According to the Global Risks Report, 2022 released by the World Economic Forum, climate action failure, extreme weather events and biodiversity loss were considered among top three risks confronting the global community.
Extreme weather conditions are increasingly disrupting both developing and developed economies in equal measure as climate change disregards national boundaries.
The adverse effects of changing climate on food, health and human security will increase the potential risk of social, economic, environmental and political stability.
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s economic legacy model the Big Four Agenda deeply tailored on achieving food security, Universal Healthcare (UHC), affordable housing and industrial development should be integrated with climate change action.
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This is due to the unpredictable shifting of weather patterns which have increasingly fueled food insecurity.
The President’s commitment to addressing climate change reinforces his evidence-based endeavour to achieve social, economic, environmental and development needs of millions of Kenyans.
The fundamental of economic strength as an element and instrument of national power tailored with economic principles geared towards achieving the Big Four Agenda must promote rapid transformation to restore forests ecosystem and environmental conservation.
This will mitigate and enable local communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Kenya has made tremendous rapid progress in addressing climate change by taking investing in green economy and sustainable growth.
Even as Kenya remains an economic powerhouse in Sub-Sahara Africa with its long term strategic competition to shape global balance of power in addressing climate change, strategic and more comprehensive approaches are essential.
We must prioritise the integration of indigenous communities’ knowledge with modern science to predict, forecast and provide a roadmap on climate mitigation and adaptation.
Even as the global community confronts the deadly and unprecedented climate catastrophe, Kenya should develop a well-structured risk-based investment strategy to identify and holistically address extreme weather conditions.
This will help mitigate unpredictable disasters that often trigger loss of lives and livelihoods.
The government should rapidly develop climate mitigation and adaptation solutions that indigenous communities can adapt. This will support sustainable agriculture and boost food security for millions of residents faced with drought every so often.
Addressing both short and long-term effects of climate change is imperative taking into consideration the significant importance of local communities.
The government must strengthen their resilience, where strategic focus should also delve into drastically reducing forest degradation and uptake of green and renewable energy.
The climate-driven economic downturn currently witnessed globally should prick community leadership to take collective responsibility to combat climate change.
The writer is a community youth leader.
