Oxfam supporters gathered recently around Fremantle MHR Melissa Parke to show their support for a price on carbon, handing over 1845 post cards signed by the community calling for greater action on climate change.
Ms Parke said “Climate change and poverty remain two of the greatest challenges that confront us in the 21st century, and it is absolutely critical that Australia continues to play a cooperative and leading role in the global effort to make a difference now and in future.”
Oxfam believes a price on carbon is a good step in the right direction to tackling climate change. As an international aid agency, Oxfam is witnessing the impact of climate change on poor people in developing countries right now including the chronic drought on the horn of Africa.
Melissa Parke is also sponsoring a parliamentary meeting in Canberra for Oxfam and Save the Children to brief parliamentarians on the situation in Africa.
These chronic droughts, together with floods, storms and sea level rise in other parts of the world are destroying lives and livelihoods and sending the price of food beyond the reach of many communities in developing countries.
By acting on climate change Australia will increase its credibility in the global community and have greater opportunity to negotiate a fair ambitious and legally binding deal in December when the world meets in Durban.
This climate change deal is vital to the wellbeing of millions of people and should see rich countries like Australia cut emissions and also make a fair contribution to a global fund to provide adaptation assistance and green technologies to developing countries.
