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Climate finance efforts by developed countries are at a critical juncture. There are only two years before the deadline by which developed countries have committed to jointly mobilize $100bn per year to support climate action in developing countries. This briefing paper offers an assessment of progress towards this goal.

The European Union must overhaul its current bioenergy policy, which is based on getting fuel from plants, because the industry is linked to the eviction of thousands of people from their lands, out-competing food crops, and creating more not less pollution, says Oxfam in a new report.

“Oxfam welcomes any fall in the number of hungry people. This is proof that we can make great strides in eradicating global hunger. But in a world of plenty, 805 million hungry people is still 805 million too many,” said Oxfam spokesperson Luca Chinotti. “Global hunger is still unacceptably high.”“The fight to end global hunger is going in the right direction but is still too slow. These 2012-14 figures show a mixed picture at best. Some regions and countries seem to be winning but others are stagnant or falling behind, compared to the levels of four years ago. More…

There has been an increase in international climate finance in the fight against climate change, according to a new OECD report, which Oxfam is encouraged by. 

In reaction to the Council’s conclusions on a renewable energy strategy for Europe beyond 2020 adopted in Brussels today by Energy Ministers, Marc Olivier Herman, Oxfam’s EU Policy Adviser

Commenting on the failure of EU Energy Ministers to reach agreement on EU biofuel policy today, Marc Olivier Herman, Oxfam’s biofuels expert said:

With 2016 on track to be the hottest year ever and a super-charged El Niño putting over 60 million lives at the mercy of unpredictable climate shocks, it’s more urgent than ever to help communities adapt to climate change, said Oxfam at the start of the United Nation’s climate conference in Bonn, Germany.

If Europe were to rule out its support of biofuels by 2020, the region could lower its net imports of grain and oilseeds by up to 27 million tons, remarkably reducing its dependence on foreign goods. Global food prices could also drop significantly.

In its proposed new Renewable Energy Directive, the European Commission has given in to the pressure of the biofuel industry lobby at the expense of people and the climate. The proposal would allow EU countries to rely on food-based biofuels to meet their 2030 climate and energy targets, notwithstanding strong evidence of their harmful impact on communities and the environment.

Oxfam commended the World Bank for connecting the need to tackle climate change with the urgent fight to end poverty. In a new report, the Bank warned that more than 100 million additional people could be pushed into poverty by crop failures, floods, hunger, and other shocks caused by climate change.