14 NOV 2013
Oxfam supports emergency relief in the Philippines and calls on developed countries to commit climate finance
Super typhoon Haiyan has caused significant harms to the Philippines and the southern coastal areas of China are also affected. According to National Meteorological Centre, Haiyan is the strongest typhoon generated in the coastal waters this year as well as in the northwest Pacific Ocean in recent 20 years.
Oxfam and other agencies are right now working hard to get aid such as clean water and sanitation to communities in the Philippines that have been devastated by the typhoon.
“Governments are providing much needed assistance to the relief efforts but this does not absolve them from their responsibilities to work just as urgently here at the Climate Change talks in Warsaw to take appropriate action,” Binbin Wang, Oxfam’s Climate spokesperson, said. “They must agree an international mechanism on loss and damage which addresses the impacts of climate change such as loss of life or nations. Rich countries must also spell out how they plan to deliver the promised $100 billion a year by 2020 for climate finance and right here, right now commit money to help poor countries cope with the impacts of climate change.”
“It is totally unacceptable for governments to ignore this tragic wake-up call - without such urgency and concrete action to drive down emissions and provide climate finance more countries like the Philippines will face the devastating consequences of extreme weather events in the years to come.”