Oxfam response to the WMO announcement that 2014 could be the hottest year on record

Published: 3rd December 2014

In response to the news released this morning from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) that 2014 is set to be one of the hottest, possibly the hottest, year on record, Kelly Dent, Oxfam’s lead at the UN Climate Conference in Lima, said:
 
“From Tacloban to New York City, the poorest people in the world are already bearing the crushing burden of our changing climate. The WMO’s report that 2014 could be the hottest year on record should reverberate throughout the climate negotiations in Lima and shake the sleepy discussions into gear.
 
“Extreme and unpredictable weather is already making it harder for families to get enough nutritious food to eat and clean water to drink. Here in Peru climate change threatens the food security of 5 million people. In a country where approximately 5.3 million people already lack access to safe water, in less than 10 years glacier retreat in the Peruvian Andes represented a loss of water, which could have met the needs of 674 million people for a whole year. Today’s news from the WMO shows that these dangers are only growing unless governments come together to forge agreement in Lima."

Notes to editors

Ben Grossman-Cohen +1 202 629 6018 bgrossman-cohen@oxfamamerica.org

Follow Oxfam at the COP20 UN Climate talks, on Twitter @Oxfam

Read the blog: UN Climate Conference in Lima: why it matters & what you can do

More on how people are fighting back on climate change.