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PWRDF and Climate Action

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calls climate change the defining issue of our time. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Without drastic and immediate action, scientists warn that changes to major ecosystems, the planetary climate system and food supplies are irreversible.

Perhaps nowhere are these changes more brutally felt than in many of the vulnerable communities where PWRDF partners work with people who do not yet have the knowledge or infrastructure to cope. Small holder farmers struggle to feed their families. Soil degradation and expanding deserts decrease food security, increase poverty and drive migration. Climate-related disasters, such as drought, floods, cyclones and tropical storms, increase food insecurity, both in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and in the long term.

In 2018, climate and natural disasters — so-called climate shocks — jolted 29 million people into acute food insecurity. Nearly 23 million people in 20 African countries and 3.8 million people in Central America and the Caribbean (mainly in El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua) were affected.

As scientists sound the alarm over climate change, there is also reason to see hope. There are small changes afoot. As part of PWRDF’s 2019-2024 Strategic Plan and our commitment to Sustainable Development Goal #13 (Climate Action), we are working with partners in Tanzania, Bangladesh, Cuba, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Colombia on strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change. Many of these projects have been highlighted in our new Climate Action bulletin inserts (printed on recyclable paper from recycled materials), available to order here.

Click on each leaflet below to view:

What you can do

  • Change to LED light bulbs which use less energy.
  • Fix those leaky faucets!
  • Install low-flow toilets.
  • Reduce shower time.
  • Take active routes to school or work more often, instead of driving every day.
  • If you have to drive, organize a carpool.
  • Reduce food waste by taking leftovers for lunch.
  • Explore the “Buy Nothing” movement
  • Explore sharing economy opportunities – bike shares, car shares, tool libraries

Resources