In a landmark decision, Kenya has officially joined the High Ambition Coalition, a powerful alliance of 67 nations united in the fight against plastic pollution. This coalition aims to develop a robust, legally binding treaty that addresses the entire lifecycle of plastics through a comprehensive and circular approach.
By Neville Ng’ambwa In a significant step toward fostering environmental sustainability, Kenya held bilateral talks with the European Union (EU) Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, at the Kenyan Consulate in New York. The discussions centered around the proposed EU-Kenya Green Partnership, designed to enhance cooperation on various sustainable development initiatives. This partnership includes a focus on carbon markets, environmental conservation, climate resilience, and the ambitious goal of Kenya’s 15-billion tree ecosystem restoration program, set to be completed by 2032. Under President William Ruto’s leadership, Kenya has taken a leading role in global climate action. The country co-hosted a high-level event with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the UN Headquarters in New York, aimed at generating momentum for the Global Plastic Pollution Instrument. Kenya Cabinet Secretary for Environment Adan Dual chairing the Ministerial Session, facilitated a discussion where ministers across the globe expressed support for finalizing the treaty. The treaty will target plastic waste reduction, promote recycling, and work to curb the harmful effects of plastic pollution. The next significant step in this global effort will occur in Busan, South Korea, in November, where the Intergovernmental Negotiations Committee will convene for its final session. The goal is to establish a legally binding international instrument to tackle plastic pollution, marking a major milestone in global environmental governance.
Often referred to as the “beast of burden,” donkeys in Kenya and across the globe face an existential threat due to illegal trade for their skins. As their numbers dwindle, the remaining donkeys continue to be overworked, a situation that has raised concerns among animal welfare experts.
Kenyan environmental activist James Wakibia has launched a new campaign advocating for a legally binding global treaty to combat plastic pollution.
In a bold step towards addressing the environmental impact of the fashion industry, key stakeholders are set to converge in Kilifi on September 14 for Fashion4Nature, a groundbreaking event aimed at mitigating the negative effects of fashion on the environment.
Soil testing provides critical insights into soil composition, fertility, and overall health, making it a key factor to consider before venturing into farming. This essential service has been a cornerstone of Millennial Agriculture Limited, helping farmers boost productivity since the company’s inception in 2017.
The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) has raised serious concerns over the global air pollution crisis, revealing in a new report that 99 percent of the world’s population breathes air that fails to meet safety standards.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has announced plans to spend Sh18 million over the next three years to install GPS tracking devices on vultures. This initiative aims to enable faster responses to poisoning incidents, which are a major cause of vulture deaths in Kenya.
By Dan Kaburu As the curtain falls on the 10th Special Session of the Africa Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Abidjan, one thing remains constant: African people are facing the worst impacts of climate change. This calls for urgent and bold actions to avert the catastrophe that climate change has become. It is time to hit the climate finance button. Our communities need support in the form of grant-based climate finance that reflect the needs for building resilience to climate impacts and addressing the climate induced losses and damages. The AMCEN decision on climate change sets in motion our engagement in the upcoming crucial COP in Baku on climate finance. African governments, negotiators, civil society and media must lead the charge in demanding for ambitious goal on climate finance that is debt free, public and adequate to meet the needs of communities on the front line of the crisis. However, carbon offsets should not be considered as climate finance. The increased reliance on carbon markets as a resource for climate finance needs to be critically reevaluated. Historical polluters have been advancing the agenda of carbon offsets as a potential solution to the climate crisis. In many African countries such as Kenya, the arrival of carbon projects has precipitated multiple social upheavals. The ongoing acquisition of thousands of hectares of land to establish these projects, for instance, has led to the forceful removal, eviction and displacement of communities from their ancestral land. COP 29 presents Africa with an opportunity to advocate for a new climate finance goal that responds to the realities of our people and the need to protect our ecosystems and planet.
Mohamed Adow, Director of the Nairobi-based think tank Power Shift Africa, voiced his support, saying, “For too long the COP summits have been largely full of delegates from the Global North. It’s an example of how too much power at the climate talks has been held by people and organizations based in countries that have caused the climate crisis.
