The International Development Secretary, Rory Stewart, has announced a UK aid package that will help sub-Saharan African countries build resilience to climate change and develop low carbon economies. The Secretary of State was able to experience first-hand what happens when we do not protect the planet during his two-day visit to Kenya to make the announcement. Among the things he witnessed were damaged natural flood defenses; arid, drought-stricken land; and wildlife, the environment, and jobs put at risk.
The effects of global warming, such as increasing temperatures and extreme weather conditions, weather across the continent are having a profound impact on the lives and livelihoods of communities. During his announcement he highlighted how tackling climate change is a global problem, and taking on an issue that affects us all will not only help the planet and its people but that it will ultimately benefit the UK as well.
The new £250 million UK aid package will be administered over the next five years. Overall, it will ensure that the UK’s expertise and experience can help developing countries become more climate-resilient and move away from fossil fuels onto cleaner energy sources. The Department for International Development (DFID) will be working in partnership with African governments, organizations, and communities. The funding it is providing would be the largest single direct climate investment ever in the continent.
Stewart said during his visit to a drought-affected village in Marsabit County in northern Kenya:
We are facing a global climate emergency. Polluted air, rising sea levels and increasing temperatures are felt by everyone in the world. We must all play our part to protect the environment, wildlife, vulnerable families and communities – and this includes investing in renewable energy.
I am today announcing DFID’s biggest ever single direct aid investment in climate and the environment across Africa. This builds on my ambition to double DFID’s efforts on this issue globally. Tackling climate change is of direct benefit to everyone living on this planet, including of course in the UK.
Although Africa is only responsible for between 2-3% of global emissions, the continent is set to be the worst affected by the devastating impacts of climate change. In Kenya alone, the weather has been getting warmer, and its rainfall is becoming more uncertain.
In southern Kenya, in a coastal town called Lamu, nearly 40% of the town’s mangroves have already been destroyed. These trees are a vital natural flood defense protecting communities from storms, and their conservation is of utmost importance. The International Development Secretary learned about this on his visit. He also went to the UNESCO World Heritage site Lamu Old Town where he heard how UK aid will support the town’s sustainable development.
The following day, the International Development Secretary met with communities in northern Kenya whose lives have been hit by drought to inform them of an extra £4 million UK aid commitment to help prevent malnutrition and the threat of starvation for those living off arid lands in Kenya.
UK aid is also helping to preserve the environment where endangered wildlife lives like rhinos, by helping cattle herders in Kenya fatten up their cows to earn more from their livestock while helping to manage the land where they graze. So they are not competing so intensely for grassland with rhinos and other endangered species.
The UK is also working with African nations to deliver an ambitious move to efficient, low carbon technologies by funding the development of the largest onshore wind farm in sub-Saharan Africa at Lake Turkana. UK aid – through its development finance arm CDC Group and UK private sector investment – is helping to support Kenya’s renewable energy sector to bring electricity to an estimated 600 million Africans who currently do not have access to any.
