CLIMATE CHANGE, AIR POLLUTION AND RENEWABLE ENERGy
Climate change is thought to be linked largely to the emission of six ‘greenhouse gases’ namely, nitrous oxides, carbon dioxide, PFCs, methane, CFCs, and ground level ozone. These gases trap the infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface acting like a green house, raising the air temperature to create a stable environment.
Climate change therefore is caused by excessive levels of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere especially carbon dioxide (CO2) that have a long residence time in the atmosphere. Earth’s future climate will be largely determined by the cumulative global emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) over the last and next centuries.
Reversing climate change is the defining challenge of the 21st century. Temperatures are rising at an alarming rate, ice caps are melting, erratic weather patterns are emerging, and water resources are depleting. The fate of our planet rests in the choices we make today.
Unless we take drastic measures to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, experts say global climate change will have a devastating impact on the face of the planet and the future of our children. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has stated clearly in their reports thatthe emission level must be reduced 70 % by 2050 for the world to stay below 2 degrees Celsius.
Poverty is likened to the environment in complex ways, particularly in the natural resource based African economies where about two thirds of the population lives in rural areas, deriving their main income from agriculture. Land degradation, land deforestation, lack of access to safe water, loss of bio diversity, compounded by climatic variability, are the concerns that invariably arise from assessment of natural environment.
Kenya is among the least water secure nations, the country’s tap water supply of 64 cubic meters per capita is far below the global benchmark of 1,000 cubic meters per capita. The situation is expected to deteriorate with the projected water per capita in 2025 being 235 cubic meters.
According to the Water Service Regulatory Board report, only 37 per cent of Kenyans have access to safe water well below the international standard of 90 per cent. Therefore the poor are more often the most exposed to environmental damage since they cannot purchase safe water or have other options.
In addition addressing how cities grow is critical to meeting the dual challenge of climate change and urbanization. Notably, half the world’s population live in cities. That figure is expected to grow to 70 percent by 2050. Today cities occupy just 2 percent of the world’s landmass, but are responsible for more than two-thirds of global energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The current urban development patterns will not sustain the projected growth thus they must be reinvented.
International, regional and national legal frameworks have been enacted to regulate the emission of these GHGs to the atmosphere. These legal framework have proposed ambitious targets for parties to maintain global temperature below 2 Degrees Celsius relative to pre-industrial levels. Similarly, flexible market mechanisms for example, the Clean Development Mechanism CDM, Emissions Trading Systems and Joint implementation were introduced under the Kyoto Protocol to allow member states to trade in carbon and at the same time maintaining their GHGs emission within their agreed limits.
Kenya enacted Climate Change Act 2016. In 2023, amendments was sought to introduce among other things, the creation of carbon trading platforms. The proposed amendments went through public participation and was recently sent to parliament for considerations. As KELA we believe that a robust legal framework on climate change is a key ingredient it curtail the pollution. The legislation must be proactive and not reactive in addressing climatic related challenges.