The deadline for the Oxfam Summer Raffle is approaching fast – but there’s still time for you to enter online!

To enter the draw instantly online, click the button below to go to our Donation Page.  Select one-off, then Summer Raffle; and pay the value of tickets you require – no need to return your slips, we’ll print new ones in your name in time for the draw.

Bjorn Lomborg, a self dubbed sceptical environmentalist, has for years been considered a high-profile yet controversial climate change sceptic.  In a manifest turn about however, a new book to be published next month by Lomborg will call for tens of billions of dollars to be invested annually to tackle climate change.

The proposed use for this money is to heavily invest into researching and developing clean energy sources.  In addition, Lomborg has suggested that this should be lead by governments rather than private industry and that decisive action could resolve the problem of climate change by the end of this century.

Embattled IPCC head, Pachauri has already positively welcomed the new book.  Will others be so quick to accept Lomborg’s proposals?

The Guardian reported today that 93% of flyers do not offset their flights.

In a survey carried out by the Civil Aviation Authority at Stansted airport in the UK, only 3% of participants deliberately chose more environmentally friendly airlines and only 9% had taken fewer flights over the past year on environmental grounds. Interestingly though, over half of those questioned were aware of and understood the practice of carbon offsetting.

Is it worrying that the vast majority of people surveyed did not engage in offsetting or does offsetting actually encourage individuals to carry on polluting rather than reducing their own emissions?

RTE News at One today featured Oxfam’s latest update from Pakistan:  the aid agency is warning that the people of Pakistan may suffer food shortages for up to a year because of the devastation that the floods have caused to farmland.

Watch the report on RTE.ie’s video player »

One month after the floods first reached disastrous levels in Pakistan, the flood waters continue to rise with 500,000 people forced to evacuate their homes in recent days. Many areas are still cut off and millions of people are in desperate need of immediate help. As the aid effort struggles to respond to the increasing catastrophe, international aid agency Oxfam today warned that reconstruction efforts must begin immediately to avoid devastating long-term consequences for the country.

Neva Khan, Oxfam’s Country Director in Pakistan, said:

“One month into a crisis we would expected the situation to have stabilised and the long term planning to have begun. But we are still in phase one of an increasing catastrophe, evacuating people, providing them with shelter, trying to get clean water and sanitation to those people who need it. Pakistan doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for the emergency phase to be over before starting the reconstruction.”

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Here are some answers to some of the popular questions we’ve received about the Pakistan floods.

What can I do to help?

The Oxfam confederation is appealing for €24.5 million internationally – to enable our staff already in Pakistan to scale up the relief effort. We are planning to reach more than 1 million people with humanitarian aid. We are tracking donations closely to make sure they really make a difference to those in desperate need.

What can businesses do to help?

They can donate to our appeal or provide appropriate goods in country. All our aid has to be cleared to make sure it is ethical and is sourced locally. We only fly in supplies that we can’t get locally or in the region.

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Here are some of the latest happenings from the world of climate change:

• Mexico’s chief climate change delegate, Fernando Tuleda, has said that even though he does not believe a new treaty will be negotiated in Cancun this year, “that does not mean that there can’t be a spectacular breakthrough.”
• A small meeting of scientists, called the Attribution of Climate-Related Events Workshop, met recently to discuss what information is actually needed to determine if climate change can be blamed for extreme weather events.
• American voters are being reminded to use the web resources Dirty Energy Money and Bobbing in Petroleum before casting their vote for the 111th Congress.  These new tools track the flow of contributions made to members of the US Congress by polluting industries and thus allow voters to choose candidates with cleaner, greener records and policies.

See where and how Oxfam is responding to the Pakistan Floods with this useful interactive map on Flickr.com.

We at Oxfam were delighted to hear the Belfast Rose, Frances Rafferty, mention Oxfamvintage as one of the sources of her lovely dresses for the Rose of Tralee competition.

Oxfamvintage is Oxfam’s dedicated vintage line, which features unique pieces from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.  The range also includes accessories such as shoes, bags, belts and jewellery.  Visit the Oxfamvintage site to find out more about where the range is available, and see some fantastic photography featuring the clothes.

You can see Frances the Belfast Rose discussing her clothing style at around 47 minutes into the video of the show on RTE.ie.

Flood-affected areas now constitute the world’s largest freshwater lake, says Oxfam

Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, today visited Pakistan to see the effect of the devastating floods on the country. More than 17 million people are now affected by the floods, with nearly 1600 people killed and millions made homeless.

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