How to turn environmental warnings into solutions

Pokot and Turkana miners work side by side at a gold pit in Kampi Karaya. [File, Standard]

In Turkana, farmers no longer speak of drought as a season — it has become a constant companion. Rains that once arrived with predictability now come late, fall too hard, or do not come at all. Seeds are planted with hope, but harvested with uncertainty.

For millions of Kenyans whose livelihoods depend on the land, climate change is not an abstract global debate; ni suala la maisha ya kila siku — it is the difference between food on the table and an empty granary. It is these lived realities that the Global Environment Outlook 7 (GEO-7) report, released last week in Nairobi by the United Nations Environment Programme, seeks to explain and urgently address. GEO-7 is a comprehensive scientific assessment of the planet’s health.

More importantly, it is not a report of despair. It is a call to act, grounded in evidence, and clear that solutions already exist if we choose to scale them. The report confirms what many Kenyans already know: climate change, land degradation, pollution and biodiversity loss are no longer distant threats. They are shaping daily life, livelihoods and health. From shrinking harvests in Machakos and floods in Budalang’i, to plastic choking our waterways and rising food and energy costs in our cities, environmental decline is already exacting human and economic toll.

Yet GEO-7 also delivers a critical message: the cost of inaction is greater than cost of transformation. By changing how we manage water, grow food, generate energy and handle waste, countries can protect ecosystems while improving human well-being and economic resilience. One of GEO-7’s most important insights is that environmental challenges do not exist in isolation. Water scarcity affects food production. Food systems influence health and livelihoods. Energy choices shape pollution levels and economic opportunity. Treating these issues separately will no longer work.

Over 80 per cent of Kenya is classified as arid or semi-arid, yet agriculture remains the backbone of livelihoods. Israel knows this reality well. As a country with limited natural water resources, innovation in water management was born out of necessity, not choice.

Precision agriculture and drip irrigation were developed to ensure crops receive exactly the water they need, no more, no less. Today, Israeli farmers grow high-value crops in desert conditions, using a fraction of the water traditionally required.

In Kenya, where farmers often lose crops to erratic rainfall, this approach has already shown transformative results in pilot projects supported by Israeli partnerships. Smallholder farmers who once depended entirely on rain can now harvest consistently, plan ahead, and send their children to school with greater confidence.

This is not about importing foreign models wholesale. It is about adapting proven ideas to local contexts. GEO-7 also highlights food systems as one of the most urgent areas for transformation. Across Africa, climate change threatens food security, yet it also opens space for innovation. Israel’s advances in climate-smart agriculture, drought-tolerant seeds, precision fertilisation, greenhouse farming and digital soil monitoring, are already helping farmers produce more with fewer inputs.

Kenya’s cities are growing rapidly, placing increased pressure on energy systems and waste management. GEO-7 is clear that pollution and waste are not only environmental challenges, they are public health emergencies. Israel’s experience in decentralised solar energy, from off-grid systems for rural clinics to rooftop solar for schools, aligns closely with Kenya’s renewable ambitions. Expanding clean, localised energy reduces reliance on fossil fuels.

Perhaps the most transferable lesson from Israel is not a single technology, but a way of working. Environmental solutions flourish where governments, researchers, entrepreneurs and communities collaborate. In Israel, this ecosystem has enabled rapid testing, adaptation and scaling of ideas, a model that resonates strongly with Kenya’s vibrant youth and innovation hubs. Through training programmes, research exchanges and development partnerships, Israel remains committed to supporting African innovators who understand local challenges best. Wakati wa kuchukua hatua ni sasa!

-The writer is Ambassador of Israel to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi & Seychelles