Climate change mitigation is our collective role

A villager walks in front of a coal-fired power plant on the outskirts of Datong, Shanxi province, on November 20, 2009. [Reuters, Jason Lee]

The 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) began on March 14 and continues up to March 25. This year’s priority theme is 'Achieving Gender Equality and the Empowerment of all Women and Girls in the Context of Climate Change, Environmental and Disaster Risk Reduction Policies and Programmes'. This theme perfectly aligned with this year’s International Women’s Day theme: Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.

While both the CSW and the International Women’s Day celebrate the contribution of women and girls taking central roles in the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation and response, environmental conservation is the responsibility of every individual.

Kenya has put in place many policy and legislative interventions to mitigate climate change over the years. The ban on plastic bags is perhaps one of the most drastic measures taken in the fight against environmental degradation and climate change. A few rogue Kenyans might still be trading in and using the forbidden bags, but largely, we have embraced better, more sustainable alternatives. While there has been this and other achievements, climate change-related disasters have continued to wreak havoc across the country. The question therefore is, why?

I think one of the biggest hindrances to our fight against environmental degradation as a country is the indifference with which we receive and act on the call to conserve our immediate environment. Many Kenyans think environmental conservation is an abstract concept associated with government agencies such as the National Environment Management Authority (Nema). We rarely associate our small, everyday acts with the increasing temperatures, persistent droughts or raging floods. We litter our environment with masks and plastic bags. Speeding motorists throw plastic water bottles through their windows as their children observe and learn. We slowly continue to subdivide agricultural land into small plots, effectively trading trees for concrete. Sadly, we do not call each other out for any of these small, yet potentially devastating daily activities.

Yet, for a country that relies heavily on rainfall, we should. We should think of the most at-risk populations in our Arid and Semi-Arid Lands who are, more often than not, impacted the most by climate change. Though many of us are oblivious, our very lives and livelihoods are dependent on climate-sensitive activities such as rain-fed cultivation and animal rearing. Besides, severe droughts that lead to crop failure ultimately lead to massive rural-urban migration and all its related climate and other challenges.

It is evident that the government is committed to climate change mitigation and related issues. However, there is a need for emphasis on a more proactive approach in scaling up climate information related to the mitigation measures to ensure that climate action begins at the lowest domestic levels. Effective coordination between sector ministries both at the county and national levels will ensure the processes and strategies of building climate change resilience are not only understood, but also owned across counties, communities and households. 

Dr Kiambati is a communications trainer and consultant, Kenyatta University