Communiqués de presse

Friends of the Earth (Les Amis de la Terre) France, Notre Affaire à Tous and Oxfam France, who had given BNP Paribas formal notice to comply with its due diligence obligations on 26 October, sued BNP Paribas over its massive support to fossil fuels and for its substantial contribution to climate change. BNP Paribas is Europe’s largest and fifth worldwide funder of fossil fuel expansion: the three organizations urge the bank to immediately stop financing this expansion and to adopt an oil and gas exit plan. This is the world's first climate lawsuit against a commercial bank.

New research shows that the full impact of climate change on future food prices is being underestimated.

Rich nations today published a Climate Finance Delivery Plan claiming that it will take until 2023 to meet their commitment to mobilize $100 billion each year to support poorer nations to confront the climate crisis. In response, Jan Kowalzig, Senior Climate Policy Adviser at Oxfam said: “This plan claims that rich nations will meet their target three years late, but conveniently fails to mention the money that poorer countries are owed for every year they fell short."

“The G20 reiterated previous commitments to reduce inequality, boost the participation of women in work and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. The G20 said they would draw up a proper response to the refugee and migrant challenge next year, which is too late. The world needs urgent action now, not more words.”

The World Bank's $200bn climate investment announcement at the UN Climate Conference COP24 is welcome, but must be new money that can help tackle poverty.

"We’re concerned that too much of the focus is on the ‘insurance’ aspect; insurance doesn't actually reduce risk, and it could be unaffordable for the communities it's meant to cover," said Tracy Carty.

Almost half of the population of Timor-Leste’s capital has been impacted by severe flooding, according to government figures, after heavy rains fell on Dili and nearby provinces last week. Cyclone Seroja took the people of Timor-Leste by surprise, with the small nation previously not within the range of such extreme weather events. Oxfam in Timor-Leste’s Associate Country Director, Annie Sloman, said the impact of climate change was undeniable.

Just hours before the UN climate talks taking place in Durban (South Africa) wrap up, Oxfam Global Ambassador and photographer Helena Christensen urges ministers to agree a deal which delivers for the world’s poorest people who are already suffering from the impact of climate change.

Oxfam joins world leaders, civil society and people around the world to celebrate the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by world leaders at the United Nations, but cautions that progress toward them must be tangible, political and disruptive. 

Progress achieved during the past two weeks at Bonn will come to nothing if developed countries don’t scale up their ambition. The mood has been more constructive but the disagreements that derailed the Copenhagen talks are still to be resolved.