Contribution to international development report: 2018-2019

Chapter Seven: Climate Change and The Climate Justice Fund

7.1 Introduction

Climate change is an urgent, global and complex problem and one of the greatest challenges to human rights in the 21st century. The report published in October 2018 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on limiting global temperatures to 1.5°C makes clear that all countries, as well as businesses and individuals, need to act now if the Paris Agreement goals are to be met.

Climate change impacts progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It affects livelihoods, food and water security, and widens the gulf between rich and poor. Developed and developing nations alike will find obstacles in their path towards the SDGs. Resources have to be diverted to respond to the natural disasters becoming commonplace due to the global climate emergency.

The Scottish Government is committed to playing our part to support the global transition to a net-zero emissions economy that helps deliver the SDGs, and to do so in a way that is just and fair to everyone. We recognise there is a global climate emergency and we have a moral duty to respond accordingly.

We do this by taking ambitious domestic climate action to ensure that our own contribution to climate change will end within a generation. We have also introduced the world-leading Climate Justice Fund (CJF), supporting communities in our international development partner countries to become more resilient to climate change. We also fund other projects that contribute to global climate action – working in developed and developing nations.

Details of our international CJF projects are summarised in Annex E.

7.2 Climate Justice

Climate Justice is based on a simple and powerful message – it is often those who have done the least to contribute to climate change who are affected first and most severely. Such communities are also often more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to economic, gender, age, disability, indigenous status or other intersectional inequalities. As such, climate justice interventions seek to address these injustices and power imbalances directly as an integral part of tackling the effects of climate change. Climate justice interventions should also empower people to know and claim their rights while increasing the ability and accountability of the bodies responsible for respecting, protecting and fulfilling those rights.

As part of Scotland’s role as a good global citizen and in line with UN SDG 13, “Climate Action”, the Scottish Government is committed to taking action on climate change through the lens of climate justice. Scotland was one of the first nations to take this innovative approach, and was the first government in the world to set up a dedicated Climate Justice Fund.

Looking at international development through the lens of climate justice helps ensure that communities are engaged to actively participate in projects and programmes that are designed to help them become more resilient to climate change.

7.2.1 Climate Justice Fund

The Scottish Government’s CJF was set up in May 2012 and will spend up to £21 million on climate justice related activities by 2021. The CJF was originally distributed through specific projects in Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania and Rwanda. Five projects were supported in round 1 of the Fund (2012-2015) and six in round 2 (2014-2016). From 2017, a more strategic approach was adopted and the fund has primarily been directed through two major programmes, the Climate Challenge Programme Malawi (CCPM) and the Climate Justice Innovation Fund (CJIF). Additional projects are funded on a case by case basis. Climate justice funding also supports our Water Futures project as part of our HydroNation programme (see Chapter 8).

The CJF supports interventions which are focused on three main areas of food, water and energy, as well as increasing climate literacy, advocacy, and shared learning. The Scottish Government’s climate justice outlook complements the partnership approach that we take with our development partners Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia, and enables Scotland to make a greater impact with its international development, which is part of what makes us a global leader.

7.3 Climate Challenge Programme Malawi

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

7.3.1. Background

Announced by the Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform at the Laudato Si conference in the Vatican in July 2018, the Climate Challenge Programme Malawi (CCPM) is a 3-year programme to help vulnerable rural communities in Malawi build resilience to the effects of climate change. The Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) is responsible for delivering the programme, in partnership with the Irish organisation, Trócaire, which is co-ordinating the work on the ground in Malawi along with local NGOs.

7.3.2. The Programme

The programme has been designed to be community-led, working with 120 rural village communities across the four districts of Machinga, Balaka, Zomba and Chikwawa in Southern Malawi. On-the-ground development officers are supporting those rural communities to identify the problems that have arisen as a result of climate change through a Participatory Vulnerability Capability Assessment (PVCA). They help design the solutions that work best for the communities, across the key areas of water, food and energy. The programme also works with communities to undertake advocacy activities to help ensure that the voices of those most affected by climate change are amplified to policymakers.

7.3.3. Contribution to Development 2018-19

As the CCPM is community-led, activities vary between communities and districts in Malawi. The activities aim to boost the security and resilience of access to vital resources as climate change renders the natural environment increasingly unpredictable. To this end, activities being undertaken by communities as part of the CCPM so far include:

• The distribution of livestock such as goats for individual and communal ownership, along with livestock management training and kraal construction.
• The planning and development of irrigation schemes, along with the formation of irrigation and water users committees.
• Training in agro-ecology, intercropping and organic pest control, including the establishment of demonstration plots as a learning aid as well as the procurement and distribution of seeds.
• Training and demonstrations in cooking and nutrition to help providers keep their families healthy in an environment of changing food availability.
• Business management training to help participants diversify their income and manage resources for bee keeping, running a bakery, or livestock management.
• Solar entrepreneurship training and the establishment of “solar kiosks”: small businesses that sell solar power for refrigeration, phone-charging and the operation of barber shops.
• Gender integration and mainstreaming activities to address the disproportionate effects of climate change upon women.
• Water catchment mapping along with the installation of new boreholes and pumps.
• Forest management training, along with the establishment of tree nurseries and widespread tree planting to combat deforestation.
• Vulnerability, hazard and disaster risk analysis training to better prepare communities for climate shocks, along with support for participatory planning.
• Field days, learning and exchange visits to build climate literacy as well as raising the profile of climate justice, and highlighting the need for co-ordinated action on climate change.

CJF Case Study 1: CCPM: James and Estere Sixa, Lake Chilwa, Malawi

Photo of James and Estere at their home near Lake Chilwa, Malawi (permission from SCIAF)

Farmer James Sixa lives with his wife Estere and their six children near Lake Chilwa – Malawi’s second largest lake. Many people who live nearby depend on fishing for their livelihoods; however, climate change is increasing the unpredictability of access to this vital resource, putting many local communities at risk.

When Lake Chilwa dried up last November, many people who live nearby left the area having lost access to an important water and food resource. In order to prevent other migration such as this, the CCPM is working to build resilience among the communities who still reside there.

Through the local partner, Zomba Diocese Research and Development Department (ZAARD), James was given three goats and training on how to look after them. Goats are useful because they can be bred, they produce milk, and their manure is a strong fertiliser which can increase crop production. The goats offer much needed financial security for vulnerable families but can destroy crops through grazing. Through the CCPM, James was taught how to build a raised hut for the goats, to ensure they eat in a controlled way. The hut was finished just a few months before floods hit this part of Malawi, and, as well as providing shelter for the goats, the hut was also able to help James and his family when the area flooded.

“We can rebuild and make sure the crops get harvested,”

James said,

“It is scary living here, with the lake drying up and then the flood.

We don’t know what will happen next, and we don’t have a choice.

At least we have the goats.

This gives us hope.”

7.4 Climate Justice Innovation Fund

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

7.4.1. Background

The Scottish Government launched the Climate Justice Innovation Fund (CJIF) in June 2017 to support projects developing innovative solutions to the problems caused by climate change, with a view to expanding and scaling up these solutions. The CJIF is managed by the Corra Foundation.

7.4.2. Contribution to Development 2018-2019

In 2018/19, the CJIF supported the second year of the six projects awarded in 2017 working in Malawi, Zambia and Rwanda, as well as awarding £600,000 of funding to six new projects in Malawi and Zambia. These projects, divisible into three main themes of food, water and energy, all pioneer an innovative solution to problems caused or exacerbated by climate change.

Round 1 (awarded 2017, continuing into 2018/19):

• Community Energy Scotland – to install a solar-powered electricity grid to power a cooling system for milk production in Malawi.
• Challenges Worldwide – to improve the efficiency and resilience of coffee production by smallholder growers in Rwanda.
• Tearfund Scotland – to build a scientific evidence base as to whether conservation farming can protect against the devastating effect of Fall Armyworm in Malawi.
• Malawi Fruits – to upgrade water and electricity infrastructure in a small farming community in Malawi.
• Aquatera – to turn waste into energy and recyclable plastic in an urban area of central Zambia.
• Leith Community Crops in Pots – to build vegetable gardens and tree nurseries in remote schools in Malawi, to improve nutrition and climate resilience.

Round 2 (awarded 2018):

• Community Energy Scotland – to pilot the use of solar ovens in two biomass-dependent bakery co-operatives in rural, off-grid areas of Malawi.
• Global Eco-Village Network – to diversify farmers’ cash crop income to include essential oils, increasing resilience to climate change in Zambia.
• University of Strathclyde – to build community resilience to the impacts of climate change by utilising artesian well capping technology for irrigation and sustainable agriculture in Malawi.
• Voluntary Service Overseas Scotland – to make use of biogas to provide sustainable energy for school meals in Malawi.
• Voluntary Service Overseas Scotland – to increase agricultural production in an environmentally sustainable way, while promoting livelihood opportunities for some of the most vulnerable people in Zambia.
• Water Witness International – to test how implementation of water stewardship standards can benefit and build the climate resilience of small-scale farmer co-operatives in Malawi.

CJF Case Study 2: CJIF: Living Trees of Livingstonia, Malawi

Below: vegetables growing in a Livingstonia primary school

One CJIF project in Livingstonia, Northern Malawi, helps schools on the elevated Livingstonia plateau to grow their own food for the school feeding programme. Increased rainfall and unpredictable weather patterns have made access to these schools from nearby towns very difficult. By growing food at the schools themselves, participants adapt to this problem, as well as providing the opportunity for school children to learn about agricultural techniques, the local ecology and climate.

As a result of the project, schools have reported that they are now able to feed the children entirely from the food grown in the school gardens and fields, which are maintained by teachers and parents. As well as crops, the schools are also growing tree seedlings, with a view to reforesting the local area. This will improve local resilience against increased rainfall, as the root systems prevent the soil from being washed away, which could otherwise lead to mudslides and flooding in the valleys.

The previous years’ seedlings have now been replanted in the area around the schools, and some of the crops grown in the fields have been sold, the proceeds from which is invested in buying school supplies.

Above: Conifer seedlings

CJF Case Study 3: CJIF: VSO: Biogas in schools in Lilongwe, Malawi

Right: Primary school, Lilongwe

Another innovative project involves building biogas digesters in schools in the areas around the Malawian capital, Lilongwe. Due to widespread poverty and a lack of energy alternatives, most Malawians use either firewood or charcoal for heat and cooking.

The expanding population has meant that deforestation has been severe, this also has effects such as a lack of soil stability and an increased flood risk.

Schools around Lilongwe have been equipped with more fuel-efficient “rocket stoves” to minimise solid fuel consumption, and are building a biogas system which will use the waste from the school’s sewage system to generate gas for cooking.

At present, the school uses latrine pits for its toilets. As well as being unsustainable it is labour intensive, and new pits must be dug as previous ones fill with waste. These latrines are also unhygienic, and pose a number of health risks. Beginning in 2018, the digging has begun for permanent toilet blocks which will feed into a fermentation tank. This will produce methane which can then be used for cooking.

Gas stoves will allow for the regrowth of local forests, which will aid in the resilience to the increased rainfall and flooding which could become more severe as a result of climate change. It will also mean that the pressure to gather firewood for cooking at the school, which largely falls upon women, will be lessened. This is an illustrative example of how adaptation to the pressures of climate change can have a particularly pronounced affect upon women, for whom the burden for adaptive pressure disproportionately falls.

CJF Case Study 4: CJIF: Tearfund: Combating Fall Armyworm in Malawi

Right: Farmers learn CA techniques

Through the CJIF, Tearfund is leading a research project working with 300 vulnerable farmers in the Rumphi district. Through community participatory research and field testing, evidence is being gathered to test the hypothesis that climate smart Conservation Agriculture (CA) techniques (mulching, zero tillage, crop rotation and intercropping) and locally made fertilizer can limit the negative impact of fall armyworm (FAW) infestations. FAW, an invasive maize pest, has devastated crop yields in Malawi over recent years. To test this hypothesis, the project is teaching 300 farmers the skills and knowledge to practice CA techniques.

As well as protecting farmers against FAW, CA techniques can help farmers to increase food production and improve environmental sustainability. Both factors contribute towards improving overall food security.

One farmer, involved in the project from the start, became involved in the project as he thought it would be important for him to contribute to solutions which will lead to improved national food security. He has doubled his own yields since the project began, and has acted as a lead farmer, sharing knowledge with 15 other following farmers on the conservation agriculture techniques that have worked on his own plot.

Above: a farmer with health mature maize.

He said that as per last year, he has continued to observe fewer instances of FAW in his plots where treated seeds and the CA technique was applied compared to where untreated and conventional methods were employed. In addition to reducing the incidence of FAW, he also said CA had other advantages for farming. For example, he has observed more moisture in the fields and a much greater harvest compared to conventional methods. He said his observation was also supported with the FAW prevalence data he has been collecting each week from his plot, covering foliage damage, presence of eggs and number of larvae. He went on to explain that all these were far less prevalent than in plots where conventional methods of farming were applied.

7.5 Other Climate Justice Grants

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

16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

17 Partnerships for the Goals

7.5.1. Background

In addition to our two main climate justice programmes, the CJF also supported two organisations in 2018/19 with grant funding for their projects.

7.5.2 Contribution to Development 2018-2019

Malawi Water Stewardship Initiative

This project, in partnership with Water Witness International, is to promote water stewardship as a model for implementing SDG 6 “Clean Water and Sanitation for All”.

Water stewardship is defined as ‘the use of water that is socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial’ and in effect describes the activities and role that all water users should play to support implementation of the water SDGs. Since 2019, the Alliance for Water Stewardship has developed a global system and standard which guides and recognises responsible water use and resource stewardship.

Key achievements for this project in 2018/2019 have included the implementation of water stewardship methodology in two large commercial farms as well as the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre and a rural primary school in Chikwawa. As a result, sanitation for farm workers has been improved, the use of water resources has become more sustainable, and the relationship between the farms and their neighbouring communities has benefitted from the demonstration of goodwill and transparency offered by the standard. At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the waste disposal process has been improved so as to benefit surrounding Blantyre residents, and at the primary school, the project work has negotiated equitable access and management of the nearby borehole for the benefit of the school children and the surrounding residents.

Barrier Removal for Energy Access

This project continues the valuable work done in partnership with the University of Strathclyde in building access to renewable energy in Malawi through the Community Energy Malawi (CEM) organisation.

In 2018/19, CEM-installed community energy projects were developed sustainability which contributed to removing barriers for off-grid community renewables deployment in Malawi. Key achievements include:

• A training session with 30 district officials and officers from the National Initiative for Civic Education to improve awareness and understanding of renewable energy.
• 8 new renewable energy systems, including an irrigation system, four shop lighting systems, a barber shop, a café with refrigeration and a video show.
• Training sessions for 10 districts were carried out. These covered the management and maintenance of community energy systems and the funding streams available.
• A briefing note for dissemination to the Government of Malawi, highlighting the past and potential future impacts of community energy systems and challenges they face.
• A workshop for over 50 stakeholders in the mini-grid sector. It took place across two days, covering a wide range of projects, topics and activities to encourage discussion of business models and barriers to the sector as a whole.

In addition to these activities, CEM has engaged with the Government of Malawi, specifically with regard to the impact of off-grid renewable energy on rural communities, and advocacy to uplift the voices of these communities in renewable energy discourse.

7.6 Global Climate Action

5 Gender Equality

7 Affordable and Clean Energy

8 Decent Work and Economic Growth

9 Industry Innovation and Infrastructure

10 Reduced Inequalities

11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

13 Climate Action

17 Partnerships for the Goals

7.6.1. Background

We recognise that the effects of climate change, as well as the transition to a net-zero global economy, will be felt unequally within and between countries. Countries which have become prosperous, partly as a result of greenhouse gas emissions, need to help those whose ability to achieve the SDGs is affected as a result of climate change. In addition to the CJF, the Scottish Government is taking action domestically and internationally in line with SDG 13.

The Scottish Government has also spearheaded a campaign of Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) to ensure that Scotland’s global ambition and achievements on climate change and international development are working together in a complementary way. In 2018/19, the first PCSD meeting on climate change was held with officials from across the Scottish Government as well as key stakeholders from Scotland’s International Development Alliance, Christian Aid and SCIAF. In the face of the global climate emergency, attendees discussed how knowledge from all parties could be brought together so development projects effectively meet SDGs in a sustainable way, developing resilience to the effect of climate change and also integrating Scotland’s global international development impact and its Beyond Aid agenda with domestic action.

7.6.2 Domestic action

The Scottish Government was one of the first countries to introduce legislation as a direct response to the UN Paris Agreement to ensure we were playing our part in reducing emissions to meet global temperature goals. The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill was introduced by the Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform to Parliament on 23 May 2018. The Bill makes provisions for setting targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and to make provision about advice, plans and reports in relation to those targets.

The Bill, as introduced, contained what were then the most ambitious statutory targets of any country in the world for 2020, 2030 and 2040, and would have meant Scotland was carbon neutral by 2050. This was in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on global warming which set out the world needs to be carbon-neutral, defined as net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide, by 2050.^[1]

7.6.3 Adaptation to Climate Change

Our overarching vision is that our built and natural places, supporting infrastructure, economy and society are climate ready, adaptable and resilient to climate change.

The Scottish Government is developing a second statutory Adaptation Programme, due to be published by the end of 2019. We want this to deliver a step change in collaboration, and emphasise the wider co-benefits of climate action. Focusing on results, performance and measurement, we propose to build on the previous sector and risk-based approaches.

A set of seven high level “outcomes” for the Programme have been developed that are derived from the SDGs and the Scottish Government’s NPF, including an international outcome that “our international networks are adaptable to climate change” and our final programme will include a suite of policies and proposals to deliver that outcome.

7.6.4 Traction Project

We are using the knowledge gained in our adaptation work in Scotland to contribute to the development of climate resilience in our international development partner countries. The Scottish Government also funds an adaptation project that has contributed to our wider international development objectives in 2018-19. We are supporting an adaptation competency framework being piloted by sustainability charity Sniffer and International Institute for Environment and Development in Scotland and Malawi, two countries with very different adaptation challenges. This framework will be used as a tool to enable further peer learning between Scotland and a range of Least Developed Countries.

7.6.5 International action and funding 2018-19

The Scottish Government has established a strong presence within the global climate action debate. Our outreach activity has been built over many years through Scottish Ministerial attendance at annual United Nations climate change conferences, and through active participation in international climate fora. This includes the Under2 Coalition, which is made up of ambitious sub-national governments which are committed to working together to tackle climate change.

The Scottish Government also contributes to global efforts to respond to the global climate emergency by working with international partners to share our experience to increase ambition and build capacity in tackling climate change. We provided financial support to projects which will deliver climate action, including in developing countries:

support for the UNFCCC’s Marrakesh Partnership for Global Climate Action. The Partnership aims to promote and facilitate the engagement of non-Party stakeholders in support of increasing ambition to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement and SDGs, by engaging with new actors, co-ordinating and facilitating work of existing actors, providing links with the international policy making process, and tracking, reporting and recognizing climate action.

funding directed to the Women’s Environment Development Organisation (WEDO) to promote equal participation in global climate decision-making, including to provide travel and logistical support to women delegates from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDs) to attend climate policy related global meetings, specifically UNFCCC intersessional meetings and COPs, to be part of their national delegations.

support for the Under2 Coalition’s Future Fund which helps regions in developing countries and emerging economies engage with programmes and activities aimed at building knowledge and capacity in the global fight against climate change.

7.6.6 Young Malawian Climate Leaders 2050

In addition to our CJF, we supported a project to create a network of young people interested in, and committed to, tackling climate change in Malawi. The project was designed to equip young leaders with the knowledge, skills and confidence to lead and take action, supporting SDG 13 “Climate Action” as well as SDG 17 “Partnerships for the Goals”. The project was delivered by the 2050 Climate Group, MaSP and SMP. By creating a network of young people, the project accelerated individual action and built a movement of change. Activities undertaken through the project included climate change workshops, local engagement meetings, peer-to-peer learning and the development of personal action plans for programme participants.

2050 Young Malawian Climate Leaders: Edinburgh, January 2019

In January 2019, Promise Matatiyo and Joanna Ziwa, two Young Malawian Climate lEADE Leaders, met with Ben Macpherson, Minister for Europe, Migration and International Development and Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform.

Ms Cunningham said: “I am pleased that the Scottish Government continues to support the efforts of the 2050 Malawi’s Climate Leaders project, which does fantastic work empowering young leaders to support the delivery of a just, low carbon future.

“The Minister for International Development and I were delighted to hear directly from two of the project’s young climate leaders. The work they are doing to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change and building a network of young people who are committed to finding socially-just solutions to tackling climate change in Malawi is truly inspirational.”.

Vera Kamtukule, Chief Executive of MaSP said: “Malawi is a country, which is at the sharp end of the effects of climate change where its impacts are a reality now. Nearly half of Malawi’s population is aged 18 or under and so it’s right that young people are key agents of change in this most pressing issue.

The interconnectivity of the effects of climate change with our economy cannot be over emphasised. I know from Minister Ben Macpherson’s visit to Malawi last summer, which we greatly appreciated, that listening to the voice of Youth is a priority for the Scottish Government as well.”

Elizabeth Dirth, Trustee of 2050 Climate Group, said: “Young people, as crucial stakeholders in tackling climate change and its coming impacts, should be given the knowledge, tools, and authority to create a future they want to be a part of. This holds true just as much in Malawi as it does in Scotland. This project between MaSP and 2050 Climate Group is a key example of an ambitious and innovative climate change project run by young people for young people.

“As Scotland’s youth-led charity empowering young people to take action on climate change, we think it is essential for the international community to recognise and nurture young people to be leaders on climate action and climate justice.”