David Harewood: Kenya's eternal summer drove home climate impact
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Version 0 of 1. A trip to northern Kenya six years ago convinced David Harewood of the realities of climate change. “I can remember going to a village one day and walking through a field full of dead cattle, which had basically just starved,” says the actor. Related: GuardianWitness: Climate change on Valentine's Day – in pictures “I walked for about five minutes through all these dead cattle. One of the guys there said, ‘It’s almost like a stock exchange crash. We don’t just use the cows for milk and meat. We trade cattle and if we don’t have any cattle, we don’t have any money.’” The Homeland star – who travelled to Kenya in his role as a Cafod ambassador – still remembers the heat and the lack of rain in Maralal. But it was the sight of the carcasses of cows and goats that made the deepest impression. “It was a startling wake-up call for me,” he says. “It wasn’t just an economic catastrophe, it was a very visual reminder of how climate change is affecting people.” This year, Harewood has teamed up with fellow celebrities Stephen Fry, Alison Steadman, Deborah Meaden, Dermot O’Leary, Meera Syal, Raymond Blanc, Jarvis Cocker and Emilia Fox to support a Valentine’s Day campaign launched by the Climate Coalition. The coalition, which is made up of more than 100 UK organisations campaigning for action on climate change, is behind a new film in which the stars recite Shakespeare’s sonnet 18, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” In addition to the film, the Climate Coalition is asking people to show their love for the planet on Valentine’s Day by sharing the video, wearing homemade green hearts and talking about what they would miss most if climate change is not tackled. Harewood’s own fear is that rising temperatures may mean his children never have the chance to enjoy Barbados, where his parents were born. “I got married in Barbados a couple of years ago,” he says. “I took my mum there and one day, when we were walking, she said to me, ‘It never used to be this hot. It’s unbearable’. You couldn’t leave the house at midday. One of the things I would miss is if my kids never have the opportunity to go to Barbados and walk outside. “I hope my kids can experience the seasons and a climate that’s sustainable. The idea that things are going to be so very different for them is slightly scary.” |