Prime
Let’s respond to pandemics in in clean, green, resilient way
Our planet and everybody on it is facing unprecedented challenges. We see three of those challenges coming together in East Africa in a devastating way. Covid-19 is threatening healthcare systems, jobs and incomes.
Swarms of locusts are destroying food supplies. Then there is the threat of climate change, with farmers facing droughts and flooding.
The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically illustrated the need for us all to build resilience to shocks and challenges that will be made worse by the effects of a changing climate. The decisions we make now will determine whether our planet is greener and stronger for future generations.
As a force for good in the world, the UK wants to make sure every country in the world benefits from a green recovery – especially those that are most vulnerable to climate change.
Throughout history, locusts have brought devastation to communities. The Food and Agriculture Organisation is using sprayers to combat swarms in East Africa and across the world. To date, we have committed £25m (about Shs121b) to increase spraying, monitoring and surveillance to tackle locusts.
We’re combining East African expertise with UK technology – including through a supercomputer in Nairobi, Kenya, assisting climate experts at the regional climate centre.
The Met Office and Cambridge University are also working with researchers in East African countries to forecast where the locusts are moving so that we can stay one-step ahead of the swarms.
However, challenges of this magnitude require a unified front. Research shows that cities are expected to be hardest hit by climate change.
While the effects of climate change are clear – including extreme weather events supporting huge growth in locusts swarms – the secondary effects of Covid-19 may be less obvious but are equally damaging.
Global travel has all but ground to a halt and many people left in limbo, while countries such as Somalia and South Sudan have seen a reduction in overseas remittances.
British lobbying on the global stage is helping diaspora communities to continue sending financial support to their families.
Alongside this, to stem the pandemic, we continue to work with our African partners, including through the African Union’s Covid-19 Fund, which is assisting leaders, communities and experts to slow the spread of the disease and save lives. We are working with Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda to keep food, fertiliser and medical supplies safely flowing through borders and into ports.
It couldn’t be clearer that we need to build back better. Responding to the pandemic in a clean, green and resilient way for future generations. A response that supports the economic effects, the health effects and our natural environment.
The International Energy Agency has found that globally, $1 trillion of investment in renewable energy sources over the next three years could create nine million green jobs. In November next year, the UK and Italy will co-host COP26, where we will advocate for global action to tackle the crisis affecting our climate.
Together, we can use the opportunity to build back better and greener to unleash the full potential of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
We must use the time ahead of COP26 to unite behind a fairer, greener global economy for both our planet and its people. We do not have time to waste. The cost is too high. The triple threat in East Africa is proof of that.
Mr Duddridge is the UK Department for International Development Minister for Africa.
