Environment Cabinet Secretary Judy Wakhungu. [Photo: buzzkenya.com]
The ministry of environment and natural resources has launched of the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP).
Environment Cabinet Secretary Prof. Judi Wakhungu said this will contribute greatly toward implementation of the CCA, commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% by 2030 against a Business as Usual Scenario (BAU) through its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
While launching the action plan, Prof. Wakhungu said Climate change continues to pose the greatest challenge to sustainable development.
“Climate change is the biggest and complex challenge to sustainable development in this century,” said Prof. Wakhungu who noted that the impacts of climate change continue to be felt by communities around the world including Kenya.
She said Kenya like many African countries remains highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. “The country has come face to face with the unprecedented challenge of climate change impacts and the corresponding socio-economic losses.”
The CS said the high dependence on climate-sensitive natural resources, “for our livelihoods and economic sustenance will increase our vulnerability,” said the CS and added, “Droughts and floods are among other extreme climate events, which will become ever more severe in magnitude and frequency.”
These manifestations of climate change, she said, constitute a serious threat to Kenya’s sustainable development and future prosperity.
Noting that Climate Change is a threat to the achievement of sustainable development and poverty reduction, Prof. Wakhungu said the phenomenon has the potential to reverse the modest gains that the country has achieved towards attaining the SDGs and in effect undermine Kenya’s development.
She said aspires to achieve its development through a low carbon climate resilient development hence the need to effectively implement the Climate change Act 2016; “that will provide an enabling environment for implementation of both domestic and international obligation,” she added.
Kenya’s ratification of the Paris Agreement and submission of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) with mitigation actions across six sectors – Energy, Transportation, Industrial Processes, Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) and Waste, Kenya commits to taking steps towards reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% from the Business As Usual scenario by the year 2030.
The NCCAP Task Force has Environment PS Charles Sunkuli as the chairman of the task force, with Director Climate Change Programmes Pacifica F. A. Ogola and Stephen King’uyu the Deputy Director Climate Change Mitigation and secretaries.
Members include; Joyce Njogu (Kenya Association of Manufacturers), Faith Ngige (KEPSA), Philip Odhiambo (WWF) and Esther Wang’ombe (Energy).
Others included are; Cecelia Kibe (Kenya Climate Change Working Group), Lulu Hayanga (Attorney General’s office), Clara Busolo (National Gender and Equality Commission) and Stephen Osingo (Council of Governors), Erastus Wahome (National Treasury), Elizabeth Wamalwa (Planning) James Yatich (Irrigation), Lucy Ng’ang’a (Fisheries) and Martin Eshiwani (Transport).