For some people and organisations Climategate and the deeply flawed 2007 IPCC report never happened; Oxfam is a case in point.

One of Oxfams goal’s is to redistribute wealth and AGW was the golden goose of the redistributionists, so it’s hardly surprising that Oxfam are using old AGW lies in this latest piece of warming alarmism in the Guardian.

A report released today by Oxfam details fast-rising temperatures, melting glaciers in the Pamir mountains, increased disease, drought, landslides and food shortages. Temperatures plummeted to -20C for more than a month in 2008-09 – unheard of in what is, in places, a subtropical region – and temperatures in the south of the country near Afghanistan have risen several degrees above normal, said the report.

About 20% of the country’s 8,492 glaciers are in retreat and 30% more are likely to retreat or disappear by 2050, said Ilhomjon Rajabov, head of the state’s climate change department. The largest glacier, Fedchenko, has lost 44 sq km, or 6% of its volume, in the last 34 years.

Scientists and farmers have also observed significant changes in air temperatures, said Oxfam. There has been an increase in the number of days where temperatures have exceeded 40C in the past 50 years, a decline in thunderstorms and hailstorms and mean temperatures have increased in places 1.2C in 65 years – well above the global average which is around 0.8C in the past century.

The implications of climate change stretch well beyond Tajikistan’s borders, said Oxfam. Because its glaciers and mountains supply much of the water for the Aral Sea and and the vast, water-hungry, cotton-growing areas of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, there is a danger climate change will increase tensions between already water-stressed countries.

Before Climategate this sort of alarmism would have had the reaction that Oxfam wanted, now statements of this sort are treated as dishonest alarmism.

The comments are interesting bearing in mind this is the Guardian:

I have read the Oxfam report. Its style is typical of NGO’s that engage in political advocacy for “dangerous AGW” and all the references are from NGOs that are engaged in the same political advocacy.

The report is riddled with ambiguities, for example, high rainfall events are incresing but the country is in drought.

Example of ridiculous claims: “The main problem of melting glaciers is floating broken ice and debris which can block rivers and form glacial lakes and reservoirs and this is happening now.” The Geneva academic who wrote this has clearly never seen a glacier, and the accompanying picture shows (with inaccurate captions) minimal change in the Fedchenko glacier in 73 years.

The report reveals more about the political orientation of Oxfam than it does about the social and economic problems of Tajikistan, which are very real. It is a pity that this country’s problems are being exploited for another political agenda.

There are more comments of a similar nature, people are getting wiser every day about AGW and organisations like Oxfam and the WWF that continue to produce this sort of propaganda should be treated with the contempt that they deserve.

One comment makes a point about the 6 figure salary directors of these aid organisations are paid, it is also worth mentioning the fleet of 7 Series BMWs and S Class Mercedes that Oxfam run for it’s directors.

Afterall charity begins at home.

For all Climategate posts click here