Feature

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.

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.

The Namibian government has initiated the culling of more than 700 wild animals in response to the country’s worst drought in decades. The move, announced last week by the Environment Ministry, is aimed at easing pressure on grazing lands and water supplies, while also providing meat for programs supporting thousands of people suffering from food shortages due to the drought.

Africa’s second-highest peak, Mount Kenya, is on the brink of losing its iconic glaciers within the next six years. A recent report from the Kenya Meteorological Department paints a stark picture of the future of the glaciers and the rivers they feed—vital water sources in Kenya.

Lilongwe has become the first African capital city to back the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, and is one of two Malawian cities, alongside Mzuzu, that have now endorsed the proposal.