Vanessa Nakate says climate action ‘needs real money to help communities’ [Interview]

Africanews has UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Vanessa Nakata in this special interview segment. Ugandan climate activists play a key role in amplifying Africa’s voice in the global conversation on the climate crisis.

You recently attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Before that, you were in Sharm El Sheikh for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Have you heard anything that makes you think that world leaders are keeping pace with climate action?

Vanessa Nakate: Thank you very much. We can talk about COP 27 taking place in Egypt. One of the things we saw was the creation of a “damage fund.” But it’s important to know that the funds are still empty buckets. And the foundation needs real money to help communities on the front lines of the climate crisis. And when it comes to the World Economic Forum, honestly, most of the perspectives at Davos are from the West. Global issues are told from a Western perspective.

Issues such as the energy crisis are told from the perspective of European and North American businesses and families. But low-income countries are facing multiple crises at the same time. Economic problems, such as high debt burdens, amid several times worsening after extreme weather events. For me, the experience at Davos and the 7 shows that the communities on the front lines of the climate crisis are not yet at the forefront of these discussions.

Energy poverty is one of many problems that Africans face on a daily basis in their home countries. You launched the Vash Green Schools Project, which aims to install solar panels in remote areas. What has been the impact so far and what are the challenges?

Vanessa Nakate: The Vash Green Schools Project was launched in 2019 to provide Ugandan schools with solar panels and clean cookstoves. I believe that no choice is too small to change the world. As I speak, we have installed in 33 schools, affecting about 11,000 children.

But this is a grassroots project, led by activists, organized by activists, young activists. But more resources, real and systemic change from leaders are needed to be able to address energy challenges, especially in countries that have suffered from energy shortages for decades.

We may not like this fact, but when we generate electricity or energy, we emit carbon dioxide gas. The industrialized economy depends on the economies of Africa and the entire global South. Many countries have been told to abandon the project due to environmental concerns. Still, they’re not the biggest carbon polluters. How do you think they can be industrialized without resources?

Vanessa Nakate: Clean energy is the only investment that makes sense today. Especially given the impact of the climate, especially given the impact of the climate crisis on so many communities. You know, no excuses. We have seen that fossil fuels have caused this crisis. For example, in the Horn of Africa he is pushing 30 million people to the brink of starvation.

And those same fossil fuels cause air pollution that kills 8.7 million people worldwide each year. So investing in fossil fuels is a challenge. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the business model of fossil fuel companies is inconsistent with human survival. The IEA has made it clear that if he wants to keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees, he cannot invest in new fossil fuels.

Therefore, I believe that a true development-to-development path means protecting people, sustaining the economy, protecting people, protecting ecosystems and the planet. It’s one thing to see economic development while the planet is being destroyed, while people are suffering. For me, the investment needed, not just in the global south but around the world, is clean and renewable energy. .