Let’s keep environmental conservation momentum going

The heavy rains came late in Kenya last year. Our economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, and every irregular weather occurrence deeply affects us.

Early in the season, farmers were not getting as much rain as was needed to grow their crops.

Then when it began to rain too much, many crops were ruined and food prices went up.

Moreover, the shift in availability and price of exports also causes detriment to economic prosperity.

But more disconcerting is the fact that the heavy rains caused severe flooding this season in Western Kenya.

The flooding caused landslides, the destruction of homes and consequently displacement. The greatest cost was Kenyans who paid with their lives due to the severe conditions.

Kenya, like other low income countries, suffers disproportionately from climate change.

Our country does not yet have the infrastructure and the response systems in place to deal with the grave changes that the earth is to expect over the next century.

According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), plastic pollution will match aquamarine life at a 1:1 ratio by 2050.

As Kenya rushes towards becoming a middle-income country at full speed, we must be cognisant of the environmental changes that accompany becoming a wealthier nation.

We can be excited about the Vision 2030 development goals and the Big Four Agenda that Uhuru has laid out to shape our growth in the coming decades, but at the same time, we must, as a nation, also work towards the president’s environmental initiatives.

Kenya is at the forefront of conservation efforts at the UN.

Our representatives frequently debate with others from southern African states who have less stringent poaching laws.

President Kenyatta’s zero-tolerance for poaching policy is one of the strongest examples of environmental leadership in the world today.

It is not enough to simply criticise poachers or talk the talk. Kenyan park rangers work round the clock to protect animals that are threatened with extinction.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy, for example, the last Northern White Rhinos on earth are under constant surveillance.

Kenyan scientists are working with their European peers to artificially inseminate a Southern White Rhino and keep the species alive.

Preserving wildlife has always been a priority of Jubilee administration, and so has reducing plastic waste.

The plastic bag ban in 2017 has not only significantly reduced our plastic consumption, but it has increased awareness of the need to pay attention to our consumption and reduce our waste, to recycle more and to think creatively when reusing clothing and objects we already own.

This growing awareness of the need to protect our earth has inspired Kenyans all over the country to take part in the movement themselves.

One world famous example is the Flipflopi Dhow, which was built by a tour guide in Lamu named Ben Morison.

He frequently took out tourists on his dhow and noticed how much plastic waste was polluting the ocean, especially flip-flops.

He therefore decided to create a dhow made entirely out of recycled flip-flops that volunteers gathered from the ocean.

Moreover, it was constructed entirely with the help of traditional local boat builders without the use of modern technology, to show that recycling is possible everywhere if you are willing to think outside the box.

The vessel, measuring nine meters in length, was made of ten tonnes of plastic and in January 2019 sailed for 14 days all the way from Lamu to Zanzibar.

Ten tonnes does not seem like much when compared to the thirteen million tonnes of plastic waste that is thrown into the ocean each year.

But with small initiatives like these, individuals such as Morison inspire us all to be more conscious and to work together to make a difference.

It is time we began thinking about working with the resources we have and stop being so dependent on consumption, waste, imports, and materials that damage the environment.

The Kenyan land is rich with natural resources already. We also have landfills that are filled with electric, plastic and other waste that could be repurposed.

Moreover, we have an administration that has demonstrated time and again its commitment to the environment. In this kind of atmosphere, there is really no excuse for us not to put in the effort ourselves.

We only have one Kenya, let us make the most of it.