Lessons Davos meeting can learn from Kenya on environmental conservation

One of the biggest philosophical debates concerns the natural state of men – or in other words, whether humans are, deep down, inherently good or bad.

The two most prominent authors who tackled this question (and arrived at diametrically opposed conclusions) were the British philosopher Thomas Hobbes and his French counterpart Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

The latter argues that human nature is good, and that only other, exterior constraints make us behave in a bad and wrong way.

I have to admit that I am a disciple of Rousseau’s thought. There are just too many good and simple things happening around me to believe otherwise.

But there are also big, international events which support and strengthen my belief in the good of mankind.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, has to be a highlight. It is a meeting that can fill you with the hope that a better future is really attainable.

International cooperation never seems as easy and natural as it does at Davos.

There are several rituals which repeat themselves every year. Of course, there are the keynote speakers and global initiatives presented at the summit.

While the political heavyweights invited often create headlines, I am usually interested in civil society leaders who give the most uplifting performances.

This year, Greta Thunberg and Deepika Padukone, the founder of the incredible Live Love Laugh Foundation, are invited to speak in front of global decision makers.

But there is more. In preparation of the event, the World Economic Forum publishes their Global Risks report. It outlines every year the five major risks threatening the growth and continued prosperity of the world as a whole.

It is compiled by asking more than 750 experts and decision makers from around the world to assess the both the likelihood of a global risk occurring over the course of 10 years, and the severity of its impact at a global level if it were to occur.

For the first time, the recently published Global Risks 2020 report’s top five risks are all about climate change and its implications.

They include severe weather events, human-made environmental damage, major biodiversity loss and natural disasters following tsunamis and earthquakes, which were all deemed to be increasing likely to occur.

The top risk with the most severe impact is, according to these experts, the failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation.

These trends are worrying. It is crucial that these are tackled as soon as possible, for the future of our children’s sake.

The government is aware of global climate change’s implications for Kenya and is fighting to counter the global crisis.

It is often said that even the longest journey starts with one step. Thus, the first time many of us became aware of the government’s environmental policies was with the ban of single-use plastic bags in 2017.

It was hailed as one of the most drastic bans across the world, and it greatly helped to preserve our maritime wildlife, which is no longer suffocating from pollution.

Kenya became a leader in renewable energy, already producing more than 85 per cent of our energy from green sources.

The government stopped the building a coal plant at Lamu, and instead focused of conserving the coral reef and developing the tourism sector. The government also banned wildlife poaching.

I hope that the participants in Davos take heed of such environmental pragmatism. It is their chance to set the world on a more sustainable path, and they should take some lessons from the Kenyan government.