Poor people can’t bear it – Oxfam’s Polar Bears reject the US Climate offer

Oxfam’s Polar bears came back for a second visit to the Untied Nation Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia today, as they could not believe that on the final day of the summit, there was still no clear agreement on a way forward to tackle climate change. You can watch a video of what they got up to on our YouTube Channel.

Getting the voices of those impacted by climate change heard in Bali.

Sahba Chauhan has been busy for the past two weeks liaising with partner organizations in developing countries that Oxfam works with. I caught up with Sahba, at the conference on its second last day, to find out more about what she and our partners have been doing here in Bali.

Karina – Why is it important to have organisations from Least Developed and Developing countries here at this conference?

Sahba – Climate Change is a real issue in the lives and livelihoods of people struggling to fight poverty. For them, climate negotiations are not just front-page news, they are the decisions that will decide if they win or lose the fight against poverty. Therefore, it is important to have them here as an integral part of the process. Their experience and thoughts need to be heard loud and clear!

What activities where our partners involved at the Conference?

Our partners came here from China, India, Philippines, Vietnam and East Timor. While they were here, some worked with their country delegations to highlight the concerns of their communities who they work with back home. All of them were involved in various campaign activity and forums with other organisations from the across the world to ensure the conference heard directly form people already having to deal with the impacts of climate change.

In particular our partners represented and participated in global discussions on adaptation financing and used the opportunity to learn a lot about international negotiations on climate change, and how they can work with other of organisations across the world to find solutions to climate change.

What was the main message that stood out for you and our partners during the week?

I think the world has got a clear message over the past two weeks and that is – we live in a hugely unequal world! Over the past two weeks while most countries stood united to make serious commitments to fight climate change, a handful of rich countries, responsible for this problem in the first place, blocked the negotiation process in every way they could. In an equal world, majority wins. Today the majority is saying – fight climate change now!

How does being at a conference like this, help our partner organizations when they go back to their home countries?

I see it the other way round. The conference and post conference work (which is huge!) will benefit a lot with from the input and engagement of organisations that are at the front line of dealing with climate change. Their involvement at this conference will help represent many concerns about climate change impacts and the adaptation needs from their countries onto a global platform.

Once back home, they will inform local communities about the conference and continue to work with their governments on climate change.
The conference was important not only in our partners being able to share information from their countries but it provide vital learn from other organisations and countries that are experience similar problems such as techniques, research and understanding on key political processes.

Oxfam has collected video testimonies from people who are living with the impact of climate change from around the world, and has been showing them all this week at the conference. You can see a highlights from the messages on our YouTube profile

The Graph of Climate Injustice

Oxfam’s “Bali blogger”, Karina Brisby reports back from the launch of the Graph of Injustice.

On the 10th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol, Oxfam unveiled a huge “Graph of Climate Injustice”, directly outside the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali. You can see the highlights of the unveiling and presentation on YouTube.

Oxfam’s Senior Climate Change Researcher Kate Raworth, introduced the graph, outlined the significance of where the rich and high-polluting countries (known as Annex II) and the poorest countries (Least Developed Countries – LDCs) sat in relation to each other.

By plotting countries’ per capita carbon emissions against their incomes per capita, the graph showed that while rich countries are most responsible for causing climate change, it is the least responsible and poorest countries who are having to bear the worst impact. You can see the graph’s full detail in this PDF

Ministers and delegates from Uganda, Tuvalu, Bangladesh and the Maldives also joined us today, to talk about the experiences of their people struggling to adapt to climate change. And, while their countries are far apart geographically, the delegates had a similar story to tell: they are all having to adapt at a much faster and bigger scale than rich countries, but without the resources and technology needed.

Adaptation finance would help developing countries plan and cope with the impacts of climate change, for example by improving shelter, introducing drought resistant crops, changing farming techniques to ensure stable food supplies, planting trees and helping communities find new ways to earn incomes without depending on the land. These are just a few of then many things need to be done.

Developing country officials and Oxfam want to see a commitment from rich countries for adequate adaptation financing for all developing countries (Oxfam estimates this will cost at least $50 billion year) as one key of outcomes of this conference.

The Netherlands is one of the few rich countries which is actually honoring its obligations. Development Minister Bert Koenders urged the other rich countries to follow the Dutch lead by providing adaptation finance on top of their existing commitments to provide 0.7% of national income for meeting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

You can find out more about what Oxfam is demanding to be delivered on adaptation finance by reading our report

Watch a video from today’s unveiling.

It’s bear o’clock at Bali, as Polar Bears shout – Save The Humans Too

It was very hot and sunny in Bali this morning, so spare a thought for Oxfam’s Polar Bears, who made a special visit to the United Nations Climate Change Conference. The bears, who aren’t used to such hot weather, made big splash, when they showed their support for people who are also feeling the impact of Climate Change.

Whether it was holding placards, shouting “Save the humans too,” riding a tandem bike, or even taking off their heads and speaking to press! The bears got their message out loud and clear, to a waiting throng of media and conference delegates.

The bears played up to the cameras but they wanted to highlight a very serious situation. They wanted to let people know that, it isn’t only animals who are suffering from climate change. Many people from developing countries or poor communities also have to cope with changes in climate that impact their lands, livelihoods and lives.

Watch the video or take a look at the photos, to see what the bears got up to and join them by taking action to Fight Climate Poverty. The team here in Bali, would like to send a very big thank you to our fantastic volunteers, who brought the Polar Bears to life in very hot weather.

Why is Oxfam at the UN Climate Change Conference?

Oxfam’s goal is to see and end to poverty and suffering, so how does that link to Climate Change? Developing countries and people living in poverty are being hit first and worst, by the impacts of climate change. They are losing their livelihoods and land to more frequent and severe floods, droughts and rising sea levels.

Find out more from Kate Raworth, Oxfam GB’s Senior Climate Change Researcher and Ursula Rakova, whose community in the Carteret Islands, have already had to make plans to leave due to rising sea levels.