In the Africa Climate Summit on September 3rd, African leaders hesitated between the desire to combat climate change and a possible hindrance in economic growth brought on by the elimination of non-renewable energy sources. Kenya takes neither side of the argument and instead strikes a balance between the two, truly creating a new African approach to global warming.
The long-contended topic of climate justice reappeared in the Summit. Africa, which houses 18% of the global population, is responsible for only 4% of historic carbon-dioxide emission, yet has 16 out of 20 most vulnerable countries in climate change. For this, African leaders urged developed countries to belatedly fulfill the agreement made nearly 15 years ago to spend 100 billion dollars annually by 2020 to help developing countries alleviate climate change.
But in addition to focusing on what the world can do for it, Kenya also focused on what it can do to combat climate change without sacrificing economic growth, namely using climate-related investments to industrialize. By initiating renewable energy projects, Kenya can generate carbon credits, which foreign companies can buy to offset the greenhouse gasses they produce. Kenya has implemented a series of changes to realize its dreams. For instance, it signed a deal to make a geothermal station that makes “green” fertilizer. It also changed its climate-change act to regulate carbon markets and allow carbon credits to be auctioned.
At the summit, both the United States and Europe expressed support for Kenya’s strategy and hoped other leaders would follow in Kenya’s footsteps. While many African leaders are unconvinced by current answers to why Africa cannot use fossil fuels to get rich as developed countries once did, Kenya does present a viable solution to climate and economic problems in the continent. Kenya’s ingenuity and commitment to combat climate change despite economic challenges is a role model in safeguarding the environment.
Sources
“Kenya Wants to Pioneer a New African Approach to Global Warming.” The Economist, 14 Sept. 2023,
www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/09/14/
kenya-wants-to-pioneer-a-new-african-approach-to-global-warming. Accessed 23 Nov. 2023.
