Green Podium

80% of Kenya's landmass is covered by Arid and Semi Arid lands (ASALs) which is about 467,200 square kilometers. These are the areas where land degradation is quite evident due to the hot and dry weather coupled with low and unreliable rainfall. UNEP reports show that approximately 30% of Kenya is affected by land degradation. Some of the contributing factors to this include improper farming methods, loss of soil productivity, livestock overstocking, high population growth and increasing demand for fuelwood, charcoal and timber. To curb this problem there is need for sustainable land management practices which include environmental conservation as well as promoting sustainable livelihoods. To achieve this it is important to develop ways of livelihood diversification, promoting knowledge based land use management and supporting policies and regulations relevant to sustainable land management. The national celebrations for this year's World Day to Combat Desertification will...

This year's World Environment Day is being marked today and this year's theme is "fight against illegal trade in wildlife". This is aimed at pointing out issues on how wildlife can be protected by eliminating trade in wildlife trophies which has placed various animals such as elephants, rhinos, lions and turtles at the risk of extinction. Everyone has a role to play in the conservation of our endangered species and this the call by UNEP to have all participate in activities that will promote wildlife protection as the world marks this day so as to help preserve our heritage for the benefit of our generation and future generations as well. In Kenya, the national celebrations are being held at the Central Park in Nanyuki Town, Laikipia County. All other counties will also have an event to be coordinated by the County Directors of Environment. The Kenyan government took a bold step a few months ago to show the world its commitment to zero tolerance on trade in...

I have seen more and more people coming out now more than ever before to speak out against the illegal ivory trade as the country sets out to destroy its stockpile of ivory. On 30th April 2016 Kenya will be the focus of conservationists as 105 tonnes of ivory get set on fire. This includes ivory recovered from the traffickers over the years and also elephants that have died from natural causes and from human-wildlife conflicts. Another 1.35 tonnes of rhino horn will also be burned. Poaching is a big threat to tourism and the economy in general. Much of this ivory seized is usually destined to China and the surrounding Asian countries and is used to make jewellery, and decorative items such as trinkets and bracelets. One question that I have heard many ask is whether the destruction of ivory will really help in elephant and rhino conservation.  I believe it will have an impact but not a major one because it only works to reduce supply rather than demand. However, this helps send ou...

COP21 (21st Conference of Parties) held in Paris, France, comes 6 years after the previous climate conference in Copenhagen that ended in failure and acrimony. Most leaders and delegates at the beginning of this conference admitted that it would not be a walk in park to get countries to fulfil the pledge of giving priority to issues of combating climate change. However, the Paris deal seems to have rebuilt much of the trust that is required for a concerted global effort that would aid combat climate change. US president Barrack Obama stated that “this should not just be an agreement to reverse the pollution filling our skies, but it should be an agreement that would help lift people out of poverty without condemning the next generation to a planet that is beyond the capacity to repair”. After 2 weeks of intense negotiations (from 30th November to 11th December 2015) at COP21, the Paris deal has been hailed as the world’s first true global climate deal. The accord comm...

Environmental degradation has become a major problem especially in urban centres. This is mainly as a result of growing industrialization, urbanization, development of new technologies etc. Most of these developments are usually geared towards the economic empowerment of the people or the nation as a whole. People usually move to urban areas in search of employment opportunities especially in the various industries which have come up. This will be on an effort to earn themselves a means of livelihood. As a result, this leads to growth of urban centres. In Kenya, most of the industries dump their untreated wastes into the environment just because they consider it to be too expensive to have the wastes treated to the required standards before they are released. Some of them usually consider that the environment is available at no cost so they don't usually mind even if they are polluting it. An example is the Webuye Paper Mill which is known to release toxic gaseous emissions such...

Wangari Maathai took the KANU government to court in 1989 when they planned to build a sixty storey skyscraper at Uhuru Park which was supposed to serve as the party's headquarters. This project was to be undertaken by the Kenya Times Media Trust. This would have been the tallest building in this region. Uhuru Park is one of the historical grounds in this country. It also serves as a green space within the central business district in Nairobi. With this it serves as an important role to this country and mainly the city of Nairobi. The park has alot of trees which provide alot of fresh air. This provides a relaxing atmosphere in the park hence it hasalways attracted many people who come to unwind after a busy day, hold picnics and parties as well. During the time of the suit i.e. 1989, there was no legislation that provided guidelines on the management and coordination of environmental issues. The issue of 'locus standi' was not addressed at this time in the law. ...

Today marks the World Environment Day. This year's slogan is "Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care." Let us all make our environmentally friendly resolutions and work towards achieving them for the benefit of present and future generations. Happy World Environment Day to all.