Oxfam welcomes support of Federal Opposition for Bali Roadmap on reducing deadly carbon emissions

Oxfam Australia welcomed today’s announcement by the federal opposition to back the Bali roadmap goal of a 25-40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The aid and development agency now urges the Federal Labor Government to follow their lead and back a Bali plan to dramatically cut carbon emissions over the next decade to avoid climate chaos.
‘With Bali talks due to end in less than 24-hours, climate change negotiations are on a knife edge and need a circuit breaker, ‘ said Oxfam Australia’s Director of Public Policy, James Ensor in Bali this week for the talks. ‘That circuit breaker could be agreement by the Labor Government to back the Bali roadmap.’
Mr Ensor said the Coalition environment spokesperson Greg Hunt’s decision to back the Bali roadmap was commendable. He said it was a sign of political change in Australia that must now be followed up with renewed vigour by the newly elected Labor Government who ought to show its climate change credentials and back the climate plan on the table in Bali.
‘The climate clock is ticking and it’s time for action not words to tackle carbon emissions,’ said Mr Ensor. ‘Oxfam urges the Labor Government to get on board with the Bali roadmap. We owe it to the world’s poorest countries who are already feeling climate chaos to cut carbon emissions that rich nations like Australia caused in the first place.’
Before the curtains falls on this week’s Bali climate talks, Oxfam wants Environment Ministers to have carved out an agreement that is fair and equitable. ‘This will mean that countries shoulder responsibility for mitigation and adaptation in line with their historical responsibility for emissions and their capacity to assist developing countries to adapt to climate change,’ said Mr Ensor. ‘Anything else will be a disaster,’ he warned.
Oxfam believes that poor people must be at the heart of the Bali Roadmap solution. It must enable them to be better able to cope with the impacts of climate change. ‘The longer we take to begin to reduce emissions (mitigation), the higher the human and financial cost of assisting developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change,’ said Mr Ensor.
For more information call Ian Woolverton on 0409 181 454