Letter published in the Scotsman
Climate change and global poverty are two of the most pressing issues facing our world today. Both are intimately linked as increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather directly reduces the ability of poor farmers and families in developing countries to support themselves.
As a wealthy industrialised nation, Scotland has rightly acknowledged, through its International Development Fund and the Climate Change (Scotland) Act, that it has a moral duty to help those affected.
We welcome the Scottish Government’s announcement of an increase in its Climate Justice Fund to £6 million to help people adapt to the challenges of climate change.
Great progress has been made in reducing the number of people who go hungry each day – down by 17 per cent since 1990-2. Much of this positive change has been brought about by direct aid and investment in poor communities by international aid agencies and governments.
However, 842 million people in the world still do not have enough to eat. This is unacceptable and morally reprehensible.
That is why we will continue to work with the Scottish Government to further increase its support for those affected by extreme poverty and climate change.
We also call on other wealthy industrialised nations to follow Scotland’s example and create their own climate justice funds.
Kathy Galloway, Christian Aid Scotland
Rose Caldwell, Concern Worldwide
Chris Hegarty, Enough Food for Everyone IF Scotland
Habib Malik, Islamic Relief Scotland
Judith Robertson, Oxfam Scotland
Philippa Bonella, SCIAF
Tom Ballantine, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland
