Poorest can no longer be ignored, says Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate

Ugandan climate justice activist Vanessa Nakate speaking on the main stage in George Square as part of the Fridays for Future Scotland march during the Cop26 summit in Glasgow.

The world’s poorest countries are hardest hit by climate change but have no voice in the global debate demanding action, a leading activist told Cop26 yesterday.

Vanessa Nakate yesterday said the countries in the global south – across Latin America, Asia, Africa and Oceania – can no longer be ignored as the climate summit in Glasgow focused on sustainable food production.

Nakate, from Uganda, told delegates: “People of colour are on the front lines of the climate crisis and it is important for us to tell our own stories and it is important for the world to listen to our stories.

“The global south is on the front line of the global climate crisis, of the food crisis, but it is not on the front pages of the world’s newspapers.”

Climate activist Vanessa Nakate from Uganda takes to the stage at #FridaysForFuture rally. @COP26 pic.twitter.com/kAM1MkFxmH

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She added: “Individuals are not responsible for the climate crisis, it is the decisions of governments, it is the decisions of businesses, it is the decisions of large corporations that are responsible for the climate crisis.”

Nakate, 24, was inspired by Greta Thunberg to start her own climate movement in Uganda, after becoming concerned about the unusually high temperatures in her country.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (centre) meets climate activists Greta Thunberg (left) and Vanessa Nakate (right) during the Cop26 summit at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow. Pic: PA wire

Actor Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina were also speaking at the SEC yesterday in their roles as goodwill ambassadors for the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Asked why it was important that the voices of people of colour are heard as the world attempts to decarbonise food production, Idris Elba replied: “I think Sabrina and I stand here as human beings first, but absolutely, yes, it is important for us as proud Africans to be a part of this debate.”

Discussing whether people in wealthy countries needed to shift to a plant-based diet, Sabrina Elba said: “What we are not here to do is to scrutinise the lives of individuals, particularly those who are maybe suffering the most.”

She added: “I think we are all here to look at the bigger picture and the bigger players to see how they’ll adapt, and what changes they’ll make.

“So this isn’t really about the individuals in my opinion – it is really about what leaders will step up and do.”

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