Climate change
Climate change is perhaps the most considerable environment challenge of our time. It poses a great challenge to sustainable progress globally. It affects eco systems, water resources, food, health, coastal zones, industrial activities and human growth.
Climate change threatens to adversely affect economic growth in Kenya, and endangers Kenya becoming a prosperous country with a high quality of life for all its citizens. The cumulative impacts of climate change over the next two or three decades have the potential to reverse much of the progress made towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) now Sustainable Development Goals and Vision 2030.
Climate change poses a serious challenge to Kenya’s social and economic development. This change will lead to major challenges in the economy, human life and on the environment. Kenya is most vulnerable to climate change since the key drivers of the economy (agriculture, livestock, tourism, forestry, and fisheries) are climate-sensitive. Coupled with the country’s low adaptive capacity to climate change, the country experiences a high level of vulnerability.
Threat of climate change in Kenya
Kenya is already feeling the effects Climate change. The widespread poverty, recurrent droughts, floods, inequitable land distribution, overdependence on rain-fed agriculture, and few coping mechanisms all combine to increase people’s vulnerability to climate change. For instance, disadvantaged people have little security against intense climatic actions. They have few resource reserves, poor housing and depend on natural resources for their living.
The most affected sectors being agriculture and especially those depending on rain fed irrigation. It’s high time farmers should start water harvesting practices and methods to be able to do irrigation on their crops during the summer season when it’s extremely hot and water levels so low or dried up.
By
Dennis Maingi RSM Northrift
