Oxfam logo
The Future is Equal
Oxfam logo in green

Climate Crisis

“Least Cost” means “More Damage” in Government’s Emissions Plan

Oxfam Aotearoa is dismayed by the lack of ambition in the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan released today.

‘Relying on the least cost option of planting more pine trees, rather than cutting climate pollution, will only cause more damage for communities in Aotearoa and the Pacific on the frontlines of the climate crisis.’ said Oxfam Aotearoa’s Climate Justice Lead, Nick Henry.

‘The gap is growing between our domestic policies and our international commitments. This will cost New Zealand billions of dollars by 2030 if we rely on buying offsets from other countries. The lack of ambition in today’s plan will increase that cost by tens of millions.

‘Today’s announcement makes it clear that the Government now has no plan to reach net-zero, with emissions exceeding net-zero budgets after 2030. The cost of cutting climate pollution is being kicked down the road, while communities in Aotearoa and the Pacific continue to suffer from the worsening climate crisis.

‘We are disappointed to see the lack of significant support for public and active transport in the plan. Improving access to public transport would be one of the best climate wins, and would also help reduce the cost of living for so many.

‘The plan does nothing to fix the Emissions Trading Scheme. We need leadership from Government to stop subsidising pollution through free allocation and change settings that reward planting pine trees rather than cutting gross emissions.

‘It is not credible to claim that increasing oil and gas exploration is compatible with reducing emissions. It is the wrong century for “lesser evil” thinking that fossil gas is better than coal, when renewable energy options are already here and getting cheaper every year. Aotearoa urgently needs to stop producing and burning fossil fuels. Instead, we need a just transition to renewable energy for workers, communities, and the planet.’

Notes for editors:

1. The Emissions Reduction Plan states: ‘The gap between the first and second emissions budgets and the NDC is 101 Mt CO2-e.’ [p. 34].

2. Mt CO2-e is Megatonnes of Carbon-Dioxide equivalent emissions, including emissions of all Greenhouse Gases. New Zealand has committed to cutting net emissions to no more than 571 Mt CO2-e for 2021-2030 in our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.

3. In 2023, Treasury calculated the gap between ERP1 and ERP2 and the NDC as 99.2 Mt CO2-e and estimated that purchasing international offsets to cover this gap would cost between $3.7 billion and $20.6 billion, with a mid-point estimate of $8.6 billion, assuming all emissions budgets were met. [p. 86]

Even assuming Treasury’s lowest cost estimate, increasing the gap between emissions and the NDC commitment by two percent, as today’s plan does, would cost New Zealand at least $80 million.

4. For more on the urgent need for a just transition from fossil fuels, see Oxfam Aotearoa’s 2023 report Closing Time: Why Aotearoa needs a just transition from fossil fuel production now.

For more information:

Rachel Schaevitz/ [email protected]

Unfair share report: Unequal climate finance to East Africa hunger crisis

Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan have incurred $7.4bn of livestock losses alone as a result of climate change

Despite being largely responsible for the worsening climate crisis in East Africa, rich nations paid Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan just $2.4 billion in climate-related development finance in 2021, in stark contrast to the $53.3 billion East Africa says it needs annually to meet its 2030 climate goals.

Oxfam’s “Unfair Share” Report published today, shows that the biggest polluting nations have fallen short of meeting both the climate and the humanitarian funds East African countries need to recover from their climate-fuelled hunger crisis. It highlights the impact of climate change on the future of the region.

Oxfam in Africa Director, Fati N’Zi-Hassane said: “Even by their own generous accounts, polluting nations have delivered only pittance to help East Africa scale up their mitigation and adaptation efforts. Nearly half the funds (45%) they did give were loans, plunging the region further into more debt.”

A prolonged drought and erratic rainfalls have killed nearly 13 million animals, and decimated hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops, leaving millions of people without income or food. These four East African countries have incurred up to an estimated $30 billion of losses from 2021 to the end of 2023. Oxfam calculates that these countries also lost approximately $7.4 billion worth of livestock.

As a result, over 40 million people across the four countries are suffering severe hunger because of a two-year drought and years of flooding, compounded by displacement and conflict. Despite the soaring humanitarian need, rich nations have only met about one third of the UN appeal for East Africa this year.

“At the heart of East Africa’s hunger crisis is an abhorrent climate injustice. Rich polluting nations continue to rig the system by disregarding the billions owed to East Africa, while millions of people are left to starve from repeated climate shocks,” said N’Zi-Hassane.

Industrialised economies have significantly contributed to the climate crisis, which now disproportionally affects regions like East Africa. The G7 countries and Russia alone have been responsible for 85 percent of global emissions since 1850. This is 850 times the emissions of Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan combined.

“Global financial institutions are also complicit in contributing to the debt spiral that many developing countries are in. Onerous repayment cycles (to IFIs, bilateral and private creditors) prevent vulnerable countries from adapting to climate change or fully recovering from these consecutive shocks, like climate-fuelled hunger crises..”

Extreme weather, now more severe and frequent, is the primary driver of hunger in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and in part in South Sudan, where climate change has made the drought 100 times more likely.

“These pummelling shocks have depleted people’s reserves, leaving those already vulnerable with nothing to fend for themselves. Since the last drought in 2017, the number of people who need urgent aid across the four countries has more than doubled – from 20.7 million to 43.5 million,” said N’Zi-Hassane.

The climate crisis has taken its toll especially on women and girls. Women in Somalia told Oxfam they now have to walk more than four hours every day to fetch water, often in treacherous journeys – a significantly increased distance compared to previous droughts. Too often, when food is scarce, mothers eat last and least; and girls are the first to be dropped out of school or married off at a young age so there is one less mouth to feed.

Nimo Suleiman, a displaced mother of two from Somaliland, said “I have witnessed previous droughts but I have never seen anything like this before. The closest water point for us is five kilometers away, the road to the water point is not safe and very hot, but our family’s survival depends on us making that journey.”

“At the first African Climate Summit, Oxfam urges African leaders to speak up and hold rich polluting nations to account for this climate crisis. Rich nations must immediately inject funds to meet the $8.74 billion UN humanitarian needs for East Africa in order to save lives now,” N’Zi-Hassane said.

“It is equally crucial for the biggest polluters to pay their fair share of the money East Africa needs to strengthen its efforts to help its most vulnerable citizens prepare for the next climatic shock. These funds must be sustainable, in the form of grants rather than loans.”

“Leading up to COP28, African voices must be loud in demanding rich polluting nations to drastically cut their emissions, and to compensate East Africa for all their climate loss and damage so that the region can recover from these worsening climate shocks.”

Notes to the Editors

  • Read Oxfam’s “Unfair Share” report.
  • Oxfam is holding a roundtable at the African Climate Summit on 5 Sept .
  • The $2.4 billion figure is based on the OECD records of “Climate-related development finance” statistics reported figures in 2021 for Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan, which capture both bilateral and multilateral climate-related external development finance flows. For more detail on the OECD methodology please see the OECD Methodology note.
  • Out of the total $2.4 billion funds provided, only $1.33 billion were in the form of grants (54.5%) while $1.09 billion were in the form of loans (45%). Source: OECD
  • The figure $53.3 billion is the four countries identified annual needed funds for the period 2021 to 2030, in their “National Determined Contributions” (NDCs) to enable them to implement their climate goals under the Paris Agreement. It includes: $62 billion for Kenya, $316 billion for Ethiopia, $55.5 billion for Somalia and $100 billion for South Sudan.
  • According to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the East Africa region’s average annual loss from climate change until 2030 is 2-4% of its annual GDP. For Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan, the total combined GDP in 2022 is $260 Billion.
  • Oxfam calculated livestock loss for Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia based on 2021 and 2023 estimates of the total government reported loss of 12.95 million heads of livestock – including 6.85 million livestock in Ethiopia, 2.6 million livestock in Kenya and 3.5 million livestock in Somalia. Ethiopia and Somalia have not provided an estimate of the value of the lost livestock. The approximate cost of per animal head in the region is $ 576.9, totalling $7.2 Billion for all 12.95 million livestock lost.
  • Food insecurity figures are based on IPC classification of the number of people in crisis or worse levels of food insecurity (IPC3+) for Ethiopia (11.8 million), Kenya (5.4 million), Somalia (6.5 million) and South Sudan (7.7 million).
  • Humanitarian need figures is based on the 2023 UN Humanitarian Response Plans for Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan and Kenya.
  • Humanitarian need figures for 2017 are based on 2017 Humanitarian Response Document for Ethiopia; Somalia and South Sudan , and the 2017 Flash Appeal for Kenya.

Contact Information

Rachel Schaevitz, Communication Manager, [email protected]

Oxfam welcomes support from political parties for fossil fuel free Pacific: We need to stop polluting, and start paying

Oxfam Aotearoa says all major parties must show they are listening to Pacific demands on climate change ahead of this year’s general election.

At a pre-election debate on Thursday night, Oxfam raised two key demands that all parties must support: an historic proposed Pacific leaders’ climate change declaration, and an increase and continuation of much-needed climate finance.

“These issues are crucial to Oxfam and to our allies in the Pacific”, says Climate Justice Lead Nick Henry. “Pacific governments have shown incredible leadership this year in their call for a regional Just Transition away from fossil fuels. We are seeking unanimous cross-party support for the Port Vila Call at the Pacific Islands Forum in November, and a scale up of the crucial financial assistance we provide to countries to adapt and respond.

“Achieving the vision of a fossil fuel free Pacific will require every country in the region to do our bit, and we still need to see these parties’ plans to deliver on our own part of this goal here at home. The good news is that we have the solutions: wealthier countries like ours need to urgently stop polluting, and start paying . These plans must include a full, fair, fast and funded transition away from fossil fuels here in Aotearoa – shutting down oil, gas and coal on land and at sea for good – and ongoing commitments to pay our fair share of climate finance.

“It’s past time we listen to the people who are on the frontlines of this crisis. Climate change is here and now, and our Pacific neighbours have known this and borne the brunt of its impacts for years. This summer’s cyclones in Aotearoa are an unavoidable reminder that we aren’t immune ourselves.

“As we near the election, we want to see all political parties making commitments to act in line with climate justice. Reopening our coastlines to exploitation by the riskiest players in this dirty global industry is a step in the wrong direction. The science shows there’s no room for new oil, gas or coal if we’re to keep warming to 1.5 degrees. The call to end the era of fossil fuel pollution has never been stronger. The offshore ban put New Zealand on the map for our climate leadership – we simply can’t afford to take such a massive backwards step as to undo it.”

Oxfam’s key asks

 As part of the Climate Shift coalition, Oxfam is calling on all parties to:

  • End new oil, gas and coal exploration and extraction on land and at sea, and commit to the Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific.
  • Stand with affected communities in the Pacific by renewing and scaling up our climate finance commitments, with new and additional funding to address loss and damage caused by climate change.

Parties’ positions at the Council for International Development and New Zealand Institute for International Affairs pre-Election Debate

ACT

  • Did not comment on whether they would maintain and scale up New Zealand climate finance post-2025.
  • Support for the Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific would depend on whether or not the ‘Pacific’ is defined to include New Zealand. Additionally mentioned ACT’s commitment to reopen offshore fossil fuel exploration and production.

Green Party

  • Would maintain and scale up New Zealand climate finance post-2025.
  • Supports the Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, and would support a Leaders’ Declaration at the Pacific Islands Forum.

Labour

  • Would maintain and scale up New Zealand climate finance post-2025.
  • Supports the Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, and would support a Leaders’ Declaration at the Pacific Islands Forum.

National

  • Did not comment on whether they would maintain and scale up New Zealand climate finance post-2025.
  • Did not comment on party support for the Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, and would “wait and see” what happens at the Pacific Islands Forum to determine whether they would support a Leaders’ Declaration.

Reaction to Government update on agriculture emissions

In reaction to today’s update on agriculture emissions, Oxfam Aotearoa’s Climate Justice Lead Nick Henry, said:

“We are frustrated that the Government is not taking climate destruction seriously enough. We should be aiming for the lowest possible climate pollution, not the lowest possible price on agricultural emissions.

“While we welcome Aotearoa New Zealand’s pledge to reduce methane emissions by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030, these current proposals to price agricultural emissions are estimated to reduce methane emissions by only around 4%. It doesn’t add up.

“The experts have spoken: reducing methane pollution now, as part of reducing total carbon emissions, is essential to avoiding the climate crisis getting worse for us here in Aotearoa, for our friends and whānau in the Pacific, and around the world.

“The Government needs to support our farmers to do their fair share of reducing climate pollution by fully pricing emissions and funding a shift to regenerative low emissions agriculture.”

Oxfam Aotearoa calls for:

  • A pricing system that ensures agriculture contributes a fair share of the emission reductions needed to meet our domestic and international commitments, including the Global Methane Pledge.
  • Emissions need to be priced now, not 2025.
  • The government must scrap the 95 percent discount – the agriculture industry should be paying their fair share.
  • The government needs to invest in equipping farmers to shift production modes and adjust land use to build a flourishing, regenerative organic food and fibre sector.

Oxfam reacts to NZ Government’s biofuel obligation

The Government’s biofuel obligation risks doing more harm than good for the climate and global hunger, said Nick Henry, Climate Justice Lead at Oxfam Aotearoa: 

“We welcome the decision to rule out the use of palm and soy oil and to limit the use of food and feed to produce biofuel. But this does not go far enough. As our recent briefing paper details, all crop-based biofuels contribute to the increasing levels of hunger across the world. 

“Under a similar system in the EU, Europe is burning 17,000 tonnes of rapeseed and sunflower oil per day – the equivalent of 19 million 1L bottles every day – that could be used for food. What’s more, if the Government move ahead with its mandate, it will contribute to land use changes around the world which are extremely harmful to local communities and to the climate. 

“Minister Woods is clearly committed to managing the impacts of transport on the environment. We acknowledge changes have been made to improve the biofuel obligation, but it is crucial Minister Woods goes further to reduce the serious harm a biofuels obligation can have on people and planet. The Government must rule out using any food crops and have strict standards to not only protect the environment, but also human rights. 

“We look forward to working with the Government to inform and improve its approach to sustainable transport.” 

/ENDS

Notes 

Oxfam Aotearoa briefing paper on biofuels: https://www.oxfam.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Dont-Burn-Food-Policy-Briefing.pdf  

According to the European Federation for Transport and Environment, 18 percent of the world’s vegetable oil production goes to biodiesel. Nearly all of this is fit for human consumption. In recent years, Europe put 58 percent of all rapeseed and 9 percent of all sunflower oil consumed in the region into its cars and trucks. See: https://www.transportenvironment.org/discover/food-vs-fuel-europe-burns-19-million-bottles-of-sunflower-and-rapeseed-oil-every-day-in-cars/ 

COP27: Oxfam reacts to NZ Government’s loss & damage announcement

Oxfam Aotearoa welcomes and congratulates the NZ government’s recognition that loss and damage exists and requires funding, but Jo Spratt, Communications and Advocacy Director says it still isn’t good enough:

“Sadly, this is not new funding. Instead, it is allocated from New Zealand’s existing climate finance, which is for adaptation and mitigation. Financing for loss and damage must be new and additional to adaptation, mitigation and overseas aid funding. There is a severe funding shortfall – countries are suffering irreversible damage in the climate crisis.

“To put it into perspective, last month Oxfam revealed that 55 of the most climate-vulnerable countries have suffered climate-induced economic losses totalling over half a trillion dollars during the first two decades of this century.

“While New Zealand is amongst the leading countries in providing dedicated funding for loss and damage, two further steps are necessary to clearly demonstrate our commitment to the Pacific. First, New Zealand must back-up this announcement by supporting a new loss and damage finance facility to help ensure that finance to address loss and damage is accessible and sustained and is delivered in accordance with the principles of climate justice. Second, New Zealand can pledge this $20 million allocation to the new facility.”

ENDS