Press releases

Todd Stern, US Climate Change Envoy for the United States said President Obama's administration was 'seized with the urgency of the task before us' at the opening session of international climate change talks in Bonn today.

EU environment ministers could break through the dominance of China and the US that prevented progress at the Tianjin climate talks by making key decisions on climate finance when they meet in Luxembourg today, says international agency Oxfam.

The UN published a preview of the climate deal in Copenhagen today. The proposals do not include a long term climate finance package to help developing countries tackle climate change and do not guarantee climate action.

Responding to the Climate Ambition Summit proceedings, Tim Gore, Head of Climate Policy at Oxfam said:  “The Climate Ambition Summit lacked real ambition. World leaders must step up in the next 12 critical months to pull the world back from the brink of catastrophic climate change.” 

 

 

 

The UNFCCC report on climate finance says that between $340 and $650 billion in finance for climate action is flowing globally with $40-175 billion going to developing countries each year. This report on climate finance makes one thing abundantly clear: only a small proportion of climate finance is flowing from developed countries to developing countries.

As global greenhouse emissions continue to rise, and climate change wreaks more havoc upon the people and places least responsible for the problem, rich polluting countries are now three years overdue on their promise to mobilize $100 billion a year in climate finance for low- and middle-income countries.

African countries pulled the emergency cord in Copenhagen today as rich countries reluctance to discuss binding emissions reductions brought chaos to the negotiations.

Oxfam International criticized today the agreement just reached by the Japanese Cabinet for watering down the country’s responsibility to contribute to global efforts to tackle climate change.

Oxfam welcomed the launch of a new website by the Dutch Minister of the Environment today (faststartfinance.org) which aims to collect and present details about climate finance pledges from developed countries.

Observers at UN Climate talks in Lima have called for strong and clear rules relating to climate finance after a scandal shows Japan is claiming funds to a coal-power plant as being ‘green.'