Show solidarity to women and girls fighting back against the climate crisis
Climate Justice Appeal
Pull a thread…
…and you’ll see the climate crisis disproportionately affecting women and girls.
For women and girls, the climate crisis means they’re more likely to go hungry, or to walk further to collect water, putting their own safety at risk.
In the Mekong River Basin, Cambodia, climate change is causing extreme and unpredictable flash flooding and droughts. It’s ruining crops and disrupting the lives of more than 65 million people like who live there.
On average, women who live in rural areas account for nearly half the agricultural workforce in the global south. In the Mekong River Basin, Vantha is a farmer who has seen livelihoods devastated by flash flooding, drought and changing river flows.
Together with Oxfam partner Northeastern Rural Development Organization (NRD) she’s set up a greenhouse with her family, growing crops they can sell. They now also have a new water system in the greenhouse, which means crops can grow crops all year round.
Vantha with the solar panels which help her power her greenhouse. Photo: Patrick Moran/ Oxfam
Our electricity power is not enough. Last rainy season, there was not a lot of rain and not enough vegetables planted due to lack of power supply.”
Vantha, Cambodia
Last rainy season there was a lot of rain and not enough vegetables planted due to lack of power supply. But when we got the greenhouse, it became much easier. Now I grow rice and vegetables. The income we make from vegetables is good, I will have a good life.”
Vantha, Cambodia
The NRD programme is helping many people in Vantha’s community to build climate resilience, so they’re better prepared for extreme weather and can protect their livelihoods.
Vantha works in her greenhouse in Sambo District, Cambodia. Photo: Patrick Moran/ Oxfam
The income we make from vegetables in this greenhouse is good.”
Vantha, Cambodia
Siphon is making her voice heard
Siphon has been working as a volunteer for the last seven years in the community fishery management committee (CFMC), in the Boeng Santhov Lake in Cambodia.
Siphon’s dedication, along with the Oxfam-supported CFMC, helped her make real change against the pollution and loss of habitat in the lake.
Siphon’s campaigning voice started to make a difference, but the challenge was far from over.
Siphon is a community activist and part of the local fisheries network. Photo: Patrick Moran/ Oxfam
We saw that the company was throwing waste into the lake, and asked them ‘why do you throw the waste in this lake?’ [We said] ‘Now you have to stop. Because lake is a conservation zone’ [We] made an agreement for the company to stop dumping.”
Siphon, Cambodia
Next time, they set up a pumping machine. And we forbade them to pump water. We told them to take away the pumping machine made an agreement that stated that the company is not allow to pump water, throw the waste into the lake, and fill up the soil around the lake.”
Siphon, Cambodia
Siphon and her community continue to be relentless in their fight to protect their community, the environment and their livelihoods. Their voices are finally being heard.
In the past, they didn’t value women’s voices but now they do. We conserve the fish for our next generation. Stop all illegal fishing activities. It will be detrimental to the fish. We have to work together in term of conservation, because it will provide the long-term benefits for next generations.”
Siphon, Cambodia
Siphon is a community activist and part of the local fisheries network. Photo: Patrick Moran/ Oxfam
We can unravel the web of climate injustice, together.
Climate Justice Appeal
It’s not fair that our ability to cope with the climate crisis is based on where we live, the resources we have available, and the value society places on our lives.
In 2017, Oxfam found a concerning trend over the last ten years. There have been more weather-related disasters, and this has become the number one reason for internal displacement.
This has resulted in more than 20 million people being forced to leave their homes every year. That’s like one person every two seconds.
Wealthy countries have contributed most to the climate crisis and have the most resources to address it.
In 2019, the super-rich 1% were responsible for 16% of global carbon emissions, which is the same as the emissions of the 66% of lowest-income people (5 billion people).
It’s a shocking fact. But even more shocking is that the richest 1% burned through twice as much of the carbon budget as the lowest-income half of humanity combined.
The whole village of Khaliqdar Jamali, Pakistan was displaced due to floods. They’ve set up a tent village nearby until their homes are rebuilt. Photo: Ingenious Captures/Oxfam
The whole village of Khaliqdar Jamali, Pakistan was displaced due to floods. They’ve set up a tent village nearby until their homes are rebuilt.
Oxfam is unravelling this web of injustice, thread by thread – and calling on wealthy countries to:
- Make the biggest and wealthiest polluters pay the highest price for their climate-wrecking behaviour. They can start by taxing high-polluting luxuries like private jets to help pay for their climate destruction.
- Reduce their greenhouse emissions the fastest and furthest, particularly by replacing fossil fuels with cleaner energy sources.
- Provide financial and technical support to low-emitting, lower-income countries that have contributed the least crisis and lack resources.
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