Green Podium

Its yet another moment we mark the World Environment Day and this year the theme focuses on the fight against air pollution. Air pollution has become a big concern especially due to it's link to climate change as well as health concerns with an estimation of 7 million deaths worldwide majority of them being women and children. Some of the causes of air pollution are agricultural activities, transportation, industrial emissions, poor waste management, use of non environmentally friendly fuels among others. "Air pollution, a silent killer" is the main topic of discussion this year and it aims to sensitize the public of the dangers that are posed by air pollution. In Kenya the celebrations will be held throughout the country and the main event will be marked at the Railway Training Institute in Nairobi. This year's World Environment Day looks to encourage all of us to consider how we can make changes in our daily lives to reduce the amount of air pollution we cre...

Today we celebrate another World Wetlands Day

Kenya has an estimated coastline of about 1420 km and with such a huge coastline, a number of challenges do present themselves as well, when it comes to matters of environmental conservation. Among these challenges is the menace of solid waste management which leads to an eyesore and has an effect in our oceans especially from plastic pollution. On the 28th of August 2017, the ban on plastic carrier bags came into effect. This move was hailed from far and wide across the world as a positive one due to the obnoxious nature of the single use plastic bags to the environment. Kenya has now become a case study in matter relating to plastic bags ban. However, there has been lapses in effecting this ban as some unscrupulous businessmen have been smuggling into the country these bags aided by corrupt border point officials. Much of the plastic bags currently being illegally used are coming in from neighbouring countries especially Uganda. We are also witnessing a situation where the use of ...

The Mau Forest is Kenya's largest remaining indigenous forest. It is also the largest of our five water catchment areas with the other four being Cherangani Hills, Mt Elgon, Mt Kenya and Aberdares Range. Mau Forest is a catchment area for Lake Victoria and the White Nile river. It covers a number of counties in the country including Nakuru, Bomet, Kericho and Narok. Th destruction of the Mau has affected the country in several ways. We have witnessed the flow of rivers being affected resulting in poor transmission of water for irrigation purposes, erratic weather patterns, and flash floods with towns such as Narok bearing the brunt of it. The Mau forest issue has been shrouded in alot of politics with one section of the community claiming to have been issued with title deeds to settle in parts of the forest while others oppose their occupation of the forest land and support their eviction. Mau forest is a critical ecosystem not only for this country but also several other n...

Thousands of people along the Kenyan coast rely on fishing activities for their livelihood, an activity which also generates a huge amount of revenue for the country. However, fishermen face a number of challenges during their day to day activities in the waters and among these is the effect of climate change on development of coral reefs. Coral reefs usually form an integral part of the marine ecosystem due to the fact that they are a breeding zone for fish and other marine organisms. Corals are among the highly endangered ecosystems in the world. One of the factors leading to this is climate change. Climate change has resulted in rise of sea temperatures which has led to coral bleaching, an occurance that is quite destructive to the coral reefs. Bleached corals                   source:  Genetic Literacy Project The increase of global temperatures makes the corals to lose the symbiotic algae know as zooxanthellae that exists ...

This year the focus of the world environment day celebrations will be on beating plastic pollution. Plastic wastes have become a menace around the world due to their non degradable nature. These affect both land and water, since when carelessly disposed they become an eyesore and also end up being blown into water resources such as lakes, rivers and oceans. Single use plastics such as plastic bottles, plastic straws, plastic bags etc are the worst since they become obsolete to most people after using them. Statistics show that if current trends continue then by the year 2050 the oceans will have more plastics than fish. The national celebration in Kenya will be held in Ukunda, Kwale County. This year’s theme has come in timely especially for Kenya given that we have already effected a ban on plastic bags and we are working on banning of single use plastic bottles. This is a move that has been hailed from far and wide. As we mark this day, the objectives include reducing single us...

Lake Ol Bolosat is the only natural lake that can be found in the central part of Kenya. It is home to various types of fish like the catfish, hippos and a number of migratory bird species which attract numerous tourists. It is also the source of River Ewaso Nyiro which is important for the livelihoods of many people, livestock and wildlife that are found downstream. Despite all these, the existence of this lake is threatened by activities such as pollution, quarrying, overgrazing, encroachment, increased population growth and various other human activities. For example, poor farming methods have caused siltation of the lake which has resulted in reduced water level s in the lake. It is believed that if we don’t act now, the lake will no longer be in existence in the next 15 years. It is in light of this that this year’s World Wetlands Day celebrations in Kenya will be commemorated at this endangered lake in Nyandarua County. This will be held on February 2 nd 2018. The theme of ...

The 23 rd session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change is planned to be held this year between 6 th and 17 th November in the city Bonn, Germany. It will be hosted by the secretariat of the UNFCCC and presided over by Fiji in partnership with the German government. This conference will provide a platform for nations and stakeholders to engage on ways to combat climate change and global warming and its causes. It will also push for implementation of the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The conference being under the presidency of the Fijian government provides a great opportunity to island nations to raise awareness of their vulnerability to the effects of climate change and global warming for example rise in sea levels that endanger the existence of these small island nations through the threat of being submerged in the water and wild storms like Cyclone Winston of 2016. Kenya has already ratified the Paris Agreement and the next ...

There is need to conserve and protect our natural resources so as to be able to tackle issues of climate change and global warming. The government through the ministry of environment is working towards attaining the ten per cent tree cover as recommended by the international standards which will act as carbon sinks. I  December 2013, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched a programme dubbed ‘greening schools campaign’ through the ministry of education which aims at promoting tree planting in schools and among the young generation. The Kenya forest service has also been active with various tree planting initiatives which aim at meeting this target. Trees are an integral part in the fight against climate change due to their role as carbon sinks by absorbing greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere hence combating global warming. Working with NEMA, the ministry has formulated key policy documents and plans which will tackle issues related to climate change. These will track emission of g...

The statistics on the few remaining lions in Kenya and the rate at which they are dying together with the threats facing lions got me shocked. I have a feeling that if something is not done urgently then the future generations will be denied a chance to have an encounter with these and also to benefit from the resources just as we are benefitting from them at the moment. So it is upon us, as the present generation to make all possible efforts to make sure that the lions are well conserved and to help increase their population. It is said that a lion is worth more than USD 1 million a year therefore it is clear to many how much the country stands to lose in terms of tourism earnings. Lions are among the ’big five’ which have attracted tourists to our country. Tourism is a major foreign exchange earner to Kenya. If lions in Kenya become instinct then the number of tourists visiting the country will drop as they will opt for other destinations and this will present a big loss to th...

Let's come out and call for justice for wildlife this Saturday the 7th of October 2017, as we march from the National Museums of Kenya to the Kenya Wildlife Services headquaters in Nairobi from 8am to 3pm in solidarity with the Global March for Elephants, Rhinos and Lions movement. The march's objective will be to speak out against illegal practices such as poaching and also highlighting conservation issues which include human-wildlife conflicts, urbanisation and climate change among others. These are among threats that have made these animals to face the threat of being endangered that could lead them to extinction. The call for an end to all forms of trade in wildlife trophies such as elephant ivory, rhino horn and lion teeth and bones will also be reiterated by the participants. On the frontline of this event will be  Wildlife Direct . Lets make our voice be heard by joining this great cause. Conversation is going on on social media is using #Justice4Wildlife and #GM...

The UN Environment in conjuction with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is hosting the Environment and Emergencies Forum (EEF) in Nairobi, Kenya from today the 26th to 28th September to discuss developments on how countries can prepare and respond to environmental emergencies. The main focus this year will be on the human health and environmental threats caused by armed conflicts. Usually, first responders go into humanitarian situations with uncertainity and always face various environmental and health risks in their duty. They also have limited knowledge of the area of their operation with regards to such risks since assessment of environmental impacts of conflicts has always been done much way after a war or conflict has ended. However, since emergency situations have to be attended to urgently, the responders have been forced to venture in these areas despite the possible risks they could be exposed to. Participants at the EEF this year will be a...

Karura Forest has taken the government's ban on plastic bags a notch higher by banning all plastics from the forest. All disposable plastic including plastic bottles will no longer be allowed in the forest and visitors to the forest have been provided garbage bins at the gates where such can be dumped before being allowed in. This move by the Friends of Karura Forest in collaboration with the Kenya Forest Service has been lauded by various stakeholders including the Ministry of Environment with the support of the cabinet secretary Prof Judi Wakhungu. Plastic rubbish has been a heavy pollutant in Karura forest hence the need to take such a move. Plastic take thousands of years to degrade and is an eyesore to the natural environment. It has also been proving a great cost financially since employees had to move around the forest everyday to pick and collect carelessly disposed plastic waste. In terms of alternatives, visitors are encouraged to carry reuseable trail bottles whi...

Are you a young kenyan woman aged below 25 years and currently studying in a kenyan university? Are you passionate about the environment? Can you demonstrate this passion through evidence of ongoing innovative environmental project(s)? Can you demonstrate the ability to lead, advocate for and influence others (or a section) in your community to act in a responsible manner on environmental matters? Can you innovate ideas on good environmental management that can be replicated elsewhere? If you believe you meet the above criteria then you stand a chance to win the Wangari Maathai Scholarship. All you have to do is to visit the KCDF website  and download the application form, fill and submit it before 5:00 pm 30th of July 2017. The following attachments will be required; - Scanned copy of your most recent college financial status or financial information - Scanned copy of your Student ID, - Most recent digital photograph (a passport photo) - A scanned copy of your gu...

This year's World Environment Day will be marked at Egerton University, Njoro Campus, Nakuru County. The theme for the celebrations is  “Connecting People with Nature” . There is need to find ways that are exciting to grow and develop your connection to nature and this is what this year's theme is rallying everyone to take part in since we are part of nature and depend on it in various ways. Lets find events near us for us to take part in as we mark this important day and share the experiences with the rest of the world on the various social media platforms using  #IamWithNature  or #WorldEnvironmentDay2017ke . Remember, it doesn’t start and end on the 5 th  of June, but this should be a continuous process embedded in our culture and day to day activities.

This is the theme for this year's World Environment Day celebrations to be marked on 5th of June and it calls out on all of us to venture outdoors and get to connect with nature by appreciating all that it has to offer as well as taking steps towards protecting and conserving it. The host country of WED 2017 will be Canada. The theme this year seeks to enlighten us of the importance of nature and how we are an integral part of it. We therefore need to come out and find exciting  and fun ways to experience nature. Some ways of doing this may include visiting game parks, nature trails, beaches, wilderness areas or even participate in a clean up exercise as a way of appreciating and caring for the environment. While you are at it, you can capture the moments using pictures or videos and share on social media with everyone else through #WithNature or #WorldEnvironmentDay with probably a small narration of how special the moment was to you. So what are you waiting for? Get out th...

Question 1: Which plastics have been banned? Answer: The ban applies to all plastic carrier bags and flat bags used for commercial and household packaging. Question 2: What is a plastic carrier bag? Answer: This is a single-use plastic bag constructed with handles and may have a gusset or not. Question 3: What is a flat bag? Answer: A flat bag is a plastic bag constructed without handles and may have a gusset or not. Question 4: What are the major concerns of plastics bags? Answer: Plastic bags are usually manufactured for single use and generally tear or puncture after a first use. They are easily transported by the wind and are some of the most visible components of roadside and shoreline litter. Plastic bags are produced from oil and natural gas, and never fully biodegrade, remaining in the environment as small or even microscopic particles, essentially forever. Question 5: Are plastics used for primary industrial packaging also banned by the Gazette Notice? Answe...

Our country seems to be running on plastic bags, from supermarkets, retail shops, local markets and even in our own homes, plastic bags have become a part of our lives. However this has presented us with a menace that has become a concern from various quarters, due to careless dumping of used plastic bags. Recently, the government banned the use, manufacture and importation of plastic bags used for commercial and household packaging and gave a 6 month window period for the law to become effective. The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources Prof. Judi Wakhungu on the 15 th  of March 2017 passed a gazette notice on the ban and this will be effective come 28 th  of August 2017. The banned plastic bags are in two categories namely: Carrier bags – constructed with handles, and with or without gussets Flat bags – constructed without handles, and with or without gussets Manufacturers have argued that this will spell doom for their industri...

Saturday 25 th  March 2017 will mark the 10 th  anniversary of the earth hour celebrations. The timing will be as from 8:30pm to 9:30pm. This event has been marked every year since its inception in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, by the WWF. In this event, participants are required to turn off non essential lights for a whole hour as a way of raising awareness of climate change and show willingness to protect the planet. You can as well participate by turning off your lights or switching off electrical appliances during that period as an action aimed at showing that you are ready to take part in creating a more environmentally sustainable planet. We should embrace renewable energy as well as going for energy saving technologies. Let us unite and pledge support for nature as we shine a light on climate action. We can be heroes for our planet.  #ChangeClimateChange

The recently witnessed conflicts between herders and ranchers in Laikipia that have turned fatal in some instances is a true manifestation of what natural resource conflicts can result in. We did see herders invade land belonging to ranchers who are involved in wildlife conservation projects in a bid to graze their animals due to reduced pasture that was brought about by the prolonged drought and a poor rainfall pattern that has made the availability of water to shrink. Natural resource conflicts are caused by various factors which boil down to one aspect which is the access to, control and use of natural resources. This is as a result of the fact that there is varying importance that different groups of people attach to these resources for example forests, land, water and pasture are valued differently by different populations. Resource degradation has led to scarcity of resources as a result of climate change, droughts, floods etc. The dwindling resources have made communitie...