What is the Restore campaign?
The climate crisis
Rich countries, like the UK, have been burning fossil fuels since the industrial revolution which extracted resources from the Global South at the expense of people and planet.
This unsustainable use of non-renewable energy is the driving force behind the climate crisis that is fueling storms, floods and droughts that leave loved ones grieving, parents fighting to feed their children and crops devastated.
The industrial revolution itself was powered by black and brown communities who were enslaved and exploited. Nowadays its these same communities and people living in poverty, who bear the brunt of the climate crisis.
People like Aurelia from Guatemala.
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In Guatemala, gruelling heatwaves and extreme weather are destroying Aurelia’s farm. She worries deeply about how much harvest the family will have to eat and sell.
‘Climate change has been killing our crops, and this is our food.’
The roots of this cruel injustice run deep. Indigenous communities like Aurelia’s have done the least to cause the climate crisis, yet they endure its impact the most.
Aurelia’s leading her community in the fight to overcome the challenges they face. But Aurelia and her community shouldn’t be tackling this alone.
The debt crisis
It was also rich countries that colonized African countries, robbing them of resources, leaving them exposed to economic shocks (think, the financial crash, covid, the war in Ukraine,) not to mention the impacts of the climate crisis.
Many have little choice but to borrow from greedy private lenders at staggering interest rates. This means children can't go to school, hospitals are left unbuilt and people become trapped in poverty.
To make things worse the financial system that most of us live by is stacked against low-income countries; The rules were made by so called developed countries, with many in the global South locked out of decision-making forums. This perpetuates a cycle of debt and allows greedy lenders to prey on the most vulnerable.
The debt crisis has led to a higher cost of living, escalating food prices, high cost of transportation, high cost of water and electricity, and making life very difficult for people. People barely get two meals a day.
It doesn't have to be this way
The actions of reckless polluters and greedy lenders are trapping millions of people in poverty, robbing them of their dignity and denying them the opportunity to make their lives better.
The UK Government has looked the other way and repeatedly backed corporate powers over people living in poverty.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
As Christians we believe that everyone is made equal in the eyes of God and deserves the opportunity to flourish. We’re called to stand against injustice and join God’s work - This is the beating heart of the Restore campaign.
What’s the solution?
The UK Government is uniquely placed to make polluters pay and make lenders cancel debts.
Many of the world’s biggest polluters are headquartered in the UK and 90% of debts owed by low-income countries to private companies are governed by UK law.
The UK government can stand with people in poverty by:
- Making the biggest polluters pay to support low-income communities hit by the climate crisis. It could fairly tax the profits of polluters like Shell and BP.
- Introducing new ‘debt justice’ laws that force corporate lenders to cancel or negotiate the debts of low-income countries. Such legislation could pull millions out of poverty.
These actions will be transformational, enabling governments to access more resources to spend on health and education, and to help communities recover from climate disasters.
Each community will know best how to respond to their challenges, but the funding could:
- Resource farmers to train in new drought-resistance techniques so they can generate income and feed their families.
- Build schools so children have the chance to learn and flourish.
- Repair people's homes after devastating floods or cyclone.
What difference can I make?
You helped create the Fairtrade movement that’s benefitted farmers worldwide.
You joined together and ensured that the G8 cancelled billions of dollars of debt as part of the jubilee debt movement.
For 80 years together, we’ve challenged those in power to make the world a more beautiful place. We can do so again.
We believe in the unstoppable power of hope. And we’ve seen that when we stand united, we are stronger than ever.
