Changing weather, fewer crops – a farmer’s story

Mr Lauser Vaulu, a farmer from Tanimbar in Indonesia talks about the changes in weather patterns he has noticed and the impact they have had on production of food.

Next week, Oxfam will be at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali,
Indonesia, to make sure that the impacts of climate change on poor communities and countries, are at the heart of discussions by delegates, as they work on a new global
deal on how to tackle Climate Change.

Stay up to date with all of our latest news from Oxfam at the conference by subscribing or returning to this blog.

Climate change hits the poorest hardest

Natural disasters have quadrupled over the last two decades, from an average of 120 a year in the early 1980s to as many as 500 today.

Our new report “Climate Alarm: Disasters increase as climate change bites ” looks at how poverty and powerlessness make people more vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate and outlines the need to mitigate, adapt, reduce risk and improve humanitarian systems.

Jeremy Hobbs, Oxfam International’s Executive Director said, “This year we have seen floods in South Asia, across the breadth of Africa and in Mexico that have affected more than 250 million people. This is no freak year. It follows a pattern of more frequent, more erratic, more unpredictable and more extreme weather events that are affecting more people. Action is needed now to prepare for more disasters otherwise humanitarian assistance will be overwhelmed and recent advances in human development will go into reverse.”

Oxfam will be at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Bali next month, keeping pressure on governments to agree on a mandate to negotiate a global deal, that will assist developing countries to cope with the impacts of climate change and to reduce green house gas emissions.

We will be updating this blog direct from the conference, so stay up to date with the latest news by subscribing to our blog feed, or visiting us everyday over the next few weeks.

From the people of Tanimbar, Indonesia

Josephine Imelda, works for Oxfam in Indonesia, and recently visited the
Tanimbar, one of the thousands of islands that form Indonesia. Josephine
interviewed the people who live in the villages of Tanimbar, about the changes
in weather patterns and seasons they have noticed over the last few years, and
how they have had to adapt their way of life to survive.

Watch more stories like this on our Youtube profile or visit the blog from
Oxfam’s team in Indonesia.