Campaigning news from Tearfund

Campaigns news

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 12:20:00 GMT

Welcome! This area of the Campaigns zone contains all the latest on Tearfund's campaigning and lobbying activities. It is also full of news from the government and others about your actions on behalf of the world's poorest communities. For wider Tearfund news, please visit our news zone.

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food security

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 08:54:06 GMT

The High Level Meeting on Food Security For All in Madrid 26-27 January 2009 was convened by the Government of Spain and the UN, and it gathered 62 Ministers from more than 126 countries, donor agencies, UN agencies, civil society, the private sector, trade unions and academia. Tearfund analyses the outcome of the meeting below. What was agreed Participants renewed their commitment to reduce hunger urgently (MDG 1) and to ensure that food security for all becomes a reality. They reviewed progress made since the Rome High Level Conference in June 2008; agreed the way forward in the short and long term, in line with the Comprehensive Framework for Action (UN); and discussed ways to coordinate through a Global Partnership for Agriculture and Food Security, proposed by the UK. They also agreed to mobilise adequate, predictable and flexible funding that had been pledged previously. For future ac ...

TEAR Australia

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:59:25 GMT

Sometimes it can feel lonely speaking out against injustice, but when you do, you are part of a movement of Christians around the world doing the very same. In Australia, Christians are raising their voice with the global church to make sure world leaders keep their promises to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Australian campaigners with TEAR Australia know that unless we all take strong action on climate change now, poor countries are in danger of not meeting the MDGs. Climate change undermines access to water and sanitation, food security, and threatens agriculture. Rising waters and increased natural disasters will also hit ...

Dance for the climate. Copenhagen 2009

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:14:00 GMT

Budgeting our carbon future

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:55:46 GMT

22 April 2009 In the Budget today the UK government failed to deliver what is needed to keep up with the latest climate science and lead the way internationally to tackle climate change. Today, as part of the budget announcement, the government declared its plans for setting limits on its emissions over the next 15 years: the first ‘carbon budgets’ were unveiled along with an emissions reduction target of 34 per cent to be reached by 2020. Tearfund is disappointed with this announcement. It falls far short of what the latest science calls for – a 2020 emissions reduction target of 42 per cent on 1990 levels with the vast majority of cuts being made within the UK and not offset in developing countries. ‘While 34 per cent sounds ambitious and is ahead of many other developed countries, it is scientifically inadequate,’ says Tearfund's Climate Policy Adviser Sara Shaw. Bad headline ‘If we adopt this, the UK risks lagging behind in transitioning to a low-carbon economy and will have to make much bigger c ...

Is the UK finally calling time on dirty coal

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:52:48 GMT

24 April 2009Yesterday the UK government took a step forward in the fight against climate change. In a departure from previous policy, Ed Miliband, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, unveiled proposals that would mean no new coal-fired power stations could be built in the UK unless they demonstrated (at least some) carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. CCS is a process by which carbon dioxide is captured as it is produced and is transported to geological chambers where it is stored underground. Coal is the most polluting form of energy generation in the UK and Tearfund campaigns, as part of stop Climate Chaos, to end dirty coal in the UK. In fact, just this week we handed in more than 6,000 campaign actions from Tearfund campaigners calling on the UK government to do just that. This announcement is potentially a good, clear signal that the UK is serious about tackling emission levels. However, there are a couple of reasons to be cautious in our welcoming of this announcement: CCS rema ...

Hope for Planet Earth at Pentecost Festival

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:11:33 GMT

The successful Hope for Planet Earth tour will be making its final stop at the Pentecost Festival in London in May. These ‘finale’ shows will feature special guest Sir John Houghton.

Dates: 29 and 30 May 2009

Venue: Odeon, Leicester Square (in London’s West End)

Time: 7:30pm

Tearfund is partnering with experts from SJI, John Ray Initiative and A Rocha to explore the effects of climate change from a Christian perspective.

Leading experts from the John Ray Initiative will be exploring the science behind climate change and dispelling the associated myths. Tearfund will be looking at the effects on poor people and A Rocha will be examining the effects on our planet. SJI is investigating why this topic should be important to Christians.

Find out more from the Pentecost Festival website.

Japan emissions targets

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:23:06 GMT

10 June 2009 Tearfund is campaigning for a strong and fair climate change deal that includes a commitment by developed countries to reduce their emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2020. An announcement today from Japan setting out its emissions reduction targets indicates however that developed countries are not going far enough to reduce their emissions. This could spell disaster for developing countries who are hit hardest by climate change. Japan’s emissions announcement reveals their total lack of ambition by unveiling a 2020 emissions reductions target of just 8 per cent on 1990 levels – going a mere 2 per cent further than its 2012 target under the Kyoto Protocol. Tearfund’s Director of Advocacy, Paul Cook, said, `This is a disaster. `The level of ambition among developed countries is already incredibly weak – way below the 40 per cent emissions reductions needed collectively by 2020, and even outside of the ranges given by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change of 25-40 per cent cuts ...

Election fever

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:01:52 GMT

We don’t know exactly when the next general election will be. But it has to happen within the next 12 months, and it’s likely to be dominated by discussions about the economic crisis.

Whenever the election is called, Tearfund, along with many other organisations, will be working to make sure that all candidates and parties don’t forget to talk about and act upon the impact that the economic crisis is having on the poorest people and the environment they rely on.

Keep an eye on the website or sign up for Global Action e-mails to find out the latest on what we have planned. In the meantime, spend some time praying for those who lead us.

Pray for all politicians in Europe and the UK to govern with wisdom and diligence. Pray that more Christians would go into politics.

Pray for the UK general election. Pray that the needs of the poorest communities served by Tearfund’s local church partners won’t be forgotten.

Be a treasure

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:55:33 GMT

Climate change campaigners from Tearfund, Oxfam and CAFOD have delivered a message to the Treasury calling on Chancellor Alistair Darling to ‘be a treasure and fund adaptation’. The UK Treasury has so far been slow to respond to the issue of climate change. So Tearfund has been campaigning along with CAFOD and Oxfam for them to do more. We’ve been pushing Chancellor Darling to provide more funding to help poor countries adapt to the changing climate and persuade other countries in Europe to do the same at European finance ministers meetings. Many Tearfund supporters have written to the Treasury about this issue. And to raise more awareness about the issue campaigners from Tearfund, Oxfam and CAFOD gathered outside the Treasury before the European finance ministers meeting to bring the issue to the attention of Treasury staff. We unfurled a banner with the message 'Be a treasure and fund adaptation'. Many chocolate gold bars with the same message along with flyers explaining the campaign were gi ...

Scottish climate victory

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:01:31 GMT

25 June 2009 This week members of the Scottish Parliament passed a groundbreaking Bill on climate change. The Scottish Climate Change Bill includes a target to reduce emissions by 42 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020. This is in line with the latest scientific predictions and reflects what Tearfund and other UK agencies have been calling for. All developed countries must commit to emissions reductions of at least 40 per cent by 2020 to prevent climate chaos. This success comes after three years of campaigning by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland. The Bill also includes: at least 80 per cent cuts of all greenhouse gases (on 1990 levels) by 2050 emissions from international aviation and shipping Tearfund welcomes this ambitious level of action. We are pleased to see Scotland taking the issue seriously by committing to strong action to tackle climate change - this is currently the strongest emissions reduction target in the world! Thank you to all our supporters in Scotland and elsewhere who campaigne ...

Government shows leadership on road to Copenhagen

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:29:23 GMT

26 June 09 Today, the government's climate change department DECC announced their 'Road to Copenhagen' manifesto. In it they outline the kind of deal they will be pushing for in the climate talks over the rest of this year, culminating in 'COP15' in Copenhagen this December. The Prime Minister also outlined a plan for providing developing countries with finance for adapting to and mitigating against climate change. Gordon Brown urged countries to work together to provide a global figure of around $100 billion per year by 2020 to help developing countries reduce their emissions, tackle deforestation and adapt to the climate change already being experienced. He also committed the UK to providing new finance additional to existing aid commitments. Reacting to today's announcement Tearfund’s Advocacy Director Paul Cook said: “Finally we are seeing a developed country talking about numbers which, if genuinely new money, begin to approach the level of funding developing countries desperately need to respond ...

G8 Summit response

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:47:00 GMT

10 July 2009 The G8 Summit in L’Aquila, Italy finished today as leaders failed to deliver for poor communities. On climate change, Tearfund hoped that rich G8 countries would seize the opportunity to build momentum towards sealing a strong and fair climate deal in Copenhagen this December. Though leaders did recognise the need to keep global warming below 2 degrees and commit to 80 per cent cuts in carbon emissions by 2050 for rich countries – a welcome sign of what can be achieved when leadership and ambition is demonstrated – details about what year they would base those cuts were ambiguous. To prevent a 2 degree rise in global temperature the world needs to reduce emissions by 80 per cent on 1990 levels; basing reductions on current levels is inadequate as emissions have grown substantially in the last two decades. Leaders also left out goals for 2020 emissions targets which would be an important signpost towards the 2050 targets and neglected to deliver crucial climate finance to help poor countr ...

Government response to coal campaign

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:26:30 GMT

Last year more than 6,000 Tearfund supporters signed postcards, letters and SuperBadger actions calling for the UK government to say no to new unabated coal-fired power stations. Coal-fired power stations are the dirtiest form of energy production. Ensuring no new power stations are built without technology to capture and store the emissions is vital in the fight to tackle climate change. The actions were delivered to Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. His response is below. Tearfund welcomes the Secretary of State’s response as a clear step forward in reducing the UK’s emissions. However, carbon capture and storage remains an unproven technology at anything like the scale needed. We simply can’t say with confidence that this is going to work. Whilst this is welcome progress, it is vital that the government goes further by pushing for greater energy efficiency and renewable energy rather than a continuing reliance on coal. Take action and pray for the UK governmen ...

Response to UN Climate Change Summit

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:34:00 GMT

22 September 2009 Attended by more than 100 heads of state and government, the recent United Nations Summit on Climate Change aimed to mobilise the political will and vision needed to reach an ambitious and science-based deal in readiness for UN climate talks to be held in Copenhagen this December. It presented developed countries with a significant opportunity to demonstrate high-level political leadership, urgency and ambition on key issues, such as mid-term emissions reduction targets and climate finance. A strong statement from the US was hotly anticipated, as President Obama was invited to make a speech the opening plenary session. However, the US was overshadowed by the Chinese Prime Minister, Hu Jintao, who committed to reducing the carbon intensity of China’s economic growth by a 'notable margin' by 2020 on 2005 levels. Even though no specific target has been set, China’s commitment brings pressure to bear on developed countries that are yet to come forward with targets to reduce emissions by ...

norway

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:29:10 GMT

Finally some good news has emerged from slow climate negotiations in Bangkok: a developed country is actually putting forward a serious 2020 target in the right scientific ranges. Norway’s bold decision to move from a 30 per cent emissions reductions target (on 1990 levels) by 2020 to a 40 per cent target shows genuine leadership and ambition from a developed country – thus far lacking from the negotiations. Tearfund hopes this new target will spur other developed countries to go further – the EU, formerly climate leaders, are lagging behind with only a 20 per cent target, rising to 30 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020 in the event of an ambitious deal at Copenhagen. We urge the EU and other rich countries to step up now and follow Norway’s example. This would start to rebuild the trust that has been so seriously breached between developing countries and developed countries.

Tearfund welcomes power station decision

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:48:00 GMT

8 October 2009

Tearfund welcomes the announcement by EON, the energy company seeking to build a new coal-fired power station in Kingsnorth, Kent, to put its plans on hold for three years.

This is great news for the climate as coal is one of the most polluting sources of energy.

Tearfund has campaigned on this issue to push the UK government to stop plans for new coal-fired power stations, beginning with Kingsnorth.

EON's announcement doesn't indicate any movement by the UK government to halt proposals for new coal-fired power stations.

So we urge them to stop any plans. This will ensure any chance of decreasing the UK's emissions on the scale needed to keep global warming below the two degree danger point and protect poor people who are hit hardest by climate change.

Please give thanks to God for this campaign success.

Major Economies Forum response

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:27:19 GMT

20 October 2009 The Major Economies Forum (MEF) met in London from 18-19 October to continue discussions towards a global deal on climate change. The MEF consists of 17 developed and developing countries that together represent around 80% of global emissions, meeting informally, outside the formal UN climate negotiation process. No direct outcomes towards a deal on climate change were delivered as the result of the MEF meeting, but this was not unexpected given the informal nature of MEF discussions. On this occasion two Least Developed Countries, the Maldives and Lesotho participated fully in the event, and three additional developing countries (Costa Rica, Bangladesh and Ethiopia) participated as observers. This is a welcome improvement on previous MEF’s where developing countries have only participated as observers. However, ultimately any progress made at the MEF must be brought back into the UN negotiating process where all countries, including the poorest and most vulnerable, have a seat at th ...

clowning

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:05:13 GMT

Ahead of the meeting of the EU Heads of State on 29 and 30 October, Tearfund has called on Europe’s leaders to stop clowning around when it comes to tackling climate change. World leaders must ensure that a strong, binding and fair deal is agreed at Copenhagen. The deadlock around an agreement is putting more and more poor people at risk, as they feel first-hand the effects of climate change on their lives. Tearfund staff went to Downing Street to present Gordon Brown with a petition of more than 7,000 signatures, calling on developed countries to provide enough money for developing countries to adapt to climate change and develop sustainably. A press release on the day's events can be found here.

EU fails the climate ambition test

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:53:56 GMT

kitkat

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:21:45 GMT

Tearfund welcomes the recent announcement that Nestle Kit Kat is going Fairtrade. This move is a breakthrough for cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), as well as for Kit Kat lovers in the UK and Ireland. Through the SuperBadger campaigning application on facebook, Tearfund supporters have been badgering Nestle since this summer to make their chocolate Fairtrade. This is a huge win. We eat 47 Kit Kats per second, making it the UK’s best selling chocolate biscuit. The move by Nestlé, which will kick off in mid-January 2010 when the first certified Kit Kat four-finger bars arrive on shop shelves, is benefitting thousands of farmers in Côte d’Ivoire who are growing the beans now. As well as the Fairtrade price for the cocoa, farmers’ organisations receive additional Fairtrade premium payments to invest in long-term community and business development projects of their own choice, such as education and healthcare, the environment or their businesses. Nestle's Fairtrade commitment is to the who ...

A ordinary campaigner

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:52:18 GMT

A campaigner tells of her experience meeting the Prime Minister on the day of The Wave. Sometimes the Lord asks extra ordinary things from us - like a colt to ride on or a room to borrow. Are we ready to respond? As I headed for the spot where Tearfund was gathering in Trafalgar Square, I bumped into the Campaign Director, Ben Niblett. He was on a mission to find an ordinary campaigner ready to speak for Tearfund in 10 Downing Street later that afternoon. 'Are you willing to go and speak to Gordon?' he asked. Likely one I thought. As I marched on, enjoying the carnival spirit and the eccentricity of demonstrators, my mobile kept ringing. The meeting at No 10 was on. All the major agencies could bring one person to tell Gordon the importance we attach to a strong deal being struck in Copenhagen. After more than a decade of campaigning my moment had come. We walked into the cabinet room and the next chair available was just opposite the PM. Gordon Brown's Presbyterian background ensured his fundamental s ...

Carbon Fasting

Website.Editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:00:37 GMT

During Lent 2009 Holy Trinity Church Barnstaple took part in the Tearfund Carbon Fast. Here’s an update from their curate, Andy Dodwell, on where they are now. 'Prior to Lent 2009 we had an all-age service on how we as Christians could practically link our love of God with a desire to care for the natural environment - the importance of both thinking on the big scale, and doing things on the day-to-day level. During this the congregation were invited to take steps as individuals to cut their carbon emissions, with the Tearfund Carbon Fast used as a way to introduce those steps. We as a family, alongside other members of the congregation, decided to take part. There were some things that were pretty easy: no holidays had been planned, so not flying wasn’t a problem. We only have one car and I use a bicycle for work so it was easy to have more than one day where we didn’t use a car. And we’d already got ourselves into the habit of switching things off at the wall rather than leaving them on standby. B ...