Oxfam America and Oxfam Action Corps – Minnesota put a human face on climate change last weekend at the
21st Annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum. Participating in the conference was a great honor. Oxfam America Vice President Jim Lyons addressed the conference in plenary session on Friday evening, outlining the human toll of a warming planet and Oxfam's
climate change campaign, and participated in a panel discussion on Saturday attended by audiences of over 1,200. Honoring the work of Al Gore and the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change, Mr. Lyons and other distinguished presenters emphasized the need for bold action now to mitigate the devastating effects already being felt around the globe and the potential disaster that we face if we delay. You can watch Forum presentations, including Mr. Lyons' speech,
online.
Throughout the Forum, Oxfam Action Corps - MN volunteers were on hand at a Peace Fair and on Saturday, they led two workshops titled,
Human Consequences of a Warming Planet: Seeking Climate Justice and How You Can Help. Oxfam's presence at the Forum was keenly felt. One participant commented:
"I'm grateful Oxfam was at this conference.... I had never been introduced to what is already happening to people in developing countries [due to climate change]. I am deeply moved." - Noble Peace Prize Forum Attendee
We'll watch portions of the Forum at our next monthly meeting. Please join us at 7pm on Monday, March 16 at
Common Roots Cafe (26th and Lyndale, Minneapolis). In addition to recapping the success at the Forum, we'll plan our outreach efforts and participation in events like
Substance's Manifestation on March 27 and the
Immigration and Food Justice Multi-Faith Dialogue on March 29. If you can't make it to the meeting, you can still get involved. Contact us at
minnesota@oxfamactioncorps.org
