Climate Breakdown

Standing together – hope in action in 2019

December 19, 2019

What a year 2019 has been. Together, we’ve achieved so much. The global systems of injustice and the extremely rich and powerful people who are enabling them are not easy to tackle. But by using our power as citizens, we are building the foundations of a just, inclusive and sustainable world for all, and are shifting the window of what is politically possible. Here’s an overview of the change you have helped make happen this year.

School Strike for Climate, Auckland - Vernon Rive — *Oxfam joins the School Strike for Climate in Auckland. Photo/Vernon Rive*

Taking collective action for climate justice

Momentum for tackling climate breakdown skyrocketed up the political agenda this year, and we’ve been excited to support movements like the School Strikers, Pacific Climate Warriors and Generation Zero as they’ve walked the streets and the halls of parliament to fight for the climate action we need from our government. We are so pleased New Zealand now has a Zero Carbon Act to provide a starting line for getting our pollution down.

We also worked hard to ensure that our government is starting to lift its support for people who are on the frontlines of climate destruction, including our colleagues, friends and family in the Pacific and beyond, through securing a US$10 million boost to the Green Climate Fund.

With you, the Oxfam community:

Sent powerful submissions on the Zero Carbon Act, and delivered an 11,000 strong petition to Parliament calling on MPs to #BackTheAct along with Generation Zero, WWF and World Vision.
Sent over 250 letters to Minister Peters asking for a boost in resourcing for our neighbours to fight climate breakdown.
Sent over 300 letters to Minister Shaw demanding New Zealand stand with the Pacific at the COP25, the UN climate talks.

Keeping inequality on the political agenda and pushing for multinationals to pay their fair share

We’ve been working hard to get our government to make sure international tax rules are fair for all countries. We mobilised around the government’s Tax Working Group and in international negotiations, to stop multinational corporations shirking their fair share of taxes that help the world’s governments provide for their people. Together, we’ve:

Delivered the demands of nearly 8000 people to tell parliament that we want tax transparency by opening the books of multinational corporations.
Sent over 400 submissions to IRD on international tax rules for a digital economy.

What these achievements do is keep international tax rules on the government’s agenda, and they make sure that people in government have to think about tax issues. This is the first step in changing policy – getting the ideas and information across the desks of the right people, and providing a mandate for change.

We’ve supported the creation of Tax Justice Aotearoa, a new organisation that works to make sure our government has the tax it needs to fund our hospitals and schools, and that everyone is contributing their fair share. Tax Justice Aotearoa ran a campaign in support of a capital gains tax, hosted Tax on Tuesdays, a series of talks about tax, wrote submissions and several policy briefs, and met with MPs and Ministers.

Making our aid work for those who need it most

We’ve been working to get international development policy that focuses on the people who need our help the most, by building connections across the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The government recently released its new policy, and we were pleased to see a strong focus on human rights and inclusion. We also presented to Parliament’s Inquiry into New Zealand’s Aid – you can watch our Advocacy and Campaigns Director, Jo, give Oxfam’s submission to Select Committee here (from 1h 50min).

For World Humanitarian Day, we joined with other NGOs to remind the government that New Zealand must continue to support and protect victims of the Syrian conflict through the #NZisWatching campaign.

There’s lots to do, but together we are powerful

Tackling systems of injustice – both in New Zealand and across the world – can be slow and frustrating. Sometimes simply raising a voice, shedding light on an issue, or just holding the line so things don’t go backwards, is a huge achievement. We do this work alongside and on behalf of people who are focused on getting food on the table for their children and keeping a roof over their heads. They can’t do this work alone.

The only way we can stop injustice is through our collective action – working together, harmonising our voices and holding the powerful to account. We get inspiration and motivation from the things you do to make the world a better place.

We look forward to more of this in 2020. It will be a big year – we have to inspire governments and corporations to do much more to stop climate destruction. We have a unique opportunity to change the international tax rules for the better. And we can make sure the money we give for overseas development assistance is spent on stopping poverty and injustice. All in the midst of an election!

So, it’s a good time for some rest, reflection and connecting with loved ones over the festive season, and then getting back into making change with you in the new year.

Ngā Manaakitanga,
Jo and Alex
Your Advocacy and Campaigns Team at Oxfam New Zealand

World screams out for action but climate summit responds with a whisper

December 16, 2019

Responding to the final communiqué of the COP25 climate talks in Madrid, Chema Vera, Interim Executive Director of Oxfam International, said:

“The world is screaming out for climate action but this summit had responded with a whisper. The poorest nations are in a sprint for survival yet many governments have barely moved from the starting blocks. Instead of committing to more ambitious cuts in emissions, countries have argued over technicalities.

“Poorer nations spoke with one voice to demand funds to help them recover from the loss and damage inflicted by the climate emergency. For the homes that have become uninhabitable, the land that has become un-farmable, and the lives that have become unbearable. Wealthy nations have used every trick in the book to stall progress and avoid paying their fair share.

“Now more than ever, it is vital that people across the world keep up the pressure on governments to deliver more ambitious climate action.”

Emissions Cuts

Instead of committing to more ambitious cuts in emissions, countries have argued over technicalities. Commitments made so far have come from countries that account for around only 10 percent of global emissions. They will not keep global temperatures from rising above 1.5°C. If we are to have any chance of avoiding catastrophic climate impacts it is critical that all countries – led by the largest emitters – commit to much deeper emissions cuts in early 2020.

Loss and Damage

COP25 did not establish a new funding mechanism for Loss and Damage. Instead countries agreed to start a conversation about funding and create a new expert group to advise on the issue. They also asked the Green Climate Fund – the main multilateral fund through which rich countries channel climate finance – to take up the matter.

Without new and additional funding, the world’s most vulnerable people will struggle to recover and rebuild after climate shocks. For example, Oxfam’s report, Forced from Home, shows that climate-related disasters are now the biggest driver of internal migration, forcing one person from their home every two seconds. It underlines the need for new and additional money to help communities that cannot adapt to the climate crisis.

Gender Justice

The Gender Action Plan approved at the summit sets out a plan for increasing the participation and leadership of women in international climate talks, and in the design and implementation of climate policies at the national and local level. While the plan still needs to be translated into concrete measures, actions and targets, it is encouraging to see this blueprint for change given that poor women are often the hardest hit by the climate crisis.

Climate Finance

Wealthy countries are not providing the funds that are needed to help poor nations adapt to the climate crisis. Rich polluting countries pledged almost $90 million in new funding for adaptation in Madrid and made additional pledges to the Green Climate Fund. However, Oxfam’s analysis shows that the target of reaching $100 billion per year in climate finance by 2020 remains a distant dream after adjusting for loans and creative accounting.

Reasons to be positive

As the big polluters dissemble and spin, the global movement for climate action is growing bigger and stronger. Young people are standing up for a safer future – showing the leadership that has been severely lacking from governments. Frontline communities from Fiji to Malawi and Peru are fighting back.

The Spanish Government deserves credit for stepping in to ensure COP25 went ahead. The UNFCCC remains the only forum we have for governments, businesses and civil society to try to solve the most pressing issue of our times.

Our hopes rest with the millions of people across the world who are taking to the streets to demand climate justice. Governments must listen and come back to the table in 2020 with the commitment and ambition needed to deliver on the Paris Climate Agreement.

Chile Government Cancels UN Climate Summit – Oxfam Reaction

October 31, 2019

Responding to the decision by the government of Chile not to host the UN Climate Change Summit in December 2019 following weeks of social unrest, Asier Hernando, Deputy Director of Oxfam in Latin America and the Caribbean said:

“Oxfam supports the right of the Chilean people to peaceful protest, and their right to demand that their government works in the interests of all citizens and not just a fortunate few. We condemn the heavy-handed response of the Chilean government to the protests.”

“The same flawed economic policies that have sparked protests on the streets of Chile are fuelling the global climate crisis and the global inequality crisis. Urgent action is needed by governments to build economies that put people and the environment before economic growth and corporate profits.”

“With time running out to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown, the United Nations must work with governments to ensure that international talks do not lose momentum and that COP 25 finds an alternative home – ideally in Latin America.”

Oxfam reaction to Green Climate Fund pledging summit

October 30, 2019

Responding to the outcome of the pledging conference to the Green Climate Fund in Paris, Armelle Le Comte, Climate and Energy Advocacy Manager for the Oxfam confederation, said:

“The pledges made today send an important signal that wealthy countries should help the developing world face the growing perils of climate change. It is encouraging that a range of countries including Norway, Sweden, Germany, the UK and France will double their contributions compared with the previous financing period. This will allow the fund to continue its important mission to assist developing countries in adapting to worsening climate impacts.

“However, it is appalling that Australia and the US have failed to provide any funding at all, while many other nations have made only token gestures or contributions far below their fair share. Millions of people around the world are already facing hunger, homelessness and extreme poverty because of the climate crisis. Oxfam urges wealthy countries that have not pledged anything or remain far below their fair share to increase their contributions ahead of the COP25 climate summit in December.”

Dr Joanna Spratt, Advocacy and Campaigns Director for Oxfam New Zealand said:
“We welcome the increased pledge from the New Zealand government to help fund crucial climate mitigation and adaptation projects around the world. This is a win for the hundreds of people who have been emailing the Foreign Minister demanding that we stand with the Pacific and increase our support for countries where the effects of climate breakdown are felt the most.

“A US$10m replenishment to the Green Climate Fund is an improvement, increasing our last pledge by five times. This will help to support the dozens of projects in poorer countries waiting for new funding. However, if we were honouring our fair share of responsibility to fund a climate-resilient future for people in poor countries, we would need to have pledged US$50-90m this week.

“In the age of increasingly insular and isolationist politics, we need to be growing our support for multilateral mechanisms to tackle climate destruction. We also need to listen to the voices of the countries bearing the brunt of climate change for a collective commitment to support them.

“We urge the government to outline a plan for increasing our Green Climate Fund contribution further, as well as climate finance in general, in line with a rising aid budget so that we can be contributing our fair share.”

Zero Carbon Bill risks failing to live up to its purpose, Oxfam says

October 22, 2019

In response to the Environment Select Committee’s report on the Zero Carbon Bill, Oxfam New Zealand spokesperson Alex Johnston said:

“To live up to its stated purpose of helping keep global warming within 1.5 degrees, the Zero Carbon Bill needs significant amendments when it goes back before the House to give us the transformative targets that we need, backed up by proper legal accountability,” Johnston said.

“A 2030 methane target of only 10% hamstrings our ambition and puts an unfair burden on the other sectors of the economy to pick up the slack. Likewise, the methane target range for 2050 is too low to encompass the scenarios for staying under 1.5 degrees laid out by the IPCC.

“We need a version of the Bill that will see every sector pitching in to at the very least halve our overall emissions by 2030. This is the bare minimum required by developed countries to take responsibility for our pollution and to keep the world on track to achieve the aims of the Paris Agreement.

“To not do so is to let down the i-Kiribati and people of Tuvalu. It indicates that we will not act for a 1.5-degree future or live up to our responsibilities towards our Pacific neighbours.

“It is good to see more scope for the courts to make sure decision-makers are taking targets and emissions budgets into account, but we had also hoped to see proper legal accountability restored in the Bill, so there would be remedies available if these targets are not going to be met.

“Every percent of emissions reductions, and every tenth of a degree of warming matters – what targets we set and how we enforce them determines the value we place on the millions of lives being disrupted right now by climate breakdown.

“We hope that those MPs who gave messages of hope to the 170,000 New Zealanders striking for ambitious climate action last month will put forward amendments to get this Bill into shape, so that we can play our part for climate justice.”

Notes for editors:

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C (SR15) laid out four scenario pathways for staying within 1.5 degrees of global warming. While the interquartile range for methane emissions was a 24-47% reduction by 2050 (from 2010 levels), the full range of pathways was up to a 69% reduction by 2050 (IPCC SR1.5, Figure SPM.3B).

Oxfam G7 Verdict: Big Issues, Little Commitments

August 28, 2019

Oxfam held a climate change protest on the eve of the G7 summit in Biarritz, as world leaders put pressure on Brazil to do more to save the Amazon rainforest from wildfires.

French president Emmanuel Macron put inequality at the top of the agenda, but G7 leaders failed to make meaningful commitments to solve the crisis they have helped create, said Oxfam at the end of the Summit.

“Held in the beach town of Biarritz, France, the G7 Summit brought very few results, which will wash away with the next tide,” said Oxfam’s spokesperson, Robin Guittard. “After failing to get all seven leaders to commit to a comprehensive effort to address inequality, President Macron opted instead for a scattershot approach of piecemeal commitments that unfortunately do not add up to much.”

G7 leaders paid lip service to the dangers of inequality, but they have encouraged and enabled this unequal system to thrive by enabling the super-rich to control politics, by underfunding public services and foreign aid, by under-taxing corporations and wealth, and by fueling climate change and sexism. Perhaps it should be no surprise that at the end of the Summit, they made no commitments to reform the global tax system, invest in universal public services like education, healthcare, and social protection, or in foreign aid. The promised feminist agenda, with the ambition to follow on last year’s Canada presidency, delivered only on limited initiatives.

New business coalitions and corporate pledges pop up on a daily basis, as they did in Biarritz, but Oxfam warns that they are not the solution to the fight against inequality and climate change.

“Everyone must do their part to address inequality and climate change, but voluntary commitments by the private sector cannot replace necessary and urgent public policy and regulations,” said Guittard. “If corporations truly want to do their part, they can start by paying their fair share of taxes in the countries they do business, ensuring gender equality in their corporations, addressing CEO-worker pay ratios, and re-directing their political influence to address inequality and climate, not making it all worse.”

Even with the daily reminders that the climate crisis is upon us, the G7 did not commit to dramatically cut emissions. While France and the UK joined Germany to pledge to the Green Climate Fund, other G7 leaders missed their chance to step up to help poor countries who bear the burden and cost of climate change.

“Time is running out and the world cannot afford to squander moments like this. As the emergencies grow and the alarms ring, the public is increasingly active, showing up in millions on the streets, and in voting booth,” said Guittard. “Public pressure is growing, with young people leading the way. If leaders won’t act, they should step aside and let a new generation take charge.”

Oxfam New Zealand’s director of advocacy and campaigns, Dr Joanna Spratt, said government action on climate breakdown is critical, and New Zealand is falling behind on its responsibilities.

“Even the bare minimum contributions announced by the UK and France at the G7 summit outshine New Zealand’s commitments to the Green Climate Fund so far. New Zealand can no longer shirk its duty to replenish this critical source of funds to battle climate breakdown, and the government now must follow suit through a substantial increase in its contribution.”

At the Pacific Island Forum earlier this month, the group of Pacific Small Island Developing States issued a statement – the Tuvalu Declaration – calling on all states to take the “prompt, ambitious, and successful replenishment of the Green Climate Fund.”

“The government must listen to the voices of small island states in their calls to resource energy transition and adaptation to the climate crisis through the Green Climate Fund, instead of re-announcing money from our existing aid budget,” said Dr Spratt.

“Globally, we need to match our lofty words with actions and significantly increase our climate finance, within a rising aid budget. A good step for the New Zealand government will be a $30m replenishment of the Green Climate Fund, with a plan for increasing our contribution further.”

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