Kenya: My vision for a sustainable world

Environment   Aug 1, 2017 by Marlyn

Climate change is something that has been talked about a lot this year. From people calling it a hoax to different governments deciding to work together to fix it, this problem is something that has really come to our attention in these past years.

To put it simply, climate change is a long term change in the Earths overall temperature with massive and permanent ramifications. Most people can agree on one thing, it’s a problem that urgently needs to be fixed. The one thing that were having a little issue agreeing on, is how to fix it. Climate change is affecting people in different ways, hence why we have different views on it. For some its causing flooding due to rising sea levels while for others its causing drought and wildfires.

Here are some of the effects of climate change:

Rising sea levels due to ice melting into the ocean and heat causing the expansion of water. The rising sea levels are causing floods in different regions and forcing people to evacuate their homes.

Water acidity increasing. When carbon dioxide dissolves in water it forms carbonic acid. This is causing the acidity water bodies to rise. This could b a huge problem because sea creatures with calcium shells can’t survive in such conditions. It is predicted that if this continue we shall lose about a third of our sea life.

Awakening dangerous diseases. Some used to bury dead animals, some of which died from dangerous diseases. The cold temperatures would leave the disease inactive, but since ice is melting this is no longer the case. Melting ice is causing these diseases to no longer be inactive. Also some flesh eating bacteria function best in warm water, the heat is also causing these bacteria to be back at it.

Kenya has also realized climate change is an issue and is taking steps towards having a lighter eco footprint. In March 2013 Kenya established the NCCAP (National Climate Change Action Plan). Kenya's economic sector is heavily dependent on farming with agriculture (including forestry and fishing) making up to 24% of our GDP, 18% of our wage employment and 50% of revenue made from exports. It is estimated that Kenya loses $300 million USD due to deforestation wounding the tea, energy and tourism sectors, further proving my point.

In 2006 it is estimated that 75% of working Kenyans made a living by farming. Many of which, are now going hungry and poor due to climate change. Nomadic herders have lived off the vast expanse of grass in the Rift Valley for centuries They know no other way, it is their way of life. All progress of an industrialized Kenya has mostly skipped over them. Only about 3% have electricity ans over 50% are not formally educated. This means many rely on the way of life they've been taught by those before them and due to climate change this way of life is in danger. Temperature has risen by 1 degree centigrade, rainfall has decreased and there is now a drought once every three years. You can read an article on all of this here http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/07/23/5...

Similarly, Kenyans living in Turkana are experiencing similar effects. They heavily rely on agriculture and fishing for a source of food and income. Due to climate change they are unable to provide either of the two. Droughts forcing them to walk long distances just so livestock can get grass and water and livestock being unable to produce milk. Soon enough this lead to many of them dying and an overall decrease in livestock. They son decided to turn to fishing as their only hope but even this isn’t stable as the lake could dry up. You can watch a video about all of this here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrnmBLB-UX4 

The different views on climate change come in when you ask these three questions:

1.Are we to blame for this change?

2.What impact shall the change have on the planet?

3.What should we do about it?

Here are some different views on what the correct answer to these questions is.

Student 1

Q1:Of course I do. Yes, things have gotten this bad before but it never happened this fast. CO2 levels went very high due to volcanoes and it took almost double the amount of time for it to go back down. So now in our situation it’s not something natural, this time we are disrupting the natural order, the natural balance to be comfortable or rather to be entertained. From our phones to our cars, most things we use have in some way harmed the environment and sadly some have forgotten it’s our only home.

Q2: Some impacts are the drawing back of water bodies and floods displacing civilians along the coast lines. Abnormal whether patterns, long draughts followed by sudden storms. Sudden heat waves in certain areas and ice imbalances in Antarctica (too much in some areas and too little in others)

Q3:As another student had said we need to start living greener. A great way to do this is to sensitize the public on what is going on, furthermore companies that are emitting high CO2 levels due to burning of gas and fossil fuels, should recycles human waste and use it instead.

Reaction to quote 2: I couldn’t say it any better. I firmly agree with this quote and so does Nicaragua hence why it’s one of only 2 nations to have not signed Paris agreement. I would ask whoever said the quote whether they agree that the highly industrialized countries that emitted huge amounts of green house gases should have harsher restrictions that the poor countries effected.

Student 2

Q1:Yes, I believe that we are to blame because the last few decades we have become more technologically advanced and are using factories and fuel stations more and more often, it is these places that are releasing CO2 and other greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. In the past we didn’t know that our actions would have such an adverse effect but now that we do we have an opportunity to do something about it before it gets worse.

Q2:The impacts of the change we have done are the rising sea levels; if they continue to rise many cities and towns will be underwater and uninhabitable, this will cause our growing population to become cramped into smaller areas this will also cause bigger and more destructive storms with larger gaps of draught between them incurring a food shortage starvation around the world. This will also have adverse effects of nature as many animals wil lose their habitats and become extinct

Q3: As a whole planet rather than individual nations we should come together to tackle this problem (I believe the Paris agreement is working on this) as it will affect us all, not just individually. Lowering the amount of greenhouse gases would be the first step as well as seriously cutting emissions down.

Reaction to quote 3: Indigenous communities have a special and deep connection with the earth. All that they have learnt has been passed down through generations, yet their land is being taken and they have been marginalized from participating in discussions related to their local adaptations. Do you believe indigenous communities should be on the forefront of the discussion due to this knowledge and understanding?

My first image is one I got off the NASA climate change Instagram page. What I see is a polar bear that’s lost its home like so many others due to us. How would you feel if you came home to find your neighbor burned down your house? We share this earth it’s not ours to grab and destroy, it belongs to all of us.

Similar to my last image I found it on Instagram and it has the same meaning to me. I was once told if everything we shared this planet with died that we would soon follow; but if humans weren’t here the earth would flourish. This statement showed me just how much damage we’ve done compared to good. We need our home, our beautiful precious earth more than anything, it’s the only home we’ve ever known.

My favorite image posted by another student has actually become quite popular. 

Most like this image becauseof what it represents. The clock has began ticking and we're running out of time

What is my vision for a sustainable world?

To me a sustainable world is one in which the resources are not squandered as if they were infinite in extent. Of course, with the said definition, recycling has to come into play due to the fact that resources can never be infinite. The point of sustainability is to pass on an undiminished future to our children. In my research I came across a couple videos discussing this topic. One of the videos caught my attention when it stated that in order to reach a sustainable world we of course have to think and plan for the future, this is quite hard to do cause sadly we can’t really predict the future. Although some have come up with 3 scenarios we would most likely end up in:

Conventional world – A world where we have the same values as now despite current problems

Barbarization world – one where markets and policies are unable to cope with chaos, crisis and social disruption induced by conventional worlds which leads to future catastrophe and disruption

The great transition – a world where people rise to the promise of this planetary phase with developing a more fortunate form of civilization.

My favorite scenario of course was the great transition due to the obvious fact that the conventional world would only to temporary and lead to the catastrophic barbarization world.

How to reach this ‘great transition’

I came up with a list of things we could do now that could help us reach the great transition.

a)Global citizen’s movement.

As some of us know, this project is already being worked on with a white paper collaborating the ideas of the youth from different nations being written as recent as in March. Over the next couple of years, we are to see the engagement and action of these global citizens. It is necessary for us to work together as a world rather than nations divided by imaginary lines. Think of it this way, when you’re in space all you see is a beautiful planet covered in blue, not nations divided by imaginary lines due to differences in race, religion, views etc.

b)A shift in values

We need to move our focus away from consumerism and individuality and the domination of nature towards understanding. We need to realize how to enjoy life and see it for what it is rather than control it. We need to remember that we aren’t the center of the universe we’re just a part of the great web of life, and we should help keep it alive or we’ll die with it.

c)Coming together of nations

I know this is quite similar to global citizenship but what I mean here is multiple governments deciding on a way forward. So that when/if life does reach a time of systemic global crisis that there is political space and possibility for recovery/growth. I am aware the Paris Climate Accord is working towards the goal of bringing nations together in order to come up with solutions to the problem of climate change.

What impact has colonization had on our journey to a sustainable planet?

In my opinion it helped us and didn’t at the same time. With colonization came the growth of the modern world. While the indigenous communities did not want this to happen, those that colonized them continued to stab at our home. Even till this day with the oil drilling in the Arctic. Not letting the indigenous voices speak up in some way led to where we are today. Most indigenous communities see the earth as sacred, its value is more than a source of resources. Hence why most don’t agree with some of the things that came with colonization, like oil drilling or destruction of forests that had a meaning to them. I believe that it wounded us more than it helped us.

link to international white paper on global citizenship -

http://www.epageflip.net/i/796911-international-yo...

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