Oxfam Ireland calls for climate justice in Copenhagen

Oxfam Ireland Press Release
25 November 2009

Mary Robinson urges world leaders to deliver a fair climate deal

Mary Robinson, Honorary President of Oxfam International, has called on governments to agree a fair climate deal at the global climate talks in Copenhagen. Speaking on Wednesday evening in Trinity College at Oxfam Ireland's seminar Mary Robinson said:

“The lives of poor people around the world are being devastated by climate change. We all have a responsibility to address this great global injustice.”

With less than two weeks to go before the global climate talks begin in Copenhagen, Oxfam Ireland hosted Mary Robinson to deliver an address on the need for the global talks to deliver a deal which takes into account the needs of developing countries.

“We must aim for an agreement next month in Copenhagen that is fair, ambitious and binding in order to halt the global climate catastrophe that threatens the lives of millions of the world’s poorest people. We must hold our leaders accountable because time is running out," continued Mrs. Robinson.

Oxfam was also joined by Patrick Lameck of the Tanzanian NGO INADES Formation that works to empower small scale farmers.  

Patrick told the audience that poor people– who are least responsible for the climate crisis and least able to cope with its affects – are already being hit hard by multiple climate change impacts. Speaking from his experience of working with small farmers in Tanzania, Patrick told of the effects that climate change is having on poor communities and the efforts they are already making to adapt to these changes.

“My own mother – a maize farmer –  can no  longer make a living from growing maize due to the decrease in yield as a result of poor rains, which get worse every year” said Patrick.  “The people in the villages are trying out all kinds of new farming practices to survive the poor rains. They are damming up gullies to create reservoirs, planting crops in trenches which conserve moisture, and digging out the moist fertile soil in dry river beds to replenish topsoil dried out by the sun. But this will not solve the problem. We need rich countries  to act.”

Oxfam International has been campaigning since the beginning of the climate talks in Bali, two years ago for a fair and safe deal which supports developing countries to adapt to climate change and which ensures that assistance is provided to help poorer countries develop in a low carbon fashion. This July Oxfam Ireland launched its own public campaign ‘Climate Change Destroys Lives: Let’s Face it’ with a video narrated by Jeremy Irons.

‘The message is clear. The Irish government needs to stand up and be counted. It must act now to deliver climate justice. Brian Cowen and other world leaders should not wait but must make Copenhagen a success by delivering a fair and safe climate change deal.’ said Jim Clarken, Chief Executive of Oxfam Ireland.

Oxfam is calling for governments gathering in Copenhagen in December to deliver a deal that:

• sets greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in line with keeping global temperature rises as far below 2ºC as possible.
• Rich countries reduce their emissions by at least 40% of 1990 levels by 2020.
• Rich countries provide assistance to poorer countries to avoid the mistakes of richer countries as they develop.
• Rich countries will need to provide assistance to poor countries to adapt to the climate change caused by rich countries under the ‘polluter pays’ principle.

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Notes to Editor

Oxfam Ireland is an independent member of Oxfam International- a group of thirteen non-governmental agencies dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world.

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