Category: Analysis & Opinion

Shaheen Chughtai (Oxfam’s Deputy Head of Humanitarian Policy and Campaigns) is in Kathmandu. She shares her firsthand experiences The densely populated capital of one of the world’s poorest countries clings to the slopes of the seismically unstable Himalayas. Read more »

Cyclone Pam is a tragic reminder that least developed countries – who have contributed almost nothing to the problem of climate change – are suffering the devastating consequences of global inaction. The price paid by the people of Vanuatu increased sharply last week. We must stand with them. Read more »

Just days after the President of Vanuatu almost broke down as he spoke of the devastation that Tropical Cyclone Pam had inflicted upon his nation, the mood is bittersweet at the closing of the Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Sendai, Japan. Read more »

What do you call a plan with no agreement on how to finance it? In the US government, the nasty epithet for such a thing is an “unfunded mandate.” In other spheres, there are simpler descriptions: incomplete, incoherent, and irresponsible. Read more »

Dr Peter Lewis, Indigenous Policy Advisor Today the Close the Gap Campaign delivered its annual Progress and Priorities Report on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and well-being at the Parliamentary Breakfast in Canberra. Prime Minister Abbott, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Greens leader Christine Milne all emphasised the need for for a long-haul and multi-partisan commitment to end […] Read more »

Emissions produced from burning coal for power are the single biggest driver of climate change. And climate change is a major threat in the fight against hunger. If Australia truly wishes to help bring low-cost energy to the world and build a bright economic future for itself, it’s time we stopped exporting dirty coal and promoting it as a false solution to poverty. Read more »

Next year the richest 1% of people in the world will have more wealth than the other 99% of people. Australia can be part of the solution to global inequality – but it means not turning our back on the world’s poorest people. Read more »

After two weeks of splitting hairs over key elements of a new climate treaty at the UN climate talks here in Lima, governments failed once again to put the world on a pathway to keep global warming under control. It is sobering to think that this same process of UN climate negotiations started 20 years ago! What will it take for governments to act? Read more »

As representatives from more than 195 governments around the world come together in Lima, Peru this week to work on drafting a global treaty on climate change, they should heed the words of Peruvian farmer Marisa Marcavillaca: “Climate change is not just about the climate, it is about our lives.” Read more »

Last weekend activists unveiled a banner at Huaca Pucllana, the site of an ancient pyramid in Lima, Peru ahead of the UN climate conference starting this week. The message to leaders and rich countries like Australia is clear — we must do more. Read more »