Poorest will starve unless action is taken on climate change

Aid agency Oxfam is warning that unless something is done to tackle climate change then poorer people could face starvation. Charlotte Reid has more.

Oxfam have stated that there are already one billion people going hungry in the world. They say that the number will continue to rise as the price of crops increases, pushing more families into poverty as most of their income goes towards feeding them and their family.

Oxfam highlighted their message by having a dinner party in the sea, to illustrate the fact that extreme weather will have an effect on the world’s food system.

The charity’s plea comes after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report that looked at the latest in climate change science, which pointed out the effects that are already being felt by countries from global warming.

The IPCC’s report said that the extremes in weather caused by global warming could become so severe it will make some places virtually impossible to live in.

Ahead of the COP17 talks in Durban, Oxfam warned that the changes in extreme weather, pointed out in the IPCC report, will be felt most by those struggling to grow or buy food.  

It has previously been established that poorer nations facing starvation can be linked to climate change. In 2009 the Prince of Wales spoke about the issue at the COP meeting, which that year was held in Copenhagen.

He said, “Reducing poverty, increasing food production, combating terrorism and sustaining economic development are all vital priorities, but it is increasingly clear how rapid climate change will make them even more difficult to address“.

Oxfam are hoping that the two week talks in South Africa will result in some progress towards tackling climate change. Part of this includes agreeing to extend the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012 and ensuring that countries stick to it.

However, Canada has already reportedly said that they will not make any more cuts to greenhouse emissions under the Kyoto Protocol and may start to formally withdraw from it within the next month.

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