Solutions for the Future

Our partnership with WWF-UK

Climate change is making extreme weather events such as floods happen more often. Not only are these events generally more common, but they have become more intense. The damage to nature is getting worse, causing a global humanitarian emergency.

Our forests, rivers, oceans and soils provide the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink. Our planet is our home, and we need a healthy planet to survive.

Fortunately, we can work with nature to protect people from the effects of climate change. For the very first time, WWF-UK and British Red Cross have joined forces to champion nature-based solutions. These are actions that repair and restore nature to help humans, biodiversity and our climate.

We are part of a project in Lamu, Kenya that is using nature-based solutions to help communities. The project is led by WWF-Kenya and Kenya Red Cross and supported by WWF-UK and British Red Cross.

This collaboration has been made possible thanks to funds raised by players of the People's Postcode Lottery. Together, we can champion nature to protect our people and our planet.

Working together to face climate change

The health of our planet is failing. This is not just an environmental emergency, but a humanitarian one too.

British Red Cross and WWF-UK are two of the UK’s largest conservation and humanitarian emergency response charities. That is why we’ve come together to help people and communities living with the impacts of climate change.

Nature-based solutions are key to helping communities adapt and become more resilient in the face of climate change. As extreme weather events become more frequent due to climate change, we need to remember that nature is our ally.

What are nature-based solutions and why are they important?

Nature-based solutions are cost-effective, and they have the potential to reduce the intensity of climate and weather-related hazards by at least 26%. Nature-based solutions benefit humans, animals and the environment all at the same time. They are also cost-effective, and have the potential to reduce the intensity of climate and weather-related hazards by at least 26%. They are very powerful yet often overlooked.

A good example of nature-based solutions is restoring nature, such as mangroves and forests:

• Coastal mangroves provide a physical barrier from the damaging impact of storms. They also provide wildlife habitats and therefore food for communities. This improves people’s livelihoods.

• Forests improve the soil, restore damaged land and help protect people from droughts and hunger crises.

These are just some of the ways we are using the power of nature to protect people from the impacts of climate change and extreme weather.

Our project in Kenya

Kenya only contributes 0.1% of the world's yearly greenhouse gas emissions, but it is the 31st most vulnerable country to climate change.

In places like Lamu, the majority of people’s incomes depend on nature. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more damaging. Natural ecosystems are being destroyed, and local communities are forced to deplete natural resources to survive. As these resources are being used up, communities are no longer protected by nature, which leaves them even more vulnerable to natural disasters.

Together, we are supporting local experts and communities to restore forests, floodplains, wetlands, mangroves and a freshwater lake. Our combined efforts help protect people against storms and droughts, saving and improving lives and livelihoods. We are already on our way to conserving a total of 900 hectares.

A global partnership for a global emergency

The project in Kenya is part of a much larger global effort between the Postcode Lottery Group, WWF and Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies.

This global partnership is a response to the scale and urgency of the climate and nature challenges facing our world. We are all working together to help communities become more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

As well as Kenya, our collective work covers:

• Ethiopia
• Mozambique
• The Philippines
• The Democratic Republic of Congo

All of this is made possible thanks to funds raised by players of the Postcode Lotteries.

Across the globe, people are feeling the effects of climate change and extreme weather events and disasters are on the rise. By combining the power of collaboration with the power of nature, we can tackle this crisis together.