A SOLAR-powered milk production cooling system is among six initiatives sharing £600,000 of Scottish Government funding designed help some of Africa’s poorest communities rise to the challenges of climate change.
The money, which is being awarded to Scottish organisations working with partners in Africa, is designed to support fragile communities in creating new jobs and sources of income, improving food security and the supply of water and energy, and meeting the challenges of a changing climate. It is coming from the Climate Justice Fund, which will distribute £3 million per year over five years to help developing countries that are less likely to have contributed to climate change, but often suffer the most from the impact.
The fund is part of Scotland’s response to the Paris climate agreement.
The projects that will benefit have been announced ahead of Climate Week this week, which is designed to raise awareness of climate change and encourage people to take action to reduce carbon emissions. Community Energy Scotland is being given £96,909 over three years to instal a solar-powered mini-grid in four remote villages to power a maize mill and a cooling system for the milk they produce.
Leith Community Crops in Pots will receive £99,992 over four years for a project to improve the nutrition of food-poor schoolchildren in Livingstonia in northern Malawi, as well as addressing the serious issue of deforestation.
Other initiatives benefitting include upgrading water and electricity infrastructure in a small farming community in Malawi and turning waste into energy and recyclable plastic in an urban area of central Zambia.
Challenges Worldwide will receive £99,998 over three years to improve the efficiency and resilience of coffee production by small-holder growers in Rwanda. This will see a move away from traditional water-intensive coffee-washing to a more effective modern washing technique.
Tearfund Scotland has been awarded £99,924 over three years to work with 300 maize farmers.
“Climate change is a huge injustice,” said Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham. “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 more than 40 per cent and is championing climate justice because we take our inter- national obligations very seriously.
“Countries like Scotland have a clear moral duty to make sure our lifestyles do not harm the world’s poorest people.
“Our Climate Justice Fund is helping to empower thousands of people in Africa’s most vulnerable com- munities to find new skills and their own solutions to make them resilient in the face of climate change.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here