Let’s prioritise environment agenda; we have only one world

Sadly, this will be a one-day celebration for many firms that will be seeking to appear ESG-compliant.

The theme brings SDG 14 and 15 into sharp focus, as it looks at life below water and on land. It reminds us that the small gains we make today can change the world for the better, while the mistakes we make may render our world nonexistent in the next 50 or so years.

The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) From Pollution to Solution report shows plastic pollution leakage into aquatic ecosystems is projected to more than double by 2030.

The report further indicates that plastic accounts for 85 per cent of marine litter and that by 2040, volumes of plastic pollution flowing into marine areas will nearly triple, adding 23-37 million metric tons of plastic waste into the ocean per year.

The Kenyan government banned single-use plastic bags in 2017, but other than in the national parks, there are no laws on single-use plastic bottles, tins, straws and cans. Sadly, littering is part of our culture. It is critical to tackle this issue because plastic bottles and tins are becoming a big menace in our country.

At the just-concluded Africities summit in Kisumu, I attended a photo exhibition at the Kisumu Museum dubbed ‘Lake Victoria slowly dying’, by Fŕedèric Noy, a French documentary photographer.

From the exhibition I learnt that the people living along the lake have normalised certain activities that promote pollution as way of earning a living. As was made clear at the exhibition, if we don’t change, 50 years from today the lake will be dead.

Given that I work in the water sector, I’m privy to how expensive piped water is slowly becoming. Treating water to acceptable standards today requires more chemicals and expensive processes.

As a nation, we should prioritise the environment agenda, for we only have one world.