Hope for the Future: Climate change is focus of Fairtrade Fortnight

Mid-February is full of messages about love.

“Loving our neighbour as we love ourselves” (as God encourages) is most often demonstrated in everyday practical care.

Beyond personal relationships, love is crucial in societies and nations. Cornel West, an African American philosopher, author and activist says, “Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.”

Fairtrade Fortnight offers a justice lens, as people, companies and groups work together to share stories of the people who grow our food and drinks, mine our gold and grow the cotton in our clothes. We hear from folk whose lives are interconnected with ours, often exploited and underpaid.

This year the focus of Fairtrade Fortnight is climate change. Around the COP26 climate summit 1.8 million Fairtrade farmers and workers issued a challenge to world leaders to “Be Fair With Your Climate Promise”.

Across the world, as in the UK, farmers have expertise that can help tackle climate change. However, trade rules mean they’re not earning enough to meet basic needs like food, education and medical care, never mind invest in climate-friendly techniques and protecting local biodiversity.

Farmers and growers across the world, as in the UK, also bear the impact of extreme weather, reducing incomes as crops are affected by drought or washed away by flood. They need to adapt to cope with current consequences as well as to mitigate future issues.

These are people who work incredibly hard and could do so much - yet who are hugely disadvantaged by global trade, are disproportionately affected by climate change, and have not received the financial support promised by world leaders. That’s not fair.

Love of these neighbours – people who help us keep fed and clothed – will look like trade justice, climate justice, gender justice and racial justice.

The fairtrade movement helps. Through Fairtrade Climate Academies, farmers in 19 countries are putting new sustainable farming techniques in place. When we buy fairly traded products, the producers get a guaranteed minimum price that reflects their work, plus an additional premium to build capacity in their communities. The movement brings people together.

Buying fairly traded products makes a real difference to lives, just as buying locally grown produce helps our local neighbours. Love looks like this in our shopping baskets.

But there are at least 500 million smallholder farmers in the world, so most of them are not benefiting from fairtrade, though all are affected by climate change and unfair trade.

In addition, the rising cost of living reduces choices for many of us buying food and clothes.

Therefore, love for our local and global neighbours requires systemic changes to make things fairer. By the time of COP27 this year, politicians need to be matching promises on climate finance with actions and funding – which will need us to keep asking them to do so.

So, what does love look like today? Can we show it, not only in the everyday care we offer each other, but in our shopping and action for justice?

• Jenny Adams is the minister of Hopeman, Spynie and Duffus Church of Scotland.

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