Contribution to international development report: 2017-2018

Chapter Seven - Climate Change and Climate Justice Fund

7.1. Introduction

In November 2017, in her speech to the UN Climate Change Conference, COP23, in Bonn, Scotland's First Minister said, when pledging to work with nations, regions, cities and business to create a coalition for action:

"our ambitions must live up to the scale of the challenge and our actions must live up to our ambitions."

The Scottish Government's leadership on climate change, including its contribution through the Climate Justice Fund ( CJF), is a clear example in action of our commitment to policy coherence for development as part of the Beyond Aid agenda. Our Climate Change Bill, introduced to Parliament in May 2018, raises the ambition of our targets in direct response to the Paris Agreement, and will ensure that Scotland is carbon neutral by 2050. Our Climate Justice Fund is a clear example of policies and funding beyond our IDF that can contribute positively to development outcomes.

Climate justice recognises that the poor and vulnerable at home and overseas are the first to be affected by climate change, and will suffer the worst, yet have done little or nothing to cause the problem. It is a people-centred, human-rights approach that aims to share the benefits of equitable global development and the burdens of climate change fairly, while building trust between developed and developing countries.

Climate Justice Fund: 2012-2017

Scottish Ministers launched the international Climate Justice Fund ( CJF) in 2012 to help tackle the effects of climate change in the poorest, most vulnerable countries, with a £3 million budget for an initial round of projects; a second round of CJF funded projects continued from 2014.

More recently, at COP21 in Paris in 2015, the First Minister committed to an ongoing CJF of £3 million per annum from 2016 to 2021. With this new budget, from 2017, the CJF has been distributed via two new programmes, which signifies a more strategic approach going forward. These programmes are:

• the Climate Challenge Programme Malawi ( CCPM), based on the principles of our successful domestic Climate Challenge Fund; and
• the Climate Justice Innovation Fund ( CJIF).

All of the CJF projects are summarised in Annex E.

7.2 New Climate Challenge Programme Malawi

Infographic:

Infographic text:

1 No Poverty
2 Zero Hunger
4 Quality Education
5 Gender Equality
6 Clean Water and Sanitation
7 Affordable and Clean Energy
8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
12 Responsible Consumption and Production
13 Climate Action

7.2.1. Background

Funded by the CJF, the Climate Challenge Programme Malawi ( CCPM) (2017-2020) is supporting a group of rural communities to identify and implement their own solutions for adapting to, and building resilience against the worst effects of climate change. Following a tendering process by the Scottish Government, SCIAF was chosen to manage the new CCPM for the Scottish Government which will help communities in southern Malawi adapt to the worst effects of climate change.

7.2.2. The Project

SCIAF has partnered with a wide range of organisations in Malawi, including: Eagles Relief, CADECOM Chikwawa, Centre for Integrated Community Development for Chikwawa, Church Action in Relief and Development, CADECOM Mangochi, Zomba Diocese Research and Development Department, National CADECOM, Civil Society Network on Climate change; Coalition of Women Farmers, Lilongwe University of Natural resources, Community Energy Malawi, Area 55, and Trocaire in Ireland.

The project activities will revolve around water, food and energy access, with a strong focus on communities learning from each other throughout the duration of the programme. This will benefit the environment, improve climate literacy in Malawi and Scotland - especially in relation to the human rights of vulnerable minorities, and create a sustainable legacy that demonstrates long-term physical, behavioural, and social change in the communities.

7.2.3. Contribution to Development during 2017-18

This project, while in its early stages, has had a joint start-up meeting in Lilongwe with potential Malawian partner organisations. During the meeting the organisations were given an overview of the programme and what they may be able to expect from entering into a partnership with the programme. The project has also established governance and management groups, and a communication strategy was agreed with the Scottish Government. The regions in which the programme activities will focus are: Balaka, Chikwawa, Machingo and Zomba.

The CCPM will support the achievement of the UN Global Goals by taking direct action to address the impact climate change is having at a local level, promoting gender equality and human rights so the most vulnerable people are not left behind, and reducing poverty through sustainable development.

Figure 7.1. Deliwe Kassim - member of Ngongondo CCPM club
(permission from SCIAF for image)

7.3 New Climate Justice Innovation Fund

Infographic:

Infographic text:

1 No Poverty
2 Zero Hunger
4 Quality Education
5 Gender Equality
6 Clean Water and Sanitation
8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
12 Responsible Consumption and Production
13 Climate Action

7.3.1. Background

Scottish Ministers launched the Climate Justice Innovation Fund ( CJIF) on 5 June 2017 to support projects developing innovative solutions for strengthening African communities against the effects of climate change.

The CJIF is managed and administered for the Scottish Government by the Corra Foundation, which has also managed our IDF Small Grants Programme since 2014.

On 17 September 2017, the Scottish Government announced that £600,000 of CJIF funding would be split between six Scottish organisations who are working with African partners on projects in our sub-Saharan priority countries of Malawi, Zambia and Rwanda over the next three years.

7.3.2. The Project

The CJIF supports Scottish-based organisations, working in partnership with in-country partner(s), to support the delivery of climate justice-related projects which demonstrate innovation in the field. CJIF projects are delivered in one or more of the Scottish Government's International Development sub-Saharan partner countries (Malawi, Zambia or Rwanda) and also supports the project country's own development priorities as well as the Scottish Government's Climate Justice and International Development aims.

7.3.3. Contribution to Development 2017-2018

Six months from project inception, reports from Corra indicate that projects are progressing as planned.

7.4. New Climate Change Policies

7.4.1. Background

Scotland is a world leader on tackling climate change and Scotland's transition to a more prosperous, low carbon economy is already well underway, winning international respect for our ambition and leadership on climate change.

On 28 February 2018, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform published The Climate Change Plan: Third Report on Policies and Proposals 2018-2032 which details how the Scottish Government will continue to drive progress towards the current statutory emissions reduction target of 80% by 2050.

7.4.2 The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill 2018

The Scottish Government is committed to playing its part in the Paris Agreement, the central aim of which is to keep global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. By increasing our long-term targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90% by 2050, the new Climate Change Bill will continue to provide the necessary certainty and impetus to markets, businesses and industries to shift towards low-carbon technologies and practices. The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill 2018 was introduced to the Scottish Parliament outwith the period of this Report, however we will report on its progress next year.

The Climate Change Bill will set out the most ambitious, legally binding, domestic emissions reduction targets of any country in the world, raising the ambition of our statutory targets in direct response to the Paris Agreement, including a reduction of 90% of all greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Setting a 90% reduction target for all greenhouse gases means net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050, in other words Scotland will be carbon neutral. It also reflects the Government's aspiration to achieve net-zero emissions of all greenhouse gases as soon as possible.

The Climate Change Bill will put into law the Scottish Government's intent to deliver our fair share of the global emissions reduction necessary to limit temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It demonstrates our commitment to global leadership in tackling climate change, and contributing to overall development outcomes.