• The delegation is set to agree on policies to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
• It will create momentum for governments to build on and catalyse impact on multilateral environmental efforts to protect and restore the natural world.
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
Kenya is set to host the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly next month.
During the session set to be held at Gigiri between February 28 and March 2, challenges facing the environment are set to be given attention.
The conference will be hosted by the UN Environment Programme and is set to bring together representatives of the 193 member states of the UN, businesses, civil society and other stakeholders.
The delegation is set to agree on policies to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
The theme is “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”.
UNEP said the theme highlights the pivotal role nature plays in our lives and in social, economic and environmentally sustainable development.
“UNEA-5 is an opportunity for the member states to share best practices for sustainability,” it said in a statement.
It will create momentum for governments to build on and catalyse impact on multilateral environmental efforts to protect and restore the natural world on which our economies and societies depend on.
Thematic areas during the assembly include nature for climate change, human and ecosystem health, nature for poverty eradication, jobs and economic prosperity as well as sustainable food systems.
Immediately after UNEA-5.2, the Assembly will hold a Special Session on March 3 - 4, which is devoted to the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the UN Environment Programme in 1972.
Kenya is grappling with impacts associated with climate change such as droughts and rising water levels in lakes.
Drought ravaging various parts of the country have already been declared a national disaster.
Lakes in Rift Valley and Lake Victoria have been rising, displacing thousands.
To address some of these challenges, Unep has called for restoration and protection of nature as one way of tackling climate change.
Unep said the world is warming faster than at any point in recorded history.
The global average temperature is now 1.1°C higher than at the beginning of the last century.
If that heating continues unchecked, it could have devastating humanitarian, ecological and economic impacts, causing food shortages, mega-fires, rising sea levels and sparking extreme weather.
Unless global greenhouse gas emissions fall by 7.6 per cent each year between 2020 and 2030, the world will miss the opportunity to get on track towards the 1.5°C temperature goal of the Paris agreement.
Restoring and protecting nature on land and in the ocean is one of the greatest strategies for tackling climate change.
Forests, wetlands and other ecosystems act as buffers against extreme weather, protecting houses, crops, water supplies and vital infrastructure.
UNEP said conserving and restoring these ecosystems will help maintain planetary stability as societies and economies recover from the impacts of Covid-19.
The 2020 Emissions Gap Report by UNEP found that a green pandemic recovery could cut up to 25 per cent of predicted 2030 greenhouse gas emissions and bring the world closer to meeting the two degrees celsius goals of the Paris agreement on climate change.
Reinforced environmental standards, policies and laws that prevent further emissions are crucial.
For example, in 2020, 15 African countries announced strict new rules for vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency.
Countries also need to end subsidies for fossil fuels and invest in low-emissions technology, renewable energy and zero-carbon infrastructure.
Wherever possible, emergency fiscal measures to prevent a global recession should align with the overarching Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate change agreement.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)