Reports

A super-charged weather phenomenon will see millions of poor and vulnerable people face hunger and poverty this year and next, as recent record global temperatures, droughts and erratic rains are compounded by what could be the most powerful El Niño on record. Harvests and livelihoods have faltered as drought has taken hold across parts of Africa, the Pacific, Asia, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

This super El Niño is causing real suffering and pushing people who are already at risk from climate change deeper into poverty, loss and extreme vulnerability. The New Zealand Government NZD$2.5 million to support Papua New Guinea and other countries in the Pacific to prepare for and respond to the effects of El Niño. While this funding announcement is a welcome start, it is clear that much more will be needed over coming months as the impacts of this potentially unprecedented El Niño event become greater.

This report builds on Oxfam’s recent briefing, “Entering Uncharted Waters: El Niño and the threat to food security”, and calls on the affected governments, regional bodies and the international community to work together in early response and preparedness in the face of an unfolding crisis.

Download file:

Early Action on Super Charged El Nino Vital to Save Lives Oxfam.pdf

Climate change is inextricably linked to economic inequality: it is a crisis that is driven by the greenhouse gas emissions of the “haves” that hits the “have-nots” the hardest.

The poorest half of the global population – around 3.5 billion people – are responsible for only around 10 per cent of total global emissions attributed to individual consumption, yet live overwhelmingly in the countries most vulnerable to climate change.

Download file:

mb-extreme-carbon-inequality-021215-en UPDATED.pdf

There is likely to be a climate deal in Paris. The emission pledges that more than 150 governments have put on the table this year show that global climate ambition is increasing. But much more is needed, as it’s a deal that could still lead to around 3°C of warming. New Oxfam-commissioned research estimates that compared with 2°C, developing countries could be faced with an additional US$600bn per year in economic losses by 2050, and see their adaptation finance needs raised by almost US$300bn per year by the same date. But there is still scope for a stronger deal.

In this media briefing Oxfam looks at potential game-changers on finance and mitigation ambition that could avert these costs for the world’s poorest people. These are the issues that will determine whether the Paris deal reflects the power of the biggest fossil fuel emitters and elites, or is a turning point which starts to address the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable.

Download file:

mb-game-changers-paris-climate-deal-251115-en.pdf