Tackling climate change

Communities in Malawi and Zambia are being helped to build their resilience to the effects of climate change.

£600,000 is being awarded to Scottish-based organisations working with partners in the two countries under the Climate Justice Innovation Fund, which empowers communities to respond to a changing environment.

Projects supported include training in ‘climate smart’ agricultural practices, testing the use of artesian water for sustainable farming, and piloting the use of solar ovens and biogas as a fuel source

Announcing the funding as part of Climate Week (1-5 October) - which raises awareness of climate change and encourages action to reduce emissions - Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said:

“We have a moral responsibility to do what we can to tackle the effects of climate change, particularly as they will be felt most strongly by those vulnerable communities who have done the least to cause it.

“This funding will support innovative projects directly help local communities, from piloting solar ovens in co-op bakery businesses to helping 200 farmers use climate resilient methods to diversify the crop production.

“At a time when Scotland has almost halved our greenhouse gas emissions, I am proud the Climate Justice Innovation Fund is providing much needed investment to empower some of Africa’s most vulnerable communities to find new skills and their own solutions to make them more resilient to the effects of climate change.”

International Development Minister Ben Macpherson said:

“Having just returned from Malawi and Zambia, I have seen first-hand how small grants of funding such as these can have a big impact on local communities. Projects like this show our commitment to helping some of the world’s most vulnerable people and enhance Scotland’s role as a good global citizen.”

Background

This funding forms a part of the Climate Justice Fund, which between 2012 and 2021 is making at least £21 million available to support projects in some of the world’s poorest countries.

Climate justice is grounded in a human rights-based approach to tackling the effects of climate change, more background can be found here.

Climate Week is a Scottish Government initiative, currently in its fourth year. The aims to raise climate literacy and engage individuals on low-carbon behaviours.