Our letter on the devastating Cyclone Idai was published by The Independent on March 28th 2019, with signatures from our friends at Greenpeace UK, War on Want, Global Justice Now, Health Poverty Action, Jubilee Debt Campaign and ACTSA’s Honorary Vice President Chi Onwurah MP. You can read the letter here.
The full text and signatures can be viewed below.
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If we’re to avoid catastrophes like Mozambique’s Cyclone Idai, the west must take climate change seriously
According to the country’s president, Filipe Nyusi ,as many as 1,000 people may have been killed by Cyclone Idai, which hit the Southeast African nation of Mozambique on Friday, 15 March. Mozambique’s environment minister, Celso Correia has described it as “the biggest natural disaster Mozambique has ever faced.”
At least 2.6 million people could be affected across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, with 100,000 people at risk due to severe flooding. Cyclone Idai may be the worst ever disaster to strike the Southern hemisphere, according to the UN.
The devastation will continue long beyond the life of the cyclone.
Agriculturalists in Mozambique were preparing to harvest their maize crop when the cyclone struck and, with significant areas of land now destroyed, widespread hunger is likely to ensue.
Mozambique is already in debt crisis following the lending of $2bn in illegal loans by UK-based banks. Resulting inflation and cuts to vital public services will incapacitate the country’s ability to recover from the such a catastrophe.
This latest disaster should remind all governments, especially those of rich nations like the UK, of their responsibility to enact comprehensive policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the call of many millions of climate scientists, civil society organisations and concerned citizens who have long warned of the dangers of human-made climate change.
These citizens include hundreds of thousands of children in 128 countries participating in the ongoing climate strike, protesting the complicity of their governments and global greed in the creation of a climate catastrophe which will hit impoverished nations, like Mozambique, the hardest.
Michael Buraimoh, director Action for Southern Africa
John Sauven, executive director Greenpeace UK
Asad Rehman, executive director War on Want
Nick Dearden, director Global Justice Now
Martin Drewry, director Health Poverty Action
Sarah-Jayne Clifton, director Jubilee Debt Campaign
Chi Onwurah MP, chair APPG on Africa
*image taken from Independent article