Translated from French – read the original speech in French here.
In the countries of the South, climate change isn’t in the future, it’s happening now.
The famine that comes with it has already claimed millions of lives in Africa, the least-polluting continent and the one that bears least responsibility.
Rich countries’ dependence on fossil fuels is killing our peoples, but their leaders ignore the extent of the emergency – the ten countries worst affected by the climate crisis are African.
Women and girls are at the forefront of this disaster. They spend all their days in search of food and water for their families, risking kidnapping, violence, torture; I’ll spare you further details…
Those of us who call out such injustices are arrested, imprisoned and threatened with death.
I come from Mali, a country of the Sahel mainly sustained by agriculture, livestock farming and fishing. Climate change threatens its development and very survival. It is experiencing the full range of climate effects: desertification and deforestation caused by western and Chinese multinationals, and damage to fauna and flora. Our rivers and watercourses are drying up and shrinking, heat levels are rising, flooding is common, while rainfall is unpredictable. Lower agricultural production, famine and rural depopulation are paving the way for terrorism. For a number of years, all the countries of the Sahel have been plagued by wars arising from the effects of climate change.
For all these reasons, I felt obliged to act. I believed it was up to me to take action and not leave matters for others to decide.
I was brought up by my uncle, a farmer and teacher. It was he who taught me to appreciate nature’s beauty and fragility. He also gave me an understanding of modern techniques and passed on his love and respect for biodiversity. I came to understand the importance of balance in nature.
Sadly, arrogance, ignorance and pride have made people believe that they are all-powerful. At the same time, we are unable to deal with the natural elements.
People continue to assert that these are natural disasters. They are in denial – these are the consequences of climate change, as many scientists have demonstrated.
When I was young, we children bathed in lakes, rivers and streams. Due to climate change, those watercourses are now football pitches. With my own eyes I have seen how climate change disproportionately affects my community, my country and the African continent.
It is disastrous for agriculture, the key to our survival. Our means of subsistence are under threat from floods, droughts, heatwaves and other scourges. I watched people having to exist on tree leaves and other horrible things. All the while, my concerns grew and my mind filled with many questions.
But where would I find answers? Why did the government do nothing? What could the ordinary citizen do to restore environmental protection and confront climate change?
I began to raise awareness among my friends and family, and in the street among my fellow Malians. I started using social media to alert young people in other towns in Mali and other regions of Africa. Together with others, I started a movement called ActionSahel.
For me, education and awareness-raising are the basis of all communication and action. We must promote awareness, inform, guide and educate, so that the public becomes aware of the climatic and environmental challenges at hand.
My friends and I carried out advocacy campaigns among the general public and also visited schools, with the aim of ensuring that children grow up wanting to protect the environment and tackle climate change. We also travelled throughout Mali to the places worst affected by climate change, showing people how to repair damage through reforestation techniques. We raised funds to help groups of women, farmers and gardeners. My aim was to help raise awareness through discussion, but also through collective action. Unfortunately, little help or support was forthcoming, despite our efforts.
This work I did with others is what placed my life in danger and explains why I am now here in the United Kingdom as a refugee. I aim to continue the fight in the UK, because so many people here live in comfort and have no understanding that their country is one of those responsible for climate change, or that multinational companies are exacerbating climate effects with the assistance of our corrupt governments.
Unfortunately, as a refugee my voice will not be enough to expose anyone or to bring about justice and reparation.
So, I will conclude by saying that we must all work together to save the planet and those who live on it. We are the last generation that can carry on this fight, before it is too late. It is vital that young people commit to this struggle. The future of my continent, the world, our planet, depends on them.
Thank you for your attention!
