Reports

Millions of poor people in the Pacific face hunger and poverty this year and next because of droughts and erratic rains as global temperatures reach new records, and because of the onset of a powerful El Niño – the climate phenomenon that develops in the tropical Pacific and brings extreme weather to several regions of the world. The combination of record warmth one year followed by an El Niño the next is unique and the climatic implications are uncertain. If 2016 follows a similar pattern, we are entering uncharted waters.

Recently leaders adopted an historic new goal of eradicating hunger by 2030, as part of the new Sustainable Development Goals. This unfolding crisis shows the scale of the threat that climate change poses to its realisation. Governments and agencies must scale up emergency preparedness measures to prevent what are still manageable food crises developing into major humanitarian disasters. December’s UN climate talks in Paris will be a crucial opportunity to strike an agreement that delivers for the women, men and children on the frontlines of climate change.

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mb-El-Nino-uncharted-waters-EMBARGOED.pdf

Saturday 13 September 2015 marked six months since Tropical Cyclone Pam struck Vanuatu causing widespread destruction across the eastern and south-eastern islands of the country and affecting about 188,000 people across 22 islands. An estimated 15,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, about 96% of food stocks were decimated and the water supply of 110,000 people was disrupted, destroyed or contaminated. Thanks to the generosity of donors and supporters from across the globe, Oxfam’s response to Tropical Cyclone Pam has reached close to 25,000 people in the first six months. Humanitarian activities have now moved from the response phase into the recovery phase. Oxfam’s programming for the next period will reflect this shift in focus, as well as the predicted impacts of El Niño on weather patterns.

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oxfam-cyclone-pam-6-month-report_web-edited.pdf

Why Australia and New Zealand must heed the Pacific’s calls for stronger action on climate change. A report for the 46th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, Port Moresby, September 2015.

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2015-86 Pacific Islands Forum Breifing – A question of survival_FA.pdf

Climate change is already affecting what we all eat, and is the biggest threat to winning the fight against hunger. Coal is the biggest single cause of climate change, yet industrialised countries are still burning huge amounts, despite efficient, affordable, renewable alternatives being available. Coal power stations in the G7 countries alone emit twice as much fossil fuel CO2 as the whole of Africa.

We can only afford to burn 20 per cent of coal reserves if we want to keep warming below 2°C – and even less to keep it to the safer level of 1.5°C. Already at the current warming of 0.85°C over pre-industrial times, vulnerable communities, including our Pacific neighbours, are struggling to cope with more fierce storms, floods and droughts. Cyclone Pam has been a sobering example, decimating crops and causing hunger on a wide scale across Vanuatu and beyond.

Olivier De Schutter, Former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food (2008–14): “Coal-fired power stations increasingly look like weapons of destruction aimed at those who suffer the impacts of changing rainfall patterns as well as of extreme weather events.”

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bp204-let-them-eat-coal-climate-G7-060615-embargo-en.pdf

In 2014, after unprecedented destruction and suffering in Gaza, international donors pledged $3.5bn and a change in approach. Six months later, reconstruction and recovery have barely begun, there has been no accountability for violations of international law, and Gaza remains cut off from the West Bank.
This paper outlines an achievable course of action to address the root causes of the recurrent conflict and put international engagement with Gaza on the right course.

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bp-charting-new-course-stalemate-gaza-130415-en.pdf

Global wealth is increasingly being concentrated in the hands of a small wealthy elite. These wealthy individuals have generated and sustained their vast riches through their interests and activities in a few important economic sectors, including finance and pharmaceuticals/healthcare. Companies from these sectors spend millions of dollars every year on lobbying to create a policy environment that protects and enhances their interests further. The most prolific lobbying activities in the US are on budget and tax issues; public resources that should be directed to benefit the whole population, rather than reflect the interests of powerful lobbyists.

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ib-wealth-having-all-wanting-more-190115-en.pdf