Oxfam (with the help of friends from TckTckTck) welcomed delegates to Day 1 of the June Bonn Climate Change Talks by fending off offers of sharky loans for adapatation funding.
“At a time of economic emergency, when several poor countries are slashing critical health and education budgets to avoid a det crisis, rich countries are considering saddling them with climate debt for a situation they did not cause and are worst affected by.” said Oxfam Senior Policy Advisor Antonio Hill.
“It’s like crashing your neighbors car, and then offering a loan to cover the damages.”
Oxfam’s latest report, Climate Finance Post-Copenhagen: The $100billion questions, warns that the $100 billion pledged by rich nations to help fight climate change could fail the poorest people if recent moves to deliver the money as loans continue.
Oxfam is strongly opposed to the use of loans to help poor communities adapt to the impacts of climate change and is concerned that a significant proportion of the first installments of climate finance (to be delivered between 2010 and 2012) will not be in the form of grants.
The report lays out a clear road map for how rich countries can not only meet their $100 billion a year promise but also double it by 2020 in line with actual needs. Suggested innovative sources of finance include:
(Bonn, 31st May 2010) Oxfam has today warned that the $100billion a year pledged by rich nations to help fight climate change could fail the poorest people, if recent moves to deliver climate cash as loans continue. Oxfam’s report The $100billion questions comes as UN climate negotiations re-open for the first time since last year’s summit in Copenhagen. Whilst recognising the need for some limited cut-rate loans to help poor countries develop in a low carbon way, the international agency strongly opposes the use of loans to help communities adapt to climate impacts.
Agency reacts to renewal of the peacekeeping mandate
Each and every peacekeeper is still needed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, aid agency Oxfam said today (28 May) as the United Nations Security Council renewed the mandate of MONUC, the UN peacekeeping force in the country.
Next Tuesday in Bonn heralds the beginning of the latest round of UNFCCC climate negotiations.
Government officials, later joined by Environment Ministers from most countries in the world, will try and address the many unresolved issues from Copenhagen. What happens in Bonn will set the tone for the rest of the year and give an insight into what to expect from COP16 in December.
Singer and Oxfam supporter Eleanor McEvoy was interviewed on RTE’s Nationwide this week about her experiences travelling to Uganda with Oxfam. You can watch the segment on the RTE player – Eleanor’s interview starts 15 mins into the programme.
India’s first carbon emissions disclosure since 1994 was reported today as making the country the world’s fifth biggest emitter.
Since 1994, India’s emissions from electricity, cement and waste have more than doubled and today’s report highlighted a 0.4C average temperature rise over the past 50 years. Despite this, India’s carbon intensity fell by 30% and its emissions remain roughly a quarter of those from China and the US.
India has also committed to publishing its emissions inventory every two years from now on. Will this move encourage others to follow the same example of transparency?
Oxfam Ireland’s first Donation Day will take place in our Waterford Shop this Saturday, the 29th of May.
We urgently need 100 new bags of donations for our Waterford shop, so if you live in the area, why not do a quick spring clean and bring down your unwanted clothes, music, books and homewares on Saturday?
It’ll be a fun day with music and surprises in store!
Oxfam Ireland opens its first ever charity shop in the midlands
Oxfam Ireland is extremely proud to welcome shoppers to its new Mullingar shop on 3 Oliver Plunkett Street, which is the first Oxfam Ireland shop to open anywhere in the midlands region. Oxfam’s official opening will commence at 11:00am on Thursday June 3rd when the opening ceremony will be performed by a local celebrity!
Oxfam Ireland’s first Donation Day will take place in our Waterford Shop this Saturday, the 29th of May.
