Scotland will do all it can to support countries hit by climate change – Swinney

John Swinney has said Scotland will do “all it can” to support countries worst affected by the climate crisis, as he travels to a village in Malawi to see the impact of a government programme.

The First Minister is travelling to Zomba on Saturday, where he will meet people in Chimbalanga village benefiting from the Scottish Government’s Climate Just Communities (CJC) Malawi programme.

Designed to assist sustainable livelihoods and natural resource management, the scheme has so far supported a solar irrigation scheme and tree-planting, and has helped young people to gain vocational training.

The visit is part of the First Minister’s trip to sub-Saharan Africa, which saw him travel to Zambia on Tuesday before heading to neighbouring Malawi on Friday.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Swinney said it was important that those most affected by climate change are “at the forefront” of any solutions.

“The impacts of the climate crisis around the world are deeply concerning, and those who have done the least to contribute to the climate crisis often feel the impacts most acutely – particularly in the global south,” he said.

“To ensure that those with experience of climate impacts are at the forefront of any solutions, climate justice initiatives should be led by the people affected.

“Programmes in Zomba, including Chimbalanga village, offer good examples of this, and I look forward to seeing how our CJC programme is supporting community-led projects like helping young people gain skills and establishing clean water points.

“Scotland will continue to do all it can to stand with the international community and support countries who are being worst impacted by the climate crisis – helping to create a fairer world.”

He is due to return to Scotland early next week.