Words by Smiley Team
Actor and director Amanda Mealing has joined WaterAid at Whitehall to present an open letter to the UK government, urging them to lead rich nations in ensuring vulnerable communities can access a reliable source of water, to protect themselves from the devastating effects of climate change.
The letter was signed by 19,029 people from across the UK, including actors Thandie Newton and Dougray Scott, and many more. It’s part of WaterAid’s #OurClimateFight campaign, which leads up to COP26 in November.
It calls on the UK government to invest one-third of the UK’s committed international climate funding on locally-led adaptation projects, which will help vulnerable communities get the essentials like a reliable source of clean water to better adapt to climate change.
Climate change is making it even harder for many to get clean water. Longer droughts dry up springs and wells, and more frequent flooding pollutes poorly protected water supplies. A reliable source of clean water that keeps flowing whatever the weather helps people living on the frontlines of climate change to adapt and build a better future.
New figures from a poll commissioned by WaterAid found that half the UK population support giving money to poorer nations to help them cope with the impacts of climate change.
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Two in five Brits (40%) think the UK’s influence and standing in the world would take a hit if the UK government failed to meet its commitments to developing countries on climate change.
BATFA-nominated actress Amanda saw the impact a lack of clean water has on communities first-hand, when she visited Ghana with the international charity a few years ago.
She said: “Having visited Ghana with WaterAid, I’ve seen what happens when communities lack basic essentials like clean water. It means women spend hours each day collecting water, that’s often so dirty it can make them and their families sick. And it means doctors and nurses have to take time away from treating patients to collect water while also making it more difficult to ensure a clean, hygienic environment.
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“As the world continues to tackle the global pandemic while also facing the growing threat of climate change, it has never been more vital to ensure everyone everywhere has access to clean water, decent sanitation and good hygiene.
Tim Wainwright, chief executive, WaterAid, added: “The UK has an opportunity to show that it’s a credible climate leader that delivers its climate commitments to poorer nations. Richer countries, who are responsible for most of the CO2 emissions that drive this crisis, must start repaying their deadly climate debt to poorer countries, who have contributed the least.
“The climate crisis is a water crisis at its core. Across the globe, floods and droughts are already destroying crops and homes, polluting water sources or drying them up completely, threatening people’s survival.
"With just under two weeks till COP26, Boris Johnson needs to pull out all the stops to encourage G20 leaders to deliver on their climate finance pledges so that developing countries do not have to face the devastating impacts of climate change on their own.”
You can find out more about WaterAid’s work and make a donation here.
