GOVERNMENTS SLEEP WALKING INTO 4 DEGREES WARMING

 OXFAM PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE USE

December 9 2011

As the climate talks in Durban enter the final day the emerging deal remains uncertain. But the catastrophic climate impacts the world faces if tough and ambitious decisions are not taken within the next 24 hours are crystal clear.

Kelly Dent, Oxfam Senior Advisor said; “The grains of sand in the hourglass are seeping away but levels of ambition cannot be allowed to follow suit. Governments must not seal the fate of the world’s poorest people with half-hearted attempts at action. Millions of lives are already being devastated by climate change, poor people on the front lines of this crisis need real, ambitious action to be delivered without delay.”

Governments must agree a specific plan to tackle climate change consistent with the target set by governments to limit global warming to 2C, and keeping within reach the 1.5C target needed. This should include:

1. A deal for a second period of the Kyoto Protocol with as many countries signed on as possible as the bedrock of global efforts to fight climate change.
2. Agreement on a roadmap to achieve much deeper and legally binding emission reduction targets in a wider agreement. This must ensure new deeper targets take effect within the timeline that science demands to avoid catastrophic climate change.
3. Getting the Green Climate Fund up and running, putting women at its heart, and with at least one concrete new source of finance identified to fill it. The most promising option still on the table is a deal to raise funds for a levy on the unregulated emissions from international shipping.

Throughout the conference African civil society and people around the world have sent a strong and clear message: now is the time for governments step up and act to protect people who are vulnerable to the changing climate.

Without urgent action to slash greenhouse gas emissions crop yields could fall by more than 50 percent in some African countries within this generation or that of our children. Global food prices could more than double by 2030 up to half of which could be caused by climate change, driving millions more poor people into hunger.

Kelly Dent said “Negotiators must not be allowed to bury their heads in the sand and agree a deal at any costs. They must ensure deeper emissions reductions will be agreed and apply as soon as possible and that new cash is mobilised for the Green Climate Fund. Anything else could see us hurtling towards an unrecognisable future for millions of small scale farmers. The EU in particular can lead the way and forge agreements that can prevent four degrees or more of warming, and the catastrophic impacts that would bring.” END

 Contact (in Durban):

Georgette Thomas: +44 (0)7824 503108 or +27 81 5820726, GThomas@oxfam.org.uk

Ben Grossman-Cohen: +27 81 5820706 (SA number), bgrossman-cohen@oxfamamerica.org

Nthateng Mhlambiso: +27 79 752 4039  NthatengM@oxfam.org.au

Oxfam’s GROW campaign is calling for global action to fix a broken food system where 925 million people already go hungry every day. This could get worse in the face of dwindling natural resources, like land, the gathering pace of climate change and increasing food price volatility. Find out how we can help prevent this from getting worse at www.oxfam.org/grow

We Can Campaign Indonesia

Organization Description:A positive campaign to end violence against women and girls by encourage individuals to make a change in their behavior, attitude, and ideology, and also to take action by refusing violence against women and girls in their live.

 

http://indonesia.wecanglobal.org/

 

http://www.saynotoviolence.org/user/1138

Kompas: Amerika Kembali Menjadi Penghalang (Durban COP17)

Pemilihan Qatar Disesalkan

Durban, Kompas- Pertemuan delegasi dari 194 negara di ambang kesia-siaan. Amerika Serikat membuat pernyataan yang menyebabkan upaya melanjutkan rezim Protokol Kyoto menjadi kosong.

Di sisi lain, China berkeras tak bergabung dalam Protokol Kyoto sebelum negara-negara kaya memenuhi kewajibannya. ”Kami mengecam Amerika Serikat yang mempertimbangkan bergabung dalam Protokol Kyoto setelah tahun 2020. Kita kehabisan waktu sejak COP-15 di Kopenhagen. Kita tak menghendaki COP-17 jadi kuburan Protokol Kyoto,” ujar Direktur Eksekutif Greenpeace Internasional Kumi Nadoo, Senin (5/12), di Durban, Afrika Selatan, dalam jumpa pers bersama Oxfam, WWF International, dan International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), seperti dilaporkan wartawan KompasBrigitta Isworo Laksmi.

Reaksi itu muncul pada Pertemuan Para Pihak (COP) ke-17/ Pertemuan Para Pihak untuk Protokol Kyoto (CMP) 7 di bawah Kerangka Kerja Konvensi PBB tentang Perubahan Iklim (UNFCCC). Amerika Serikat sejak era George W Bush tahun 1992 menolak komitmen menurunkan emisi gas rumah kaca (GRK) seperti 37 negara maju peratifikasi Protokol Kyoto.

Protokol itu mewajibkan negara-negara maju (Annex I) mengurangi emisi GRK-nya rata-rata 5 persen di bawah emisi tahun 1990. Pada 2007, Australia meratifikasi Protokol Kyoto di Bali pada COP-13/CMP-3.

Keempat narasumber mendesak AS segera masuk Protokol Kyoto atau sekalian minggir agar tak menghalangi negara lain. ”Yang lain mau maju,” ujar Jim Leape dari WWF International.

”Apa AS tak menyadari bahwa menunda bertindak, suhu bumi bisa naik 3-4 derajat celsius yang mematikan. Saat ini sembilan negara alami iklim ekstrem, termasuk Amerika,” ujar Celine Charveriat dari Oxfam.

Sukses Brasil

Sebagai negara berkembang, Brasil justru berhasil menurunkan emisi GRK-nya dari upaya menekan penebangan hutan lima tahun terakhir. Mereka juga berhasil mengurangi kemiskinan penduduk sekitar hutan.

”Masalah perubahan iklim jauh melampaui persoalan lingkungan. Masalah perubahan iklim persoalan yang bersilangan, menyangkut persoalan perdamaian, politik, dan keadilan,” ujar Sharon Burrow dari ITUC.

Burrow mengecam pemilihan Doha, Qatar, sebagai tuan rumah COP-18 UNFCCC tahun 2012. ”Di negara itu hak-hak asasi manusia dilanggar, hak-hak buruh dan kaum perempuan dilanggar. Perubahan iklim adalah masalah keadilan,” ujarnya.

Dari meja perundingan, negosiasi para perunding berakhir Sabtu lalu. Semua usulan dalam Amalgamation Draft Text setebal 131 halaman akan disajikan pada tahap pertemuan para menteri.

m

http://cetak.kompas.com/read/2011/12/06/04403279/amerika.kembali.menjadi.penghalang

Selasa, 06 Desember 2011 

Thousands call for climate justice while countries prepare their blindfilds

Oxfam puppets: Mama Mhlaba (Zulu for Mother Earth) & Baba Manzi (Father Water). Credit: Ainhoa Goma/Oxfam

5 December, 2011 | Blog channel: GROW

 

 

Saturday 3 December was not a normal day for the population of Durban, South Africa. A climate march wound around the streets of the centre as somewhere between 10, 000 to 15000 people called for – in fact demanded – action on climate change. They brought the city to a colourful, vibrant and peaceful standstill.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615

Walking with, and sometimes carrying our gorgeous puppets – Mama Mhlaba (Zulu for Mother Earth) & Baba Manzi (Father Water)  – I saw groups as diverse as the Rural Women’s Assembly and the Airport Workers Union marching side-by-side. All for the same ultimate goal – climate justice through urgent, fair and effective action on climate change.

Sadly however, it seems like our governments are not listening. As we enter week 2 of the negotiations here in Durban, there are very real fears that countries are blindfolding themselves to the reality of climate change. It seems like some powerful countries – led by the USA – are preparing to call a decade long ‘timeout’ on climate action. They want to have no new targets to lower emissions, or agreement on a legally binding deal, until 2020. This isn’t good enough.

We know that in order to prevent the most disastrous impacts, we need to increase our targets on emissions reduction, and quickly. So why are politicians and leaders turning in the other direction? There are many countries and groups that are asking their leaders to open their eyes to climate change, show courage and take effective action. Our great fear is that these people will be ignored. The next 4 days are critical.

Countries must respond to climate change today. As well as emissions reductions they need to provide money for the Green Climate Fund, that they set up at last year’s conference in Cancun. The sources of money are there, a proposed tax on shipping emissions (bunkers tax) or a FTT are two ways to raise the income needed to help the poorest people to better respond to the realities of climate change.

Having said all this, it is important to remember that people are taking action on in their everyday lives. The amazing women we’ve met through the Rural Women’s Assembly, the farmers, artists and activists who travelled on the Caravan of Hope, along with millions of others, aren’t waiting for our leaders. The march on Saturday was a noisy reminder that people aren’t going to sit idly while our leaders close their eyes to climate realities. 

Follow us on Twitter @Oxfam and like us on Facebook to keep up to date.More on Oxfam’s work at the COP17 UN climate talks in Durban.

 

http://blogs.oxfam.org/en/blog/11-12-05-thousands-call-climate-justice-while-countries-prepare-their-blindfilds

Indonesia – government is urged to be solid, responsive, accurate and fair in dealing with food crisis

Jakarta – Government is urged to immediately overcome food crisis in Indonesia with a solid, responsive, accurate and fair action. A group of volunteer and Alliance for Prosperous Villages call this message during celebration of World Food Day on October 16, 2011 in Bundaran HI, Jakarta. They shout out this message through Saman Dance performance (Saman is a traditional dance from Aceh that requires quick movement, accuracy and harmony) and invite public to support a campaign of One Million Support for Local Food.

 

      1 of 7

• 

  

   

   

  “Food price increase and food is getting more inaccessible for community. Nowadays there are 67 million Indonesian people suffer from food crisis meanwhile we claim ourselves as an agrarian country which also rich with marine resources. Ironically, government still depends on imported food up to 65% to fee 240 Indonesian population. Obviously there is a broken system in managing food in this country”, explain Tejo Wahyu Jatmiko, National Coordinator of Alliance for Prosperous Villages.

  “Imported food such as rice, salt, potato, meat, milk, onion, fruits really hit local food price”, add Tejo. Instead of feeding the poor who mostly food producers, imported food bring more pressure to their lives. “We need to support the existing local resources. In the resources constrained world, it is more difficult to produce food due to both climate change or land competition with other interest, such as utilizing food for energy”, clear Tejo.

  Indonesia is very rich with various local resources that could meet the food need of the whole country. For carbohydrate there are 77 types resources, yet the government prefer to consume rice and 100% imported flour. There are 75 types of fat, but this country focus more on expanding palm oil plantation which actually have many bad impacts on social and environment. For animal protein, 100% broiler chick and 36% meat are provided from import whereas our ocean has abundant resources.

  Until first semester of 2011the expenses for imported food reach 45 billion rupiah which half of it is for wheat. In fact, Indonesia has various types of local flour to replace wheat that can also bring economical benefit to local people. Giving support and protection to small food producers will create a condition where small food production could be the main and important actors in Indonesian food system.

  On the other hand, consumers also need to change their diet because Indonesia is one of nation mostly consume rice. Beside growing rice becomes more difficult due to unpredicted weather, too much rice will trigger diabetes type 2.

  We need appropriate, responsive and fair food policy with solid coordination among ministries. Policy which focuses on cheap price has proven to weaken this nation. Let’s support local food and its producers!

  Notes to editor:

  • The group of volunteer consists of individual and organization having concern with food issue in Indonesia. With their capacities they try to call for support and protection for local food producers.
  • At least there are 28 types of daily food coming from other countries such as rice, wheat, salt and vegetables like potato.
  • Cup cake served during event made from garut flour, a local tuber which is suitable to be planted in different places in Indonesia. This tuber plant usually can be found in garden and on the field in villages. This flour is easy digested. It has less calorie, protein and fat than wheat.
  • Alliance for Prosperous Villages is an alliance of 18 civil society organizations that focus on building sustainable rural livelihood with approach of 3 commodities: (1) Rice/food, the head of working group is Koalisi Rakyat untuk Kedaulatan Pangan (KRKP); (2) Palm Oil, the head of working group is Sawit Watch and (3) Fisheries, the head of working group is Koalisi Rakyat untuk Keadilan Perikanan (KIARA).
  • Alliance for Prosperous Villages has 4 pillars to strengthen rural livelihood (1) access to natural resources, (2) access to market, (3) adaptation to the impact of climate change, and (4) gender justice.

   This article also can be found in:  http://growweek.posterous.com/indonesia-government-is-urged-to-be-solid-res

Movie: The Broken Food System in India

The global food system is broken. Almost one billion people go to bed hungry each night. It’s not because there isn’t enough food but because climate change, land and water scarcity, food price spikes and lack of investment in small scale agriculture means that it doesn’t get to those who need it most. Oxfam travelled to India, where a quarter of the world’s hungry live, to see first hand how people are being affected and some of the solutions they’re trying which could help fix the system.

Raising Her Voice Newsletter – First Edition

CLICK THIS TO OPEN: Raising Her Voice Newsletter – Acehnese women stories 

Poster from RHV Aceh Utara District outlining the participatory development planning (musrenbang) information system developed by RHV project partners and villages. The RHV website http://musrenbang-acut.com/  enables the public to access the development profiles, musrenbang data and statistics from village to district level. The site also contains local, national policy and regulation news and photos.