‘Youth hold solution to climate crisis’
By George.Kebaso and Milliam.Murigi, August 4, 2023Out of the 13.8 million Kenyans aged between 15-34, only 7.5 million know what to do to alleviate the impact of climate change, a study by a Non-Governmental Organisation spearheading Green workforce preparation in Africa, has revealed.
This is despite the fact that 12.4 million, about 90 per cent, of the total youth population in the country having knowledge of climate change and its causes.
The 2019 national household population puts the number of young people aged 15-34 in the country at 13,777,600, about 29 per cent of the total population.
Yesterday, Jacob’s Ladder Africa officials raised concern about the huge gap between those who understand what to do about the climate change, and those who are aware but cannot do anything.
The co-founders, Sella Bogonko and Bilha Ndirangu, said there is a need for a deliberate effort to build a young population that can come up with solutions to the worrying environmental situation in the world especially Africa, which is more affected by climate change.
“While youth unemployment remains a challenge in many African countries, the current focus on climate action in Kenya and subsequent potential investments present an excellent opportunity for re-skilling and up-skilling the workforce here and elsewhere in Africa,” Bogonko said during a dialogue titled: Green Livelihoods And The Future Of Jobs In Africa.
She pointed out that there is a growing green economy which has the potential to create jobs and lead to the transformation of livelihoods.
Speaking separately, Environment Cabinet Secretary Sopian Tuya urged developed countries to honour the pledges they made to help poor countries fight climate change.
She was speaking during a media briefing on the forthcoming Africa Climate Summit.
She said that developed countries promised in 2009 to transfer $100 billion annually between 2020 and 2025 to climate-vulnerable countries yet this has not been happening.
“The funds need to be deployed on the basis of achieving the highest climate impact in the areas of greatest need. Availability of funds will ensure that countries are able to deliver both mitigation and adaptation measures,” she said.
She said to ensure Africa stops relying on developed nations on matters climate financing, the continent will propose a new global climate finance architecture during the summit, that will be timely, responsive and at scale that can help carry out global climate change interventions.
The summit will also highlight the climate change development nexus to show the linkage between Africa’s debt distress and Africa’s inability to have sufficient capital wiggle room to conduct adaptation and mitigation interventions for climate change as a result of debt.
The Summit will also make proposals to have the multinational development banks reconsider how they deal with Africa’s debt.
“Africa has the answers to the global climate crisis. What is lacking are the financial resources to unlock the continent’s immense potential to help the world to decarbonize and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That is why we have structured the Africa Climate Summit to be a frontier where capital meets opportunity and resources to effectively combat climate change,” she said.
The Summit, which will take place from September 4 to 6 at KICC, Nairobi, is fashioned as a trade and development summit, with Africa’s resources and opportunities at the fore.
It will also be a platform for the continent to showcase its climate action potential in niche sectors such as renewable energy, carbon sinks, sustainable agriculture and critical minerals.
Africa will use the high-level Heads of State and government meeting to pitch for and attract new development partners to support its green growth agenda.
The theme of the summit will be “Africa Together for Bold, Innovative and Resourced Climate Action” and will be anchored on six pillars: Climate finance, mitigation and green growth, climate adaptation and resilience, loss and damage, climate vulnerable groups and research innovation and technology.
The Summit will provide a platform for consolidating Africa’s voice ahead of this year’s United Nations General Assembly, the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit in September and COP28 in the United Arab Emirates later in November.