It was an honour to sponsor the launch of Somalis for Sustainability in Parliament, a groundbreaking new initiative with a collective commitment to make a meaningful impact in shaping a brighter, more sustainable future for generations to come.
Somalis for Sustainability was founded in 2023 and has a mission to foster deep understanding of the pressing sustainability and climate issues within the Somali community across the world. One of the key individuals spearheading Somalis for Sustainability is Zamzam Ibrahim, Manchester resident and climate justice activist.
Somalia is ranked among the most climate vulnerable countries in the world, despite having some of the lowest carbon emissions. Somalia is disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change, facing a number of climate risks, including prolonged droughts and flash floods, heavy rainfall, and rising temperatures and much more.
This is all inextricably linked to and drives overall vulnerability in the country posing a noticeable rise in challenges for local communities such as severe threats to livelihoods, food security, and water resources.
The Somali community in the UK is sizeable, with an estimated population of over 200,000 people, just under 50% of whom are under 21 years old. This was reflected at the event in Parliament as the majority of the audience were young people.
The intersection of faith, communities and the environment has always been a big priority for me as a Muslim MP with a large Muslim constituency. I have worked hard nationally and locally for several years to engage Muslims in the climate conversation and recognise the vital role faith communities play in tackling the climate crisis.
The event was attended by over 50 young British Somalis interested in climate change, environmentalism, and ensuring Somalia and the people of Somalia have the help, support and resources they need to tackle the acute impacts of the climate crisis they face every single day.
We must do more as a nation to support those more vulnerable than ourselves. I have advocated on this issue for years now and I will continue to work to encourage every country to be more ambitious with their climate commitments.
By diversifying the climate conversation here in the UK, engaging with a variety of communities, we can ensure the Somali community is involved in the climate conversation so that we can all play our part in tackling the climate crisis – not just as Muslims, but as citizens of the world.
