I agree whoelheartedly with this excellent letter in todays Post about the need for urgent action on climate change from Oxfam's Roger James - but sadly both he and I are going to be very disappointed with what results from the meeting at Cancun.
T HE weather is very much in our minds at the moment and while it may seem odd to be concerned about man-made global warming while we struggle with the cold, the latest Royal Society research indicates that on present policies we have little chance of avoiding a 2C global temperature rise.
These projections send a powerful reminder why progress at the current international climate change conference in Cancun is more urgent than ever.
A new Oxfam report shows that 21,000 people suffered weather-related deaths during the first nine months of 2010, more than twice the number for the whole of 2009.
This year is on course to experience more extreme-weather events than the ten-year average of 770.
It is also one of the hottest years ever recorded with Pakistan logging 53.7°C – the highest ever in Asia.
Climate change affects us all: The Association of British Insurers tripling by 2050. In the South West such events seem to have become more common.
Building a greener economy is an even more necessary solution in a time of recession.
The poorest communities around the world who are the most vulnerable urgently need funds to adapt to climate change and to build a low carbon economy.
Oxfam South West campaigners are among many thousands of people in this region who have raised these concerns.
The Cancun conference is a real opportunity for the world to decide on an effective response to climate change.
This challenge is also an opportunity for those countries that move fast to prosper in a greener, fairer future.
Roger James, Oxfam South West, Brunswick Square, Bristol
No comments:
Post a Comment
Genuine, open, reasonable debate is most welcome. Comments that meet this test will always be published.