As Kenya seeks to become industrialised by 2030, the environmental effects of economic growth are now giving economists sleepless nights.
According to some studies, the damage might be irreversible.
One
study, dubbed 'Environmental Kuznet Curve' by Dr Soumyananda Dinda of the Indian Statistical Institute of economic research, says the resultant pollution might leave countries like Kenya reeling in poor health, disabilities and deaths.
The study says developed countries easily afford to put their focus on environment as their economies grow, but the poor ones cannot.
Scientists say that the developed countries must now help the poor ones.
Experts believe that for developing countries to prosper without damaging the environment, they need substantial economic, technological and financial support from developed countries and the international community, to compensate for the economic losses associated with reducing pollution.
That argument has generated debate, with developing countries accusing the developed counterparts of creating the current pollution mess.
At the heart of the problem is the fact that some of the accused developed countries have failed to ratify some international agreements, such as 2015's Paris Agreement.
US, CHINA SUPPORT
Last week, developing countries such as Kenya breathed a sigh of relief after two of the biggest polluters in the world —
China and USA —
ratified the Paris Agreement.
This means developing countries can now get USD100 billion (Sh10.1 trillion) climate funding every year until 2025.
The funds will help turn the world into a zero-carbon, climate-resilient future.
The Paris Agreement makes it clear that developed countries will continue to provide and mobilise finance to support developing countries.
Under the agreement, governments agreed to balance public funding between adaptation and mitigation, and agreed to significantly increase support for adaptation before 2020.
And to ensure that there is transparency, countries have committed to improve reporting on finance, with everyone providing information about finance provided or received at an appropriate time.
Depending on the impact of the funding, a higher budget may be adjusted after the expiry of time set.
China and USA represent almost 40 per cent of global carbon emissions (37.98 per cent).
By any standard, their ratification of the Paris Agreement is one giant leap forward and a step closer to becoming a reality.
At least 195 countries have adopted the agreement so far, making it the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal.
The agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C. It is due to come into force in 2020.
The ratification by USA and China came into place after two weeks of intense discussion by more than 190 countries.
Key elements in the Paris Agreement are mitigation on how to reduce impacts of climate change, transparency and global stock-taking, where governments come together every five years to set more ambitious targets, as required by science.
Others are adaptation to climate change, loss and damage, role of cities, regions and local authorities in fighting climate change, as well as financial support to developing countries.
The Paris Agreement was opened for signature at the UN Headquarters in New York in April this year and will remain open until
April 21 next year.
To date, the agreement has been signed by 180 parties and ratified or otherwise joined by 26 parties, representing 39 per cent of global emissions.
YET TO RATIFY
For the agreement to enter into force, 55 parties representing at least 55 per cent of global emissions must join.
It is set to enter into force on the 30th day after the date on which at least 55 Parties to the Convention, accounting in total for at least an estimated 55 per cent of the total global greenhouse gas emissions, have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.
EU, the third-largest polluter producing 12.10 per cent of global emissions, as it represent 28 states, has not ratified, though it signed in April.
India, the fourth-largest polluter, with 4.1 per cent of emissions, signed the agreement in April, too.
Japan (3.79 per cent), Brazil (2.48 per cent), Canada (1.95 per cent), South Korea (1.85 per cent) and Indonesia (1.49 per cent) are the other six largest polluters who have not ratified, even though they all signed in April.
The effects of a changing climate have already had an impact on people’s livelihoods, country's wildlife and environment.
Kenya's forest cover has significantly reduced due to the demands of a growing population which has led to deforestation, burning fossil fuels, and intensive farming.
Forests play a key role as when they are removed, a lot of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Growing trees normally absorb it from the air.
Greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide are also exchanged between forests and the atmosphere, so forests are a key component of the planet’s greenhouse gases balance.
As such, a functioning and well-managed forests are critical to efforts to reduce climate change (‘climate change mitigation’), and reduce the net green house emissions into the atmosphere (‘emissions abatement’).
REFORESTATION
Keen to tap the resources from developed countries, Kenya on
September 8
announced that it will restore 5.1 million hectares of degraded forests and landscapes by 2030.
In areas with wildlife, human wildlife conflict has been an issue of concern, as human beings and wildlife scramble for the available resources.
Environment CS Judi Wakhungu said Kenya is keen to benefit from funding towards mitigation and adaptation of climate change.
"This programme provides the most coherent and systematic effort to restore degraded forests and other landscapes, reduce poverty, improve food security, address climate change and conserve our valued biodiversity," she said during the launch
at the Intercontinental Hotel.
Wakhungu said there is an urgent need to restore ecological integrity and functions of forests and landscapes, which have significantly lost their capacity to support livelihoods, environmental conservation and economic development.
"We have to find a balance between demand for resources and their sustainable supply. Climate change amplify these effects, making it harder for us to plan for the future," she said.
While noting that a raft of laws have been developed to resolve some of the problems, Wakhungu said resources running into billions are needed if restoration is to be successful.
She said forest lands in the country have a restoration potential of 5.2 million hectares, crop lands 7.6 million hectares, range lands 25.7 million hectares, roads 300,000 hectares.
THE BONN CHALLENGE
Countries have also pledged to restore 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded land by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030 under the Bonn Challenge.
The challenge is an implementation vehicle for national priorities, such as water and food security and rural development, while contributing to the achievement of international climate change, biodiversity and land degradation commitments.
The 2020 target was launched at a high-level event in Bonn in 2011 and was later endorsed and extended to 2030 by the New York Declaration on Forests of the 2014 UN Climate Summit.
And during the just-concluded International Union for Conservation of Nature congress in Honolulu, Hawaii, countries also committed to increase restored degraded land by 2050.
With the latest pledges from Malawi and Guatemala, total Bonn Challenge pledges have now exceeded 113 million hectares, committed by 36 governments, organisations and companies.
The IUCN Congress put new issues on the global sustainability agenda, including the importance of linking spirituality, religion, culture and conservation, and the need to implement nature-based solutions – actions that protect and manage ecosystems, while effectively addressing societal challenges, such as food and water security, climate change, disaster risk reduction, human health and economic well-being.