By Dan Kaburu – August 29, 2023 As the countdown to the Africa Climate Summit ticks down ahead of the inaugural summit to be held in Nairobi from 4th to 6th September, journalists from 30 African countries gathered for the 2nd Africa Journalists Climate Training. The two-day training was organized by Power Shift Africa and MESHA to strengthen their skills in reporting African stories. Mohamed Adow, the director of Power Shift Africa, is a passionate advocate for climate justice in Africa. With years of experience working on environmental issues, Adow has been at the forefront of raising awareness about the impacts of climate change on the continent. In a thought-provoking speech, Adow challenged journalists to go beyond the surface-level coverage of climate change and dive deep into the stories of local communities who are the most affected by its consequences. He emphasized the importance of giving voice to those who are often marginalized and overlooked in mainstream narratives. Adow urged journalists to step out of their comfort zones and immerse themselves in the realities of African communities grappling with climate issues. By spending time on the ground and building relationships with local people, journalists can gain a genuine understanding of the challenges they face, as well as the innovative solutions they are implementing to adapt to a changing climate. “It is time for African journalists to decolonize their stories. The continent has experts from all over who can add value to your stories instead of looking for experts who are not from Africa to comment on issues affecting communities in Africa.” – Mohamed Adow. According to a recent report by the World Bank, an alarming projection suggests that approximately 86 million individuals in Africa may potentially face displacement within the continent in the coming years. This unprecedented number calls for urgent attention and comprehensive measures to address the underlying factors causing such a situation. The potential displacement of such a substantial population within Africa carries significant implications for various aspects of society, including but not limited to economic stability, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability. As millions of individuals are uprooted from their homes and communities, there will be a pressing need to provide adequate support systems to ensure their well-being and successful integration into new environments. Professor Fadhel Kaboub, Associate Professor of Economics at Denison, highlighted how the food deficit in Africa is due to the lack of food sovereignty on the continent, which is caused by multinational corporations suppressing seed freedom. “Africa imports 85% of its food to feed its population. Food sovereignty means having the freedom to produce your own food, but sadly, that is not the case in the continent,” said Fadhel. Discussions in the Conference of Parties have not borne much fruit 30 years after COP meetings started. “The 100 billion dollars annual climate finance has not been honored since 2015, and 10.7 billion dollars of green climate finance have not yet been realized. COPs are full of talks and promises which have little to show for it,” added Fadhel. During the training held at Lukenya Getaway in Machakos County, Eastern Kenya, it was noted that Africa lost eight million heads of cattle to the last drought that was witnessed, especially in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia, among other African countries. Nahashon Oluoka, who is the Regional advisor at Pandemic Action Network, said that between 2030 and 2050, there will be 250,000 deaths caused by the effects of climate change on the continent. Oluoka also mentioned that there will be an additional damage of between US$2-4 billion as a result of climate change. Oluoka noted that the health sector contributes to 5% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Journalists attending the training were challenged to look into stories that are in the interest of the continent giving a major focus on the people. Kenya will be hosting Africa Climate Summit next week under the theme; Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World. It is expected that the summit which brings together more than thirty heads of state and diplomats from the continent and beyond will champion the continent’s speaking in one voice at the global stage. The Africa Climate Summit which is championed by HE President Ruto, aims to address the increasing exposure to climate change and its associated costs, both globally and Moreso the continent of Africa. Urgent action is needed with the escalating climate crises in terms of frequency and intensity.The Summit will serve as a platform to inform, frame, and influence commitments, pledges, and outcomes, ultimately leading to the development of the Nairobi Declaration set for 6th September 2023. Organized in parallel with the African Climate Summit, Africa Climate Week will provide a platform for policymakers, practitioners, businesses, and civil society to exchange climate solutions, discuss barriers to overcome, and explore opportunities realized in different regions. This will lead up to the first global stocktake, concluding at COP28 in the UAE from November 30 to December 12. The Africa Climate Week will consider four major systems-based tracks with a view to providing region-focused contributions to inform the global stocktake on Energy systems and industry, Land, ocean, food and water, societies, health, livelihoods and economies, cities, urban and natural settlements, infrastructure and transport. More than 10,000 delegates are expected to attend the first Africa Climate Summit to be held at Kenyatta International Convention Center in the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi.

Nairobi, Kenya – September 5, 2023: In a groundbreaking study, the Alliance for Science has unveiled a remarkable shift in climate-related media coverage, signaling the virtual eradication of climate misinformation in mainstream print and online media outlets worldwide. Lead author of the study, Mark Lynas, who is also a renowned author on climate issues and head of research at the Alliance for Science, declared, “Climate denialism is dead as a news media phenomenon.” This announcement was made at a media event during the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. Mark Lynas Lead author of the study speaking at the unveiling function at Radisson Blu, Nairobi Kenya. | IMAGE COURTESY The study analyzed more than 300,000 climate-related news stories over a six-month period, revealing that an astounding 99.98 percent of media coverage now aligns with the scientific consensus on the reality and severity of human-caused climate change. This figure closely mirrors the 99.6 percent consensus found in a recent comprehensive study of peer-reviewed climate literature, also led by Lynas. “The consensus is well over 99 percent in both the scientific literature and the world’s media,” Lynas stated emphatically, adding, “The debate about whether climate change is real is well and truly over, and is now almost entirely relegated to the lunatic fringe and, of course, social media. The era of false balance, where you used to have a scientist always balanced with a climate denier in news stories, is definitively over.” To gauge the prevalence of climate misinformation, the study analyzed six false climate-skeptic themes that had emerged on social media. It found that only 59 articles, out of a staggering 321,553 climate-related articles, contained unchallenged misinformation on these themes, resulting in a misinformation rate of just 0.02 percent. Despite its small proportion, this misinformation was estimated to reach a staggering 4.4 billion people due to the sheer volume of climate-related media coverage. Much of this misinformation was disseminated through mainstream outlets like Yahoo! and MSN via PR distribution networks, as well as right-wing and conspiracist media platforms like Epoch Times. Only two of the six misinformation themes gained significant traction in mainstream news. The first revolved around a purported ‘World Climate Declaration,’ signed by supposed 1,500 scientists, challenging the consensus by claiming natural factors played a significant role in warming and casting doubt on climate models and CO2’s status as a pollutant. These claims have since been debunked. The second prominent misinformation theme argued that the ongoing climate crisis is “fake” because the current warming has been deemed “mild,” and CO2 levels were much higher in the past. This narrative has been promoted by pro-fossil fuels advocates. The remaining four themes, including claims about Greenland ice and wind turbines, received minimal coverage. Dr. Sheila Ochugboju, director of the Alliance for Science, commented on the findings, stating, “Our findings are good news for the world leaders currently attending the Africa Climate Summit here in Nairobi. We show that the media conversation on climate change has now clearly moved on from denialist talking points.” However, Dr. Ochugboju also emphasized the need for continued vigilance, saying, “This is only the beginning. Overt climate misinformation may be relegated to the margins, but the power of the fossil fuels lobby means that things have shifted from denial to delay. We need rapid action to rescue the 1.5-degree Paris target and to ensure sufficient funding for climate resilience and growth in vulnerable regions like sub-Saharan Africa.” At the Nairobi climate summit, the Alliance for Science is hosting several parallel events in a Climate Action Zone, focusing on food security, climate resilience, and combating anti-science misinformation, reaffirming their commitment to addressing the pressing climate challenges of our time

At least 600 residential houses in Nairobi County are unfit and risky for human habitation ~ John Sakaja, Nairobi Governor By Bernard Gitau Speaking during the launch of Nairobi’s El Nino Marshall plan, Governor Johnson Sakaja revealed most of the buildings are in Huruma, Mathare, and Embakasi East and now pose great danger to the occupants. “The report on unsafe buildings done by the Ministry of Lands and Housing will be released by the National Building Inspectorate (NBI) and has revealed about 600 of such buildings,” Said Sakaja. Due to the upcoming heavy rains caused by El Nino, Sakaja has announced that some buildings will be repaired for safety, while others will be demolished and occupants will be evacuated. “We are going to issue notices because people’s lives are more important than the buildings. We are calling upon the developers to stop using shortcuts. Stop using less cement, substandard metals,” he said. Sakaja has added that those who oversee the construction of unsafe buildings be charged with murder. In 2019, Nairobi accounted for the highest number of collapsed buildings at 33 followed by Kiambu County at 14. Between 2009 and 2019, a total of 86 buildings valued at over Sh 2.4 billion collapsed. According to the National Construction Authority (NCA) report of 2019, the highest number of collapsed buildings was in 2015 when 21 buildings collapsed. An estimated 200 people lost their lives in these incidents. Most non-compliance issues in the sector include using inappropriate construction material, poor workmanship attributed to inadequate skills, and unprofessional and ethical conduct of contractors. The NCA (2019) report shows that poor workmanship contributes to the highest percentage of collapsed buildings at 35 percent, while the use of substandard construction materials stood at 28 percent and unprofessional and unethical conduct of contractors at 34 percent. Apart from evacuating people and demolishing structural defect buildings, Governor Sakaja has issued demolition notices to those who have erected structures on riparian and drainage systems. “I am giving instructions today to the Sub County, ward administrators, and Inspectorate department to remove all illegal structures on drainage systems and riparian land,” he said. During the ceremony, Governor Sakaja outlined the challenges facing Nairobi with an influx of population topping the list. “That means we haven’t had time to plan a new building as well as we should have. So, we find not just that there are buildings even in places where flooding is quite predictable, but that even in places where flooding is not expected, buildings still collapse because they’re not up to standard,” he said. The second challenge was inadequate and ill-maintained drainage, clear encroachment on river reserves, the weakness of our planning and enforcement, and finally unpredictability of weather due to climate change. To unclog the drainage system, the county has recruited 3,500 young men and women as environmental officers to begin work on this and other environmental maintenance immediately.