Let’s spare no effort in taming climate change
By Editorial.Team, October 19, 2022Images of cows, goats, sheep and wild animals decaying in open dusty fields as the country battles its worst drought in decades should give all, particularly policymakers, a reason to pause and ask what they can do to mitigate against effects of climate change.
Around half a million people are estimated to be at risk of famine in the Horn of Africa. The ongoing drought in Kenya, the worst in 40 years, has affected 23 counties, out of which 10 are under the alarm drought phase. An estimated 4.4 million people, especially in the northern and eastern regions are in dire need of food aid, a number that is likely to rise in coming months.
Little wonder then that weather and drought experts have intensified calls for an overhaul of the drought response mechanisms, warning that the current emergency interventions are no longer sustainable, economically. The toll that adverse weather is having on lives, livelihoods and animals depict a worrying trend. It is particularly concerning to learn that while the world’s mean surface temperature continues to rise, Africa’s has risen at a faster pace.
The rise in temperatures and change in rainfall patterns have led to an increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events across the continent, and this should worry government as it has an impact on weather and the economy. Kenya and Africa need to take action sooner than later given that natural disasters, including drought, have increased faster in Africa compared to the rest of the world.
Considering that climate change also poses a great danger to environment, the relevant agencies should educate the public on what needs to be done to check the situation, including planting more trees and protecting water towers and other natural resources. The question is, when will we start seeing mobilisation being undertaken to mitigate these crises?
Regulations are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to prevent forest loss and to give human beings a chance for a more sustainable future. The full ambition of the 2015 Paris Agreement must be realised to achieve a wholesale transformation to a zero-carbon economy. The agreement, if followed even at a local level, global warming in the upcoming decades could be below 2°C.
If governments and citizens take small strides to save the environment now, we could make big beneficial changes and countless lives could be saved. Everyone’s effort counts.