•The report comes even as UN member states converge in UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi for the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly.
•The Assembly is seeking to find solutions to challenges facing nature such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution.
A new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has shown that human-induced climate change, includes more frequent and intense extreme events.
IPCC is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.
The report that was released on Monday shows that climate change has caused widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people, beyond natural climate variability.
The report says that people and ecosystems are the hardest hit.
“This report is a dire warning about the consequences of inaction,” said Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC.
“It shows that climate change is a grave and mounting threat to our wellbeing and a healthy planet. Our actions today will shape how people adapt and nature responds to increasing climate risks.”
The report shows that the world faces unavoidable multiple climate hazards over the next two decades with global warming of 1.5°C (2.7°F).
Even temporarily exceeding this warming level will result in additional severe impacts, some of which will be irreversible.
Risks for society will increase, including infrastructure and low-lying coastal settlements.
The Summary for Policymakers of the IPCC Working Group II report, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability was approved on Sunday, February 27 2022, by 195 member governments of the IPCC, through a virtual approval session that was held over two weeks starting on February 14.
The report says urgent action is required to deal with increasing risks.
It noted that the increased heatwaves, droughts and floods are already exceeding plants’ and animals’ tolerance thresholds, driving mass mortalities in species such as trees and corals.
These weather extremes are occurring simultaneously, causing cascading impacts that are increasingly difficult to manage.
Millions of people have been exposed to acute food and water insecurity, especially in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, on Small Islands and in the Arctic.
The report comes even as the number of Kenyans going to bed on an empty stomach hits over 3 million.
Already, the government has declared the drought a national disaster.
To avoid further loss of life, biodiversity and infrastructure, ambitious and accelerated action is required to adapt to climate change.
The Working Group II report is the second instalment of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), which will be completed this year.
The report said safeguarding and strengthening nature is key to securing a liveable future.
The report comes even as UN member states converge in UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi for the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly.
The Assembly is seeking to find solutions to challenges facing nature such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution.
During the opening of the plenary, Environment CS Keriako Tobiko urged UN member states to act.
Tobiko said nature is unforgiving when we continue destroying it.
He said there is a need to make peace with nature.
PS Kiptoo on his part said humans have been very unkind to nature.
"Pressure has increased causing a lot of pressure to our forests, the forest gives way for infrastructure and schools. They are good for development but we must have that balance," Kiptoo said.
Other Kenyan government officials at the Assembly included Kenya Forest Service Chief Conservator of Forests Julius Kamau, Kenya Forest Research Institute CEO Joshua Cheboiywo, National Environment Management Authority DG Mamo Mamo, among others.
Kiptoo said the variability and the variety of species and flora and fauna, including bacteria and other forms of biodiversity need to be protected.
Kiptoo said Kenya made the step by joining the world in Glasgow to halt and reverse forest degradation and forest loss.
He said there had been irresponsible consumption and production in the past, creating the imbalance.
The PS said a lot had been done to curb plastic pollution, for example, the banning of single-use plastics in 2017.
"We have a new policy on waste management which has been passed by the National Assembly and is going to the Senate. This bill will help in dealing with waste management," he said.
He said the new bill will move the country's waste management from linear to circular.
"We don't want the equivalent of Dandora anymore. We will be having recovery centres that deal with sorted waste. Waste will be segregated at source and everybody dealing with transportation must also segregate that waste," Kiptoo said.
Kiptoo said circularity will see more industries expand, create jobs and new products such as organic wastes.
The PS said Kenya is looking forward to a globally binding pact on plastics during the Assembly.