,” said Lyons. “From the droughts in Kenya and Tajikistan, to the floods in the deltas of Bangladesh, we are already seeing climatic stresses impacting people’s livelihoods and their ability to manage natural resources. But poor countries should not have to pay for damage caused by the emissions of rich countries.”
Ninety-seven percent of all natural disaster-related deaths already take place in developing countries, according to Oxfam, and the estimates of climate change’s contribution to worsening conditions are disturbing. Adaptation projects, ranging from planting drought resistant crops to building homes and schools on raised foundations, are essential for the poor to survive this global challenge. But current pledges to fund adaptation are less than one percent of the investment needed, estimated by Oxfam to be at least $50 billion annually and far more unless urgent action is taken to cut emissions.
“Should President Bush decide, upon entering his last year in office, to leave a legacy of leadership and hope, then there is some hope for developing countries," said Lyons. “However, should he choose to leave a legacy of neglect, the rest of the world will suffer the consequences.”
]]>According to this year’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, Africa is the continent most vulnerable to climate change. By 2020, yields from rain-fed agriculture in some countries could decrease by as much as 50%, exacerbating malnutrition and food insecurity, while a 3°C temperature increase could leave up to 1.8 billion more people in Africa at risk of water stress.
Antonio Hill, Oxfam’s senior advisor on climate change said: “Vulnerable people in developing countries are already suffering from the effects of man-made global warming and yet they are least responsible. They cannot wait for the G8 to deliberate endlessly on the best way to respond.
“Unless the G8 acts in a coordinated and cooperative fashion with other countries to deliver on a global goal to keep global warming below 2ºC, the lives and livelihoods of the poorest half of humanity will become untenable due to water scarcity, food insecurity, disease, and related conflict.”
Oxfam warned that a proliferation of new initiatives from G8 countries could divert energy from the existing UN process. It urged leaders to focus on setting a global target to keep global warming as far below 2ºC as possible and commit to early action to start reducing emissions in their economies by 2015.
Oxfam said that agreement on a multilateral process for achieving a framework for action beyond 2012, when the first phase of the UN’s Kyoto protocol runs out, was essential if climate change strategies were to be equitable and compatible with poverty reduction.
Hill: “The UN Climate Convention is the best hope all countries—especially developing ones—have to ensure climate adaptation and mitigation efforts support and complement on-going poverty reduction strategies.”
Oxfam also called on leaders to explain how they will meet their obligations to help poor countries to adapt to the effects of global warming, saying that those most responsible for climate change and most capable of assisting must pay their biggest price.
According to Oxfam, G8 countries owe around 80 per cent of the $50 billion or more needed each year by developing countries to adapt to climate change. The US is responsible for meeting nearly 44% of developing country adaptation costs; Japan, nearly 13%; Germany, more than 7%; the UK, more than 5%; and Italy, France, Canada, 4-5% each. This money must be additional to the existing commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on overseas development aid.
Hill: “The G8 needs to stop harming and start helping. Scientific evidence suggests that dangerous climate change will occur within the lifetimes of present generations if no action is taken and health experts are already reporting an additional 150,000 deaths per year due to climate change. There is no time to lose.”
Oxfam welcomed US President George Bush’s acknowledgment ahead of the G8 summit of the need to act on climate change but said that the US President should join other G8 leaders and call for global talks under the UN to proceed as quickly as possible.
]]>“Poor countries should not have to pay for damage caused by the emissions of rich countries,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America. “As world leaders head to the G8 summit in Germany, they must be prepared to cut their emissions and to start helping poor countries to cope with the high costs of adaptation.”
The report, “Adapting to Climate Change: What’s Needed in Poor Countries and Who Should Pay,” estimates that poor countries will need around $50 billion a year to adapt to the harmful effects of climate change, a conservative estimate that will rise sharply if emissions are not cut drastically.
“Rich countries must find ways to help address the harm caused to those who are least responsible for the problem,” said Offenheiser. “It is important to not think of this as aid in a traditional sense, but as the world’s biggest and richest polluters covering the costs forced upon those who are most vulnerable—an entirely separate and added responsibility.”
Oxfam works in more than 100 countries with poor communities already on the front lines of climate change. Oxfam field staff and partners are seeing first-hand the harm that climate change is already causing poor people, particularly farmers. Adaptation costs are difficult to estimate because the scale of inevitable harm is still uncertain and will depend on how fast greenhouse gas emissions are cut. But according to the report, rich countries have only pledged “a fraction of a fraction” to date, just $182m for all developing countries, and even this small amount is taken from existing aid budgets.
“From the Peruvian Andes, to the deltas of Bangladesh, we are already seeing climatic stresses impacting people’s livelihoods and their ability to manage natural resources, Offenheiser said. “While some developed countries are starting to make important investments to adapt to climate change on the home front, they are stalling when it comes to helping poor countries to do the same.”
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