Wildflowers at Brodgar 8th July 2017 (F Grahame)

Today sees the start of Climate Week. To give it a kick start the Scottish Government has announced £600,000 of funding going towards organisations in Scotland who are working with partners in Africa to make a difference in their communities.

One of 6 projects is to install a solar-powered electricity grid to power a cooling system for milk production. Other initiatives benefitting include upgrading water and electricity infrastructure in a small farming community in Malawi, turning waste into energy and recyclable plastic in an urban area of central Zambia, and improving the nutrition of schoolchildren in Malawi. Small projects of direct benefit to local people.

The Climate Justice Fund will distribute £3m per year over five years to help developing countries and is  part of Scotland’s response to the Paris climate agreement.

Climate Change Secretary in the Scottish Government, Roseanna Cunningham said:

Photo Scot Gov

“Climate change is a huge injustice. The poorest and most vulnerable people across the world are the hardest hit, but they have not caused the problem. Scotland has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by over 40% and is championing climate justice because we take our international obligations very seriously and we know that countries like Scotland have a clear moral duty to make sure our lifestyles do not cause harm to the world’s poorest people.”

“I am proud of our innovative Climate Justice Fund which is providing much needed investment to empower many thousands of people in Africa’s most vulnerable communities to find new skills and their own solutions to make them resilient in the face of climate change.”

Many organisations and local authorities across Scotland are taking part in a variety of events to raise awareness of climate week and to encourage behavioural change to make a difference where we live.

Reporter: Fiona Grahame