Global climate crisis fight gets £100m boost from Southwark

Southwark Council leader Kieran Williams has announced that it will invest £100m of pension funds in global climate change initiatives.

The cash will put the council in-accordance with the 2016 Paris Agreement adopted at COP21, contributing towards helping countries worst hit by the climate crisis with protection, mitigation and restoration projects. 

But cash is still sorely lacking for local climate issues, with local councilor James McAsh admitting that the council cannot afford to reach its 2030 carbon neutral goal.

Gathering charities, activists, NGOs, government staff and concerned citizens in the London South Bank University Hub in Elephant and Castle, a recent event sought to encourage discussion and engagement with the climate crisis, highlighting solutions and flagging up future climate fight frontlines.

A range of workshops were also running, teaching attendees about everything from sustainable fashion and rewilding to tech repair and responsible recycling.

It comes as Southwark’s level of hazardous PM2.5 particulates still sit at an unsafe level of 11 micrograms per cubic metre; the safe maximum is 5.

Speaking at the conference, Williams tempered his constructive announcements—which include 100,000 more trees on council land by the end of the year, the replacement of gas heaters in thousands of Southwark homes and the launch of a fast track programme for green home planning applications—with an acknowledgement that business and government are not doing enough to address the climate crisis.

“We fundamentally need government and big business to step up and make the scale of change that we need in society,” he said. “[After World War II] We rebuilt homes, we created an NHS, we extended education so much wider. A huge social change. We need that kind of change again, and that kind of spirit again”.

McAsh added to the call for greater funding of climate solutions, saying, “if we spent every single penny on the climate emergency, that would still not be enough. So, it’s simply not possible for the council to do this alone”.

The populations of six villages in Fiji have already been displaced due to rising sea levels in the region, with Tikolevu warning that six more have been designated for evacuation in the near future

The announcement was lauded by His Excellency Mr Jitoko Tikolevu, the Fijian High Commissioner for the UK who attended as the event’s keynote speaker.

In his speech, Tikolevu praised the growing prioritisation of oceans in the global climate fight, highlighting the UK’s endorsement of Fiji’s Blue Bonds scheme, which is expected to raise up to £41.5 million ($50 million) for the protection of the country’s waters and ocean-dependent economy. 

“Ocean and climate are inextricably interconnected, and the health of our ocean dictates the livelihoods of millions of people all over the world,” he said.

The High Commissioner, who was appointed in 2016, also stressed the importance of making global climate funding available to individuals and grassroots organisations worst hit by environmental and economic impacts of climate change.

“Money is allocated in a stiff way, based on a single project, rather than addressing recipients’ climate needs,” he said.

The populations of six villages in Fiji have already been displaced due to rising sea levels in the region, with Tikolevu warning that six more have been designated for evacuation in the near future.

While global funds like the UN’s Green Climate Fund have kickstarted several long-term projects aiming to protect Fiji’s coral reefs and boost its agricultural output, little is made available to locals, who are often left facing the personal costs of relocation. This is an addition to the emotional toll of relocation, with many relocated Fijians forced to leave homes occupied by generations of ancestors. 

He said: “Government needs to be responsible that when relocation happens, they need to make sure that the reachable roads, infrastructure, their livelihoods need to be protected, not only short term but long term.”