The Nation (Nairobi)

Africa: Continent Can't Sit on Its Hands and Wait for Climate Justice

opinion

The Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change ended dramatically after delegates failed to reach a consensus. Millions of people were disappointed.

The UN will have to create a conducive environment to quickly follow-up on the conclusions in Copenhagen and arrive at a better outcome for the planet; probably a compromise agreement that would remove the impasse and move the process forward again.

Leaders know what humanity is up against as the clock continues to tick, and, indeed, many are deeply engaged with strategies that are preparing citizens at domestic level.

Industrialised countries committed to reductions of greenhouse gas emissions that would maintain levels of increase in global temperatures below 2°C, while more vulnerable developing countries prefer levels below 1.5°C.

But until we get there, leaders from the developed world went back home to face voters, the business community, colleagues and other interest groups, that wonder whether so much money should be committed to foreign countries.

Some need to be convinced that they have a historical responsibility to climate change and therefore, a moral obligation to help solve the problem they have caused. The focus is foremost on national interests and political and economic considerations.

Yet, climate change is also a security issue because it will cause large migrations of environmental refugees that will escape rising seas, loss of land to desertification, and lack of water.

Leaders have to balance between doing right and antagonising their citizens; they will only commit to certain levels of emissions of greenhouses gases and only a certain amount of money.

Their targets are made in the spirit of the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities and capabilities" that recognises the historical responsibility of developed countries and the moral obligation to do justice.

Developing countries need to do much for themselves because they are especially vulnerable. A lot can be achieved without financial help from Copenhagen.

Here in Kenya, the government is protecting forests so that the country can continue to receive environmental services, conserve biodiversity and get hydro- and thermo-power. It is also investing in wind and solar power.

Kenya is also intensifying its tree-planting campaign. Environment minister John Michuki has already given directives that every person put 10 per cent of their land under trees.

This amounts to about 25 trees per hectare, and offers a great opportunity for agro-forestry. The trees can be fruit or multipurpose trees.

Mr Michuki also directed that any eucalyptus trees planted within 30 feet of a river be uprooted. This will protect waterways and watersheds. Steep slopes should be planted with grass, including fodder, to stop soil erosion.

Kenyans should harvest rain water by collecting roof water, making terraces, and creating cut-off drains and trenches to hold rain water. This also stops soil erosion, stops siltation in dams, and destruction of roads.

Unfortunately, there is still mistrust between developed and developing countries. The former have been slow to commit.

For sure, corruption continues to be prevalent. But unless the mindset changes on both sides of the divide, regions like Africa will continue to suffer from misjudgment and mistrust.

The deep suspicion that money will not be spent for the intended purposes will determine how much of the resources will be committed and directed towards the African region.

Therefore, countries should use this time to set up mechanisms to ensure there is transparency, and accountability and a way to monitor compliance.

Both the USA and China are major players. Both emit the largest amount of greenhouse gases and they are among the biggest economies.

Their divide is not only over the level of emissions by 2020 and beyond, but also over transparency, monitoring and verification that would not violate sovereignty.

Africa is vulnerable because it does not have adequate skilled humanpower and technology. It desperately needs committed, value-driven citizens, who will deliver honourably.

But, unless the people commit for the sake of their countries, much of the money will either disappear with experts or owners of intellectual property rights and technology.

Prof Maathai is a Nobel Peace laureate, and Goodwill Ambassador for the Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem.


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Comments 1 to 4 of 4 Post a comment

  • Steve Klaber
    Dec 28 2009, 18:45

    A whole bunch of good ideas strung together. The people of Africa are by no means helpless against climate troubles. Other things that need to be done include:

    Stop selling oil and gas to the outside world. That is a large part of what is being made into greenhouse gas. The foreign money you get for it does more harm than good, anyway.

    Clear your waterways of weeds and the silt that they have produced. When your waters are fully functional, much of the climate trouble will correct itself, as rains collect and flow where they should, and replenish aquifers and reestablish "lake effect" rains. The weeds can be made into fuel and biochar. With caution, they can be made into food. The silt can be used as soil. You'll like the side effects on malaria, bilharzia, quelea, flooding, fishing...The less water growing weeds, the more water available for farms and cups.

    Make gardening a part of every child's education. There are programs like the "square meter garden" that can easily be so adapted. Container gardening can bring rich rewards, too.

  • Erich J. Knight
    Dec 28 2009, 20:18

    All political persuasions agree, building soil carbon is GOOD. To Hard bitten Farmers, wary of carbon regulations that only increase their costs, Building soil carbon is a savory bone, to do well while doing good.

    Biochar provides the tool powerful enough to cover Farming's carbon foot print while lowering cost simultaneously.

    Another significant aspect of bichar is removal of BC aerosols by low cost ($3) Biomass cook stoves that produce char but no respiratory disease emissions. At Scale, replacing "Three Stone" stoves the health benefits would equal eradication of Malaria. http://terrapretapot.org/ and village level systems http://biocharfund.org/ The Congo Basin Forest Fund (CBFF).recently funded The Biochar Fund $300K for these systems citing these priorities; (1) Hunger amongst the world's poorest people, the subsistence farmers of Sub-Saharan Africa, (2) Deforestation resulting from a reliance on slash-and-burn farming, (3) Energy poverty and a lack of access to clean, renewable energy, and (4) Climate change.

    The Biochar Fund : Exceptional results from biochar experiment in Cameroon http://scitizen.com/screens/blogPage/viewBlog/sw_viewBlog.php?idTheme=14&id Contribution=3011 The broad smiles of 1500 subsistence farmers say it all ( that , and the size of the Biochar corn root balls ) http://biocharfund.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid= 75

    Mark my words; Given the potential for Laurens Rademaker's programs to grow exponentially, only a short time lies between This man's nomination for a Noble Prize.

    This authoritative PNAS article should cause the recent Royal Society Report to rethink their criticism of Biochar systems of Soil carbon sequestration;

    Reducing abrupt climate change risk using the Montreal Protocol and other regulatory actions to complement cuts in CO2 emissions http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/10/09/0902568106.full.pdf+html

    There are dozens soil researchers on the subject now at USDA-ARS. and many studies at The up coming ASA-CSSA-SSSA joint meeting; http://a-c-s.confex.com/crops/2009am/webprogram/Session5675.html

  • upliftdarace_144
    Jan 5 2010, 07:58

    This Global Warming Stuff Is A Complete Hoax . Man has so arrogantly told

    God, by inference, that God the Creator didn’t Create things quite right. The United

    Nations is just another attempt by Satan to build another Tower of Babel .

    If you want to know some real truth tune in to broadcasts like Living In Black

    (Hosted By Keidi-Obi Awadu – via www.libradio.net) & Alex Jones’ Infowars broadcast

    ( via www.inforwars.com)

    Here’s a link to articles on the Hoax of Global Warming.

    1) [http://www.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/nbbw.cgi]

    What is this hype of Global warming for ? It’s designed to give these phony

    scientists ( who actually act like they were taking part in the Creation itself ) and the

    organizations they represent control of the world’s natural resources. The GEORGIA

    GUIDESTONES is consistent with United Nations goals for the world.

    Here is a synopsis of the GEORGIA GUIDESTONES :

    [The Agenda Of The Antichrist aka The Georgia Guidestones (GG) ]

    THE GEORGIA GUIDESTONES

    1) MAINTAIN HUMANITY'S POPULATION UNDER 500 MILLION IN

    PERPETUAL BALANCE WITH NATURE

    2) GUIDE REPRODUCTION WISELY —IMPROVING FITNESS AND DIVERSITY

    3) UNITE HUMANITY WITH A LIVING NEW LANGUAGE

    4) RULE PASSION — FAITH — TRADITION AND ALL THINGS WITH

    TEMPERED REASON

    5) PROTECT PEOPLE AND NATIONS WITH FAIR LAWS AND JUST COURTS

    6) LET ALL NATIONS RULE INTERNALLY RESOLVING EXTERNAL DISPUTES

    IN A WORLD COURT

    7) AVOID PETTY LAWS AND USELESS OFFICIALS

    8) BALANCE PERSONAL RIGHTS WITH SOCIAL DUTIES.

    9) PRIZE TRUTH — BEAUTY — LOVE — SEEKING HARMONY WITH THE

    INFINITE

    10) BE NOT A CANCER ON THE EARTH — LEAVE ROOM FOR NATURE —

    LEAVE ROOM FOR NATURE

    In conclusion the directives for these GEORGIA GUIDESTONES call for : a) b) c) Elimination of around 7 billion residents d) e) f) Control of how many people are born g) h) i) The return of the system of ONE LANGUAGE as it was during the construction j) k) of the TOWER OF BABEL l) m) n) The other goals seem to infer that there isn’t currently a choice available to us that o) p) can help us to be better people. And there is a choice. q) r) s) But as the prophecy said in Daniel , The Beast/Antichrist will not allow any other t) u) worship, but of himself.

    Global Warming and all this false human-directed unity is designed to appeal to our

    personal pride , our lustful flesh and our unsatisfied eyes. But we can’t save our

    selves. We children need OUR FATHER GOD to fight for us against our evil older

    brethren Satan (formerly known as Lucifer) and His Fallen Followers.

    CHECK OUT THIS EYE-OPENING VIDEO ON THE SCAM

    SWINDLE OF GLOBAL WARMING

    2) THE GREAT GLOBAL WARMING SWINDLE

    - URL – [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMA6sszChwQ]

    Revelations 11:18

    And the nations were angry, and your wrath is here, and the time

    of the dead, that they

    should be judged, and that you should give reward to your

    servants the prophets, and to

    the saints, and them that fear your name, small and great; AND

    SHOULD DESTROY THEM WHICH DESTROY THE EARTH.

    3) Scientists Debunk UN “Global Warming”

    [ http://www.infowars.com/scientists-debunk-un-global-warming/ ]

    4) Gore cancels on Copenhagen lecture — leaves ticket holders

    in a lurch

    [ http://www.infowars.com/gore-cancels-on-copenhagen-lecture-leaves-tickethol ders-in-a-lurch/ ]

    5) It’s Over, Al Gore.

    [ http://www.infowars.com/its-over-al-gore/]

    6) Rep. Miller Calls For Climategate Investigation

    [http://www.infowars.com/rep-miller-calls-for-climategate-investigation/ ]

    7) Climategate Crooks Recast Themselves As The Victims [ http://www.infowars.com/climategate-crooks-recast-themselves-as-the-victims / ]

    :WHO BROUGHT THE SLAVES TO AMERICA ?

    [ http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/42787621/Who+brought+the+slaves+to+ameri ca?tab=summary]

    for full length video

    FRITZ SPRINGMEIER A Bold Christian Truthseeker

    The Top 13 Illuminati Bloodlines

    [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k73Q2_f4vKU ]

    WAKE UP ! STAY UP MY BROTHERS & SISTERS ! .

    [ libradio.net ]

    [http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx]

    [gcnlive.com]

    - Life Is a Game. Have Fun. [ Luke 18:17 / Isaiah 11:6 ]

    SO PLEASE WAKE UP MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

    GOD IS ALL WE NEED.

    You are In My Prayers.

    God Bless Us.

    God Bless Africa.

  • upliftdarace_144
    Jan 5 2010, 08:00

    Titled :

    The Weather Is Being Influenced By Evil Technology In The Hands Of (The

    Robbers Of Our People) Those Who Want What We In Afrika Are Sitting On

    WEATHER WARS

    There is Technology Being Used By Countries Like China, Russia, America, And A Host Of Others To Manipulate The Weather.

    Here’s A Question :

    1) Why has Africa Suffered So Many Droughts ?

    [http://www.weatherwars.info/ ]

    2) Can this type of technology control developing hurricanes ?

    3) Playing with weather stirs debate in China [ http://www.infowars.com/playing-with-weather-stirs-debate-in-china/ ]

    4) HAARP - a device used to influce the weather -

    [http://www.haarp.net/ ]

    WHO BROUGHT THE SLAVES TO AMERICA ? [ http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/42787621/Who+brought+the+slaves+to+ameri ca?tab=summary] for full length video

    FRITZ SPRINGMEIER A Bold Christian Truthseeker The Top 13 Illuminati Bloodlines [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k73Q2_f4vKU ]

    WAKE UP !!! STAY UP !!!

    [ www.libradio.net ]

    [http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx]

    [gcnlive.com]

    Life Is A Game. Have Fun . Luke 18:17 - Isaiah 11:6