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Europe needs ambitious targets and concrete policies to cut emissions and tacke the climate crisis, said Oxfam at the occasion of EU heads of state and governments meeting for a European Union summit in Brussels today.

South Africa has today tabled its climate action plan for Paris, committing to put a lid on rising emissions through to 2030. How low they are able to plateau will depend on international support meaning so climate finance will be key to unlock greater ambition, says Oxfam.

EU environment ministers again acknowledged the importance of financial support for climate action in poor and vulnerable countries in the Paris climate agreement, but they must invest in the Green Climate Fund, says Oxfam.

The sector must recognize coal is a dinosaur technology that needs to be pushed into extinction if we are to survive.

“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…

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.

Europeans may still be forced to buy biofuels made from food crops until 2030, as a result of the deal struck by EU member states and the European Parliament this morning on the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), Oxfam said.

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.

The G20 leading economies have sidelined development and food security at their summit in Los Cabos.

European energy ministers meeting in Brussels today agreed European drivers should be obliged to burn massive quantities of food crops in their fuel tanks until 2030. Anti-poverty organisation Oxfam and green group Transport & Environment (T&E) deplored this policy that would only benefit the biofuels industry and contribute to hunger and environmental damage.