Here and Now: climate change campaign progress report

Current status: 3

Every month our Here & Now campaign team assesses the progress of the campaign so far. We look at our goals for political change, and how the public and the private sector are taking action to make it happen. We give the campaign a rating of 1-5 to summarise progress each month (1 = much more progress needed, 5 = we're making great progress this month).

September 2009

Oxfam's Here & Now campaign has really been stirring up the politicians this month, and together, campaigners are having a real impact. But there's much more still to do to translate the politicians' statements of support - no matter how sincere - into real and lasting change.

Headlines:

• Gordon Brown has agreed to go to the Copenhagen negotiations in December - the first world leader to do so
• "Tck Tck Tck" flashmobs took place around the UK on 21 September, with people phoning the PM to ask him to go to Copenhagen
• Around 54,000 Here and Now actions taken by the public to date
• Many politicians around the UK - including government ministers - have backed the call for a fair and safe global deal
• Lots of media coverage - local, regional and national

What you've been up to

The movement continues to build, with around 54,000 people having taken action so far. Campaigners are building support in communities throughout the UK, with lots of local, regional and national media coverage, and a huge variety of awareness-raising and campaigning activities. You've signed up at festivals; you've pressed your political representatives into action; and you've been speaking out about the urgent need for action.

What the politicians are doing

The PM is going to Copenhagen, and the UK government has made some of the right noises in the places that matter, such as the G20 and the EU. But they are not making themselves heard, and it’s pretty important that they do.

While figures the UK government is quoting for financing a global deal don't yet reach the $150 billion we're calling for, they do seem to understand the scale of the problem. However, we need to see more action on the UK's domestic climate change agenda - to match the rhetoric on global action. The real concern right now is that political statements don't in themselves make change happen. The UK can't deal with climate change alone, and its failure to persuade our EU partners or other rich nations to agree to take urgent action is extremely serious. Without European leadership, a robust global deal simply isn't going to happen.

So let's pile on the pressure!

Clearly the messages are getting through, including through the media. But much more pressure is needed, and this requires a huge increase in public awareness. October is the month for massively ramping up the level of public action, creating a force that the politicians can't ignore.

If you're reading this, you're probably already taking action on climate change. We need even more people to get active - and here are lots of ideas how you can help this to happen . In particular, please will you:

Brave the Wave - come to one of the national demos in London or Glasgow on 5 December, and bring lots of friends! Sign up and even organise your transport here (‘hats off’ to the Co-op for their massive support with this).

Send a letter - to Gordon Brown and demand he pushes the EU to show the urgency and ambition needed for the world  to strike the right deal in Copenhagen.

Impress the press - tell your local media hounds all the stuff you're involved with , to extract every ounce of impact from your hard work. Here's advice on how to do this (pdf.).

Create debate - respond to articles, write to the Editor, challenge apathy...basically, help to prove that the public cares! Our regional offices can help you to reach your local media (pdf.).

Find out how we did last month

See our progress report for August.