Elon Musk, the prolific innovator of this season, in response to concerns about his preoccupation with the maverick idea of transforming the virgin planet Mars into our second home, alluded to a scientific theory that over a lengthy period of time, the sun gets hotter, hence rendering the subsequent planets inhabitable, and that the Earth is soon falling victim to this evolution.
Whether this scientific observation has a share of the blame for these adverse climate changes or not, humanity cannot relax from introspecting on its past environmental transgressions and formulating better policies to salvage our yet only known home.
Unfortunately, it seems, the greatest human paradox is his boredom and ignorance of the present treasures in pursuit of his aspirations and dreams. We have a tendency to despise our present possession, perhaps out of familiarity, for the far-off prospect and, oftentimes, it's not until we lose the present that we consciously realise its worth.
We should draw inspiration from an old adage by a wise Native American leader, Chief Seattle, that "we don't inherit the world but borrow it from our children". That we inherently have a responsibility to engage sustainably if we love and mean well for the next generation.
The African Climate Summit in Nairobi is a relief, though coming quite late, and is a clear indicator that the world has awakened to the fact that we have in several decades adulterated our mother nature, and our disservice is attracting a myriad of severe consequences as a result of global warming, ranging from unpredictable weather conditions to droughts and floods, just to mention a few.
But all is not lost, except that we must be candid, genuine, and deliberate in our leadership of this conservation effort. In Kenya, to be precise, politics has been a key factor paralysing environmental policies and agendas.
Politicians have perfected the art of creating a wedge between conservation agents and the native communities, perpetuating distractive socioeconomic practices against nature. Because of political expediency, politicians have been at the forefront defending perpetrators or, at their best, turning a blind eye to serious environmental injustices.
If Kenya and other African countries are to make significant progress on this front, environmental conservation must be given the national attention it deserves with a clear and synchronised plan.
All stakeholders and interest groups must be kept abreast, organised and supervised to ensure the conservation plan is thoroughly executed to completion and that no drive is designed as a conduit to mint donor funds with no interest in delivering tangible success.
On the sensitisation aspect, conservation should be embedded in the elementary school curriculum. Children from the onset must be taught that the earth is our mother, because that's what it is. We must develop a culture of relating to nature as if it were a fellow being, especially a mother who is worth tenderness and love. Maybe then we will improve how we interact with our planet.
With the same vigour, the government must be keen to embrace environmental experts in policy formulation and supervision of policy and plan execution. I personally know many environmental science graduates who are still jobless many years after their graduation. If indeed global warming is a serious concern around the globe, is there really a valid reason why we still keep those graduates disengaged?
Further, and in line with the conservation campaigns, the government must provide enabling conditions to foster climate care. Take Nairobi, for instance. No street should miss dust bins, and free toilets (where necessary) should be constructed at strategic places to avoid human waste misplacement. This must be accompanied by hefty penalties for the culprits who choose not to make use of the available infrastructure.
It's therefore hoped that African governments will walk the talk on environmental conservation. Draw strategic plans, enforce policy implementation and converge all stakeholders' efforts to realise the necessary synergy that shall ensure enough power to save our mother earth for us and posterity.
Good governance advocate. [email protected]
