Never use animals, children or balloons

by Patrick Klerks, Online Campaigner, Oxfam Novib

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Today is the last day before the G8 summit begins and I am once again faced with the eternal wisdom: “When you’re doing a public performance, do not use animals, children or balloons”. At first it seemed like a good idea to have a thousand balloons on the square in front of the Sapporo Convention Center, representing one million wishes sent from people around the world asking for an end to poverty, as part of the Japanese tanabata festival. As we soon found out: concrete and balloons don’t mix. But as campaigners always have a plan B, C and D, all turned out great in the end, as you’ll see in the video below.

A few hours later, it was time for our health performance: our big heads were dangling a check in front of healthworkers, representing the financial promises the G8 leaders made back in 2005 at Gleneagles. This is a really important issue, because G8 leaders are trying to break their aid promises. We decided to do this performance to make sure G8 leaders know we won’t let it happen.

Now I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that this is a good reason to get our message out even louder: action NOW! And if things need to get loud, one brings in Bill Nighy. He’ll be our spokesperson at the Big Letters performance (Big heads, Big letters, get it?) tomorrow, explaining why the G8 must make it clear to the rest of the world where and how they will lay out their plans to get back on track to meet those 2005 promises.

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

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.