[ad_1]
OThe past month has been the Guardian Observer Charity appeal 2021 has raised more than £830,000 for climate justice, partnering with Four brilliant charities. As the appeal prepares to close, the charities talk about their missions – and the future of the planet.
Steve Trent, chief executive at Environmental Justice Foundation
“We’ve almost lost our winters, the rainy season does not start on time and, when it does rain, we have too much. We want to stay here, but it will be difficult,” says Abdul Zuffer. We’re in his home in southern BangladeshHe had to rebuild his house after cyclone Aila. He tells us about his struggles to adapt to changing weather conditions and the difficulties he faced as a rice farmer.
Half the world away, In Sweden, reindeer herder and Indigenous Sami leader Lars-Ánte Kuhmunen tells us an eerily similar story. “We have short winters now, and it rains [rather than snows]. It’s hard to predict.” As we film him checking the herd, he stops abruptly in the snow and pulls out a calf, frozen stiff. “This one was starving to death. That’s climate change.”
EJF works all over the globe to increase the voices and support the livelihoods of people who are facing the climate crisis. Their. A powerful testimonyWe use our innovative reports and strategic advocacy to urge leaders to make an urgent transition to zero carbon in society and to secure a strong international agreement protecting the rights and interests of climate refugees.
We meet with heads and decision-makers from all over the world, and our films and photo exhibitions have reached hundreds and thousands of people. We also help to create solutions by training and supporting grassroots activists and working with policymakers. We need to create a clear roadmap for a just, sustainable future that benefits people and the planet.
Sarah Roberts, chief executive of Practical Action
The key lesson to learning from environmental catastrophe is that people most affected by it are already leading the way in adapting to the new climate reality. They just need the right tools To thrive, not just survive. This is at the heart of Practical Action’s work.
Our support has been Kenyan farmers helpedBangladeshi farmers need to be able to adapt to changing weather conditions and develop innovative agricultural strategies. Prepare for catastrophic cyclonesFlooding.
We have always been driven by the goal of creating a global economy that places people, nature, and planet first. This is in line with the ethos of EF Schumacher, our visionary economist founder. You can also see our work in Peru and coffee farmersIn Yogi Tea in Rwanda, and in Malawi’s female farmers.
After the Cop26Climate talks in Glasgow are more important than ever to ensure financial commitments are met, and inequality is challenged.
It is possible to create a better world, but it is impossible for any individual or institution to do so alone. Only together can we make this happen.
Eva Rehse (executive director, Global Greengrants Fund UK)
The most affected by the climate crisis are also those who are least responsible. Global warming is destroying the natural resources and ecosystems of smallholders, fishing communities, and Indigenous peoples all over the globe. They are disproportionately likely to live in the “sacrifice zones” of fossil-fuel extraction, and to be affected by extreme weather events such as wildfires, flooding, cyclones and drought.
These same people and communities have the ability to resist extractivism, to be more resilient against the effects the climate crisis and to adopt alternative economic and political strategies rooted in local knowledge, practice, and practice.
These locally-led “climate solutions” – communities mobilising against coal power, Indigenous activists defending their forest lands, farmers taking up regenerative agriculture – are what Global Greengrants Fund and our partners at the CLIMA Fund were created to strengthen and resource. Flexible, small-scale funding can be channelled to Local initiativesWe shift power and resources to Communities and movements Many of these people are often inaccessible to external support. We trust people at the frontlines to lead the fight against the climate crisis. This allows us to foster new, bold ideas that are useful tools.
Hélène Ralimanana, manager, Madagascar Conservation Centre, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Our beautiful cities have been destroyed by climate change. Madagascar into crisis. Dramatic changes in our weather patterns have led to an increase in poverty and forced people to deforest valuable habitats to survive.
Recent years have seen a significant shift in the seasons. We now have more dry seasons with less rain. This has had a devastating effect on agriculture and communities. Flash floods can cause destruction of rice fields, which is the main food staple for most of the country, when the rainy season arrives. This is one factor that can lead to a severe drought in the south and an increase in environmental degradation as people move to different areas.
The Guardian And ObserverAppeal will allow us to expand projects that help local residents adopt sustainable techniques. cultivate yams – a vital crop for nutrition during drought – as well to improve soil quality and increase income through cash crops. We also hope to accelerate Seed bankingYou will find more endangered and valuable species on the island. These species can be used to train local communities in forest restoration.
At the Madagascar Conservation Centre, we document and preserve the country’s biodiversity, so crucial to improving resilience in a changing climate. We believe our projects can transform lives while protecting Madagascar’s precious biodiversity.
