Ursula’s message to Cancun
Our friends at Oxfam New Zealand talk to Ursula Rakova from the Carteret Islands shortly before she left for the climate talks in Cancun
Our friends at Oxfam New Zealand talk to Ursula Rakova from the Carteret Islands shortly before she left for the climate talks in Cancun
Who said it’s the silly season? Climate action has been running hot in Brisbane, with a Federal Community Cabinet, Fair Trade Markets and a fundraiser for our Pacific neighbours relocating due to rising seas.
Oxfam has joined with 215 other organisations in calling for the establishment of a fair global climate fund at COP-16 that will meet the needs and interests and protect the rights of the most vulnerable communities and people around the world.
Australia’s Minister for Climate Change, the Hon Greg Combet, has arrived in Cancun, landing himself in the middle of tense and fragile negotiations. Taking on the role of co-facilitating the negotiations on finance, technology and capacity building, he has a unique opportunity to steer one of the more important outcomes of these climate talks.
Honduran bee-keeper German Garcia Lara is feeling the effects of climate change, as he struggles with increasingly unpredictable rain patterns, longer dry spells and warming temperatures that threaten the production of his hives.
Earlier this year Greg Combet stated in an address to parliament, that “Australia will do its fair share as part of the global effort – we’ll do no more and no less than other countries.” But when comparing the actions of Australia to the majority of other countries in the developed world we are doing less, a lot less.
Queensland based clothing brand Certton has recently joined 42 other companies to become accredited to Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA). ECA certifies that workers in Australia have access to legally mandated conditions and are paid according to the industry award.
Oxfam Australia's 2010 Summer Campaigners recently hit two awesome music events this month: the Australian World Music Exhibition (AWME) and the Queenscliff Music Festival.
International attention has focused on the US and China this year – over the global economy as much as the fight against climate change – but Cancun is about much more than a G2 world. Despite what you might read – the climate change debate is about much more than the US vs. China.
Last week the trackers had the opportunity to meet with the UNFCCC executive Christiana Figueres, and talk about the status of the Cancun talks and her motivations for working with countries to find common ground to make real progress on addressing climate change.