The advertising regulator has ruled that Oxfam’s hard-hitting climate change poster campaign, which claimed people are already dying as a result of global warming, is not misleading despite a number of public complaints.

The charity came under fire after four members of the public questioned the validity of Oxfam’s assertion about the impact of climate change and complained to the Advertising Standards Authority(ASA).

The posters launched by Oxfam at the end of 2009 read: "People dying thanks to climate change is a long way off. About 5,000 miles give or take…Our politicians have the power to help get a climate deal back on track…Let’s sort it out here and now.” The complainants argued it had not been proven that people were dying as a result of climate change, and claimed the advert was misleading.

The campaign was backed by research

The ASA stated that their decision to settle the dispute in favour of Oxfam, handed down today, was determined by clear evidence that the research used to back the organisation’s campaign was substantial and the reputable expertise that the charity has in climate change.

Oxfam chief executive Barbara Stocking said: "As an international development agency, we are all too aware of the impacts that climate change is already having on the poorest communities around the world. We also take great care in ensuring that what we say about climate change can be supported by reliable research."

Oxfam drew on a wide range of research from leading international NGOs and academia to support its claims.