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The world, and most of all, its poor people, desperately needs a fair and safe climate deal to be agreed at the UN talks in Copenhagen in December.

In the last year extreme weather events shocked global markets contributing to soaring wheat prices and imperiling food security in many parts of the world, according to research compiled by Oxfam at the start of the Durban climate talks.

Today the European Parliament's Environment Committee voted for a compromise deal on a European Commission proposal to reverse a decline in the price of carbon on the

Russia’s absence from the G7 summit is a stark warning to Europe that political turmoil on its doorstep risks an energy price crisis, at the same time as the effects of climate change on food imports could drive up costs.

Climate change is making extreme weather much more likely. As the 2012 drought in the USA shows, extreme weather means extreme food prices.

Millions of poor people in Southern Africa, Asia and Central America 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.

In contrast to intensive agricultural practices that require widespread forest clearing, agroforestry systems combine tree growing with the production of other crops or animals.

For the past year we have all operated under the hangover of Copenhagen: the disappointment, suspicion, scepticism and disorientation. And while there was so much more that could have been accomplished at Cancun, the other side of these talks is a better place to be.

“Oxfam welcomes any fall in the number of hungry people. This is proof that we can make great strides in eradicating global hunger. But in a world of plenty, 805 million hungry people is still 805 million too many,” said Oxfam spokesperson Luca Chinotti. “Global hunger is still unacceptably high.”“The fight to end global hunger is going in the right direction but is still too slow. These 2012-14 figures show a mixed picture at best. Some regions and countries seem to be winning but others are stagnant or falling behind, compared to the levels of four years ago. More…

Food security in southern Africa relies upon small-scale agriculture, a sector in which women take the lead. However, smallholder farmers are among the most vulnerable people to food insecurity, often lacking the resources and access needed to produce or procure adequate food.