Kenyan Climate Activist calls on COP27

SPARK/ClimAct partners all around Europe are mobilising young people to stand with Elizabeth Wathuti, a Kenyan climate activist. Elizabeth has written an open letter to call on leaders to act now – and get frontline communities the help they need, by providing the necessary (Loss & Damage) funds to cope with the worst impacts of climate change. She writes:

“Communities on the frontline of the climate crisis… are not responsible for causing the climate crisis – but they are suffering its impacts right now…. The global community must not simply abandon them to their fate…

It is critical that the COP27 climate change talks … deliver a dedicated finance facility to help frontline communities deal with the loss and damage they are already experiencing…”.

Showing the high interconnections existing between different global challenges, Wathuti tells the story of a remote region of Kenya, Wajir, where four consecutive failed rainy seasons have led to terrifying levels of food and water insecurity, thousands of animals are dying of thirst and starvation, and girls are being pulled out of school because their families can no longer afford fees. Babies are failing to thrive because their hungry mothers do not have milk to feed them, and natural ecosystems have been pushed beyond breaking point.

People she met feel hopeless about their situation and do not know that decisions made in far away places might have something to do with the situation they are facing. What would they do if they knew that the actions of others – wealthy, high-emitting communities in the global north – had something to do with their predicament?

Through festivals such as Glastonbury, film screenings and other events, as well as through social media, people are invited to support Elizabeth Wathuti’s call for action. Add your voice too, and sign her letter here.

In the autumn, SPARK/ClimAct partners will be hosting Elizabeth on a European trip, where she will meet with European decision makers ahead of COP27. She will also join and meet with European youth at climate marches, activist trainings and other climate related events.

Next to signing on to Elizabeth’s letter, supporters joining SPARK/ClimAct events are invited to write personal postcards to COP27 delegates, which will be delivered in Egypt in November by SPARK/ClimAct partners. Furthermore, a TikTok campaign is in the making, inviting influencers to introduce the topic of climate justice to a young European audience.