The United Nations Bali Climate Change Summit feels akin to climbing Mt Everest in just two weeks. For the last 10 days a myriad of bureaucratic sherpas from around the world have been carrying their loads up the mountain, agreeing what can be agreed and setting aside areas of disagreement to be picked up in a last final push to the summit by Ministers when they arrive today for the final three crucial days of negotiations this week.
Oxfam Australia today (12 December) welcomed many aspects of the new climate change course set for Australia by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in his address to delegates at the opening of today’s UN Climate Change talks in Bali.
Delegates at the climate change negotiations in Bali have reached a key agreement that will set the course for how funds will be made available to poor countries to help them avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Christmas gift shoppers have six days left to purchase Oxfam Unwrapped gifts so that cards will be sent in time for Christmas.
Sales of Unwrapped gifts are up fifty percent on last year indicating that Australians are increasingly generous.
Make no mistake ‘ Australians worry about climate change. Labor’s sweeping victory in the Federal Election was, after all, partly due to Prime Minister Rudd’s commitment to ratify Kyoto. And in Bali this week the Government has a one off opportunity to flex some muscle on climate change. In one fell swoop Australia could go from the back of the pack to the front by declaring to the world that it’s ready and willing to take up the challenge, not just for Australians but for all people around the world to tackle the worst effects of climate change.
Oxfam Australia today urged Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to show world leaders the way and commit the nation to a global fund to provide the world’s poor with the resources necessary to adapt to the worst impacts of climate change as well as ratify the Kyoto Protocol at this week’s UN Bali Climate Change Conference.
Today, on World Aids Day, Oxfam Global Ambassador Annie Lennox is launching SING, a new charity single calling on women to ‘sing out’ around the issues of HIV and AIDS.
Oxfam releases a report on the increase in natural disaasters caused by climate change.
Oxfam Australia aid worker Rebecca Vince (VIC) arrived in Port Moresby today to assist with the humanitarian relief effort following last week’s cyclone that left up to 145,000 people without adequate access to shelter, food and water as well as medicine.