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How Africa Climate Summit will bolster the Green Economy

 

Climate change is a global phenomenon and Africa, just like the rest of the world, wish to have the atmospheric temperatures reset to the level of the pre-industrial times.

The inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS) seeks to address alternative ways to reduce global warming in order to avert a climate catastrophe.

Kenya became the potential convenor of the first Africa Climate Summit by virtue of its leadership's advocacy for green energy.

Kenya President William Ruto has endeavored to mitigate effects of climate change by championing tree planting activities, the systematic elimination of cooking using fossil fuel in government sponsored learning institutions and the introduction of electric motorcycles to reduce the consumption of petrol.

Trees enhances a balanced ecosystem and assists in the carbon capture thus reducing the resultant effects of greenhouse gas emissions.

Understanding the Greenhouse gas emissions.

The Earth has a natural greenhouse effect due to traces of water vapour (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) constitute the vast component of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. However, smaller amounts of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are also emitted. 

Most of these gases are released during the combustion of fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas or coal to generate electricity.

What's Africa Climate Summit?

Africa Climate Summit is the biggest gathering of African Heads of State, Ministers, humanitarian organizations, UN agencies, development partners, civil societies, youths and the private sector in Africa's history.

Africa Climate Week (ACW 2023) is convened under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the World Bank, with the support of regional partners such as the African Union (AU), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Why Kenya is a key player in Climate Change mitigation plan

Kenya is among the African countries that suffer long effects of drought caused by climate change.

The effects of global warming resulted to massive desertification in the northern parts of the country.

Desertification has caused the migration of wild animals in search of greener pastures thus increasing cases of human- wildlife conflicts.

Residents in Northern Kenya continue languishing in abject poverty and starvation due to shortage of water and reliable rainfall that can facilitate agricultural activities. 

The convenor of the first African Climate Summit, is a country that has the largest landmass categorized as arid and semi arid regions.  

Kenya is blessed to have agricultural productive areas that receive a reasonable amount of rainfall.

However, some parts of the country such as Nakuru, Kisumu and Busia sometimes experience floods occasioned by heavy rainfall. 

Many Kenyans living in flood prone regions are occasionally displaced by the raging rain waters.

Homegrown solutions to curtail Climate Change effects

The government of Kenya in conjunction with civil based organizations and individual citizens have embarked on a vigorous tree planting campaign.

Most institutions have installed giant gas cylinders to be used for cooking thus reducing fossil fuel consumption. 

Most Kenyans use motorcycles, commonly referred as boda bodas, as their mode of transport.

President Ruto recently introduced electrically powered motorcycles and encouraged transporters to embrace them.

E-motorcycles will reduce green gas emissions that result in global warming, thus mitigation climate change crisis.

Successful reset of the atmospheric temperature to pre-industrial times will bolster agricultural growth because there will be adequate amount of rainfall, not beyond the required limit.

Theme of the Africa Climate Summit 

Africa Climate Summit 2023 scheduled to be held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi Kenya will focus on the theme of, 'Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance."

According to UNEP dispatch, ACW 2023 willl be framed into four systems-based tracks, each focusing on specific themes: 

  • Energy systems and industry 

  • Societies, health, livelihoods, and economies 

  • Cities, urban and rural settlements, infrastructure and transport 

  • Land, ocean, food and water 






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