BRITISH TV celeb-chef Nadiya Hussain MBE has joined a series of other celebs including film director Shekhar Kapur and author Lemn Sissay to call on the UK government to help vulnerable communities get a reliable source of water so they can protect themselves from the destructive effects of climate change.
In a letter signed under WaterAid initiative to be presented to UK prime minister Boris Johnson ahead of COP26, several celebrities, climate activists, and politicians have urged the government to tackle water shortage by allocating a third of the UK’s committed international climate funding in locally-led adaptation projects.
Revealing how changing climate is making it harder for people in countries like Bangladesh- where many of her family live- to get clean water, Hussain said she is supporting the WaterAid campaign to “highlight the harsh experiences faced by people living on the frontline of the climate crisis”.
“I’m supporting WaterAid’s campaign to highlight the harsh experiences faced by people living on the frontline of the climate crisis, and am joining the fight calling for action so they can remain resilient to whatever the future holds," she said.
“Elizabeth” maker Kapur also revealed how growing up in India, he had witnessed hardships endured by communities who are denied access to clean water and saw how people’s lives flourished when they could meet their basic needs.
“It is also a common resource that belongs to everyone, yet one in ten people still have to live without access to this essential. We can all play our part in helping address this injustice, which is becoming more urgent as climate change threatens water supplies,” Kapur said.
Hussain and Kapur are joined by actors Thandiwe Newton, Dougray Scott, and Amanda Mealing, author Lemn Sissay, Malian band Songhoy Blues and director Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, sports stars Heather Watson and Ellie Simmonds, and climate activist Cel Spellman.
Joining these celebs are politicians Caroline Lucas MP, Chris Law MP, Layla Moran MP, and Baroness Chalker of Wallasey who have also pledged their support to WaterAid.
WaterAid is now calling on the public to add their name to the fight for climate justice.
One in ten people do not have clean water close to home, leaving them more susceptible to deadly diseases and having a damaging impact on education and livelihoods, WaterAid said, adding that climate change is making it even harder for vulnerable communities to get clean water.
Pope Francis greets Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit near Bari, Italy, in June last year, as Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and then British prime minister Rishi Sunak look on
