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Crack the Crises

British voters demand ‘global moral leadership’ against Covid, inequality and climate change
Katie Hill - Editor-in-Chief, My Green Pod
Crack the Crises

Voters are calling on the UK Government to provide ‘global moral leadership’ in the overwhelming belief that Covid, poverty and climate change require countries to work together on solutions.

This is the main finding of a new survey, which emerged as organisations representing more than 10 million people across the UK united to demand concerted action on Covid, climate change and help for struggling communities at home and abroad.
 
57% of respondents think governments should keep their promises – even if it’s hard to do or circumstances change. Only 27% opposed this response.
 
The YouGov research suggests Boris Johnson trails behind not just US President Joe Biden and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, but also Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, when people are asked who is likely to provide moral leadership.

Tackling a triple emergency

A new coalition, ‘Crack the Crises’, is calling on the UK Government to demonstrate leadership on the global stage in tackling the triple emergency of Covid, injustice and climate change.

With the UK hosting the G7 in Cornwall in June – followed by the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November – the coalition unites nature, development, climate change and UK social justice groups with a shared strategy urging a just and green recovery.

Coalition members range from 100-year-old global organisations to start-ups.

The list of members includes: ActionAid, Cafod, CARE International UK, The Centre for Education & Youth, Choose Love, Christian Aid, The Circle, Concern Worldwide, Crisis Action, The Fairtrade Foundation, Glitch, Global Citizen, Green New Deal UK, Larger Us, Make My Money Matter, Marine Conservation Society, National Union of Students, ONE, Oxfam, Project Everyone, RECLAIM, Restless Development, Save the Children UK, SOS-UK, Tearfund, 38 Degrees, VSO, WaterAid, The Wildlife Trusts and World Wide Web Foundation.

‘The ecological and climate crises are the strongest possible warning that the future of people and our planet are intimately connected. Covid has revealed a lot of what’s unfair in our world and all these crises tell us what’s unsafe too. We’re facing mutually re-enforcing crises of Covid, ecosystem collapse, climate change and injustice – today we’re standing together to say they need tackling together.’

CRAIG BENNETT
Chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts

‘The ultimate test’

The coalition has identified three priorities for government policy.

CRACK THE COVID CRISIS

The UK Government should work with others to ensure everyone who needs the vaccine can get it without a global ‘jabs race’ that leaves the poor behind.

In the UK, nobody should have to choose between their life and their livelihood; there should be proper support for everyone who needs help with finances during the pandemic.


 

CRACK THE INJUSTICE CRISIS

The inequality that Covid has both illuminated and accelerated is leaving countries and communities without the resources to protect their people.

The UK Government should reverse its planned cut to life-saving aid and work with others to drop the debt paid by the poorest countries and get every child into school.

Here at home it should make sure no child is hungry or locked out of learning because they don’t have data or devices.

CRACK THE CLIMATE CRISIS

The UK Government must show leadership as host of this year’s crucial climate talks to bring communities at home and abroad together behind a credible plan to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C and to protect ecosystems here and abroad. 

At home the government must show its commitment to a green recovery by mounting a green jobs revolution and immediately stopping the opening of the first deep coal mine in the UK in 30 years.

‘People are crying out for leadership, for a vision that will tackle Covid, climate change and injustice, all of which are inextricably linked. People are scared but this year presents great opportunities to ‘Crack the Crises’ by galvanising international, co-ordinated action at the G7 and COP26 summits and putting fairness at the heart of the recovery here at home.

‘The world is watching our leaders. These summits this year are the ultimate test of whether they are able to deliver the changes the public are telling us they want.’

KIRSTY MCNEILL
Save the Children’s campaigns director

A campaign film (above) has been produced to demonstrate the coalition’s aims. It showcases what has been achieved in the past by British people coming together at critical moments in our history.  
 
The coalition is asking citizens to show their support by sharing the video and to joining this effort for people and planet by using the hashtag #CrackTheCrises.

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