Sustainable Africa Future Network’s PRE-COP27 Virtual Climate Change Collection Kicks Off With Poignant Remarks By U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
By Edrea Davis – U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged activists to come together to achieve climate justice during her opening message to nearly 500 people logged on from around the world for today’s kick-off of the PRE-COP27 Virtual Climate Change Collection hosted by the HBCU Green Fund’s Sustainable Africa Future Network. “[the climate crisis] requires bold and sustained, collective action and there is no better forum for collective action than the United Nations,” she said.
Convened during Climate Week in advance of the 2022 U.N. Climate Conference (COP27) in Egypt, the free, five-day event presents a collection of compelling stories that highlight local cultures, climate impacts, and innovative grassroots projects underway to fight the climate crisis in communities in Africa and the Diaspora. To register for the Pre-COP27 Virtual Summit visit https://sustainableafricafuture.org.
“Climate justice is key to racial justice,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. “Communities of color bear a particularly heavy burden from climate change and pollution. The hard work of climate justice starts at the grass roots.”
According to organizers, the goal of the event is to build and strengthen climate networks throughout the African diaspora, elevate the positive initiatives taking place on micro budgets, and mobilize support for the participation of African climate NGO’s at COP27.
African countries joining participants throughout the USA include: Kenya, Togo, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Rwanda, and The Gambia, among others.
Speakers in Africa include Shamiela Reid, Just Transition Enterprise, South Africa; Cheikhou Thiome, Sustainable Africa Futures Senegal; Destin Simpijja, Sustainable Africa Futures Uganda. Dr. Mildred McClain, Harambee House/Citizens for Environmental Justice; Raina Turner-Greenlea, Black Sustainability; and Felicia Davis, HBCU Green Fund, are among the U.S. participants.
“As the devastating effects of global warming increase, Black communities in the U.S., throughout Africa and the diaspora, stand to suffer some of the largest consequences if action is not immediate,” said Illai Kenney, national director of HBCU Green Fund.
“We’ve organized a collection of powerful stories that underscore the dire effects of climate change in impoverished communities and also shine a light on the hard work local activists are doing to save their countries and the planet,” Kenney adds. “Connecting HBCU students with local activists is important because these future leaders will play an integral role in developing vital cross-border solutions for clean energy and sustainability.”
The HBCU Green Fund’s Sustainable Africa Future Network is a collective of individuals and organizations helping to support environmentally sustainable projects across Africa and the Diaspora. Based in Washington, DC and Atlanta, GA, HBCU Green Fund is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization working with historically black colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad to advance sustainability and promote student engagement in green initiatives.
The recorded event will remain accessible through sustainableafricafuture.org or hbcugreenfund.org for 30 days.