Back in 2016, with the help of thousands of people, we helped raise Morsheda’s home and many others above flood levels in the village of Bazetilcupi Char in Bangladesh.
When we first met Morsheda and her family, they lived with the constant threat of flooding, due to an ever-changing climate and natural tides. With her home raised, Morsheda and her family were thought to be less vulnerable to losing their livelihoods to flooding.
Earlier this year however, South Asia was faced with the worst floods in decades and the flood levels were higher than some had ever seen them. Even Morsheda’s new home wasn’t high enough to escape entirely.
Once again, Morsheda and her family were forced to flee their home and take refuge in a nearby flood shelter. Thankfully, this time around Morsheda and her family could return home a lot quicker and the damage to her home was not as bad as it had been in the past, as her home had been raised with funds from Christian Aid.
But Morsheda and her family are still locked in an escalating battle to adapt to ever more extreme weather. She doesn’t want to keep on depending on our partners and the generosity of Christian Aid supporters to rebuild her home and her livelihood every time there is a major flood.
She and her family want to live and thrive in a sustainable environment. An environment that we are all called to care for and nurture.
Call on banks to invest in renewable energy
The only way they can achieve this is through our collective efforts to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. It is possible, and it can be done with the help of the biggest UK high street banks.
At the moment, our high street banks are investing far more money in the extraction and burning of fossil fuels than in renewable energy – forcing families like Morsheda’s to face the full brunt of climate change.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Our banks could play a major part in the climate solution, but only if they make the Big Shift to renewable energy.