Environmental consciousness is a key factor in any nation-state’s economic performance. Regardless of one’s religion or political affiliation, the environment is a common denominator in ensuring the sanctity of life in a country and the provision of an enabling environment for strategic economic progress. In Kenya today, keeping the environment clean and addressing the challenges that face it has been a thorn in the flesh of policymakers and local economic players. But what needs to be done to ensure the environment is not sacrificed for economic ‘progress?’
Today, environmental conservation is a key aspect of economic planning for rich countries. This is even though most of them experience harsh climatic conditions and winters lasting for up to half a year. The UK, The United States, and France have all made it a mandatory requirement for developers and key industries to commit to environmental conservation efforts before setting up shop. This is aimed at conserving the environment, preserving ecosystems, and sustaining societies that host the economic inputs. If any case study is ever needed on how a nation can develop its economy and still have a clean and safe environment for its citizens, these three would be a fitting case.
In stark contrast, Kenya has had tremendous economic progress in the past two decades but at the behest of environmental sustenance. The environment has been the biggest casualty of the country’s obsession with industrialization. While the country can post sectoral revenues rivaling the National Gross Domestic Products of its neighbors, more than 100,000 hectares are lost to desertification every year. Rains are dwindling and the occasional short rains wreak unimaginable havoc on the environment through flooding and massive soil erosion – all of which could be prevented by planting trees to conserve the environment.
The survival and well-being of the country will depend on sustainable development that is largely underpinned by a clean and safe environment. A key and mostly overlooked environmental conservation method is tree planting and forestation.
Forests are the most valuable ecosystems in the world, containing more than 60% of the world’s biodiversity. Besides preventing soil erosion and keeping the ecosystem intact, trees are responsible for limiting the adverse effects of greenhouse gases that are an existential threat to mankind – especially in the age of industrialization. It is therefore incumbent upon every individual and institution in the country to maintain and sustain forest vegetation. On tree planting efforts, the conventional approaches employed by the state and corporate entities have been modest in helping conserve ecosystems across the country – as far as possible. This can be improved by employing sustainable tree-breeding and tree-planting initiatives on a wholesale scale across the country.
In the recent past, corporate entities have thrown their weight behind environmental consciousness. Tree planting has become a key component of sustainability activities for the corporate and private sectors. The Kenya Commercial Bank, Equity Bank, Safaricom, and Standard Chartered Bank have driven successful tree-planting initiatives to help sustain communities hosting them. Partnerships with state institutions including the Kenya Forest Service and learning institutions have been especially productive. Equity Bank, for instance, has been able to plant more than 2 million trees through partnerships with learning institutions with one of the most successful stories being the initiative at Meru University where more than 40 thousand trees have been planted. Such success stories should not be in vain.
During the launch of the bank’s tree planting initiative in 2019, Equity Group CEO and Managing Director, Dr. James Mwangi said the institution is committed to ensuring environmental consciousness and will work to ensure its environmental goals are achieved.
“To conserve the environment, Equity has partnered with Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to promote Farm Forestry Initiatives – this spirit of public-private partnerships (PPP) is from the fact that 77 % of deforestation and land degradation is caused by agricultural activities, hence the need to work closely with Forest and Farm Producers to encourage them to adopt sustainable solutions for preserving natural environments,” said Dr Mwangi
Environmental Consciousness In Kenya
The National Environment Policy 2013 proposed a framework for an integrated approach to sustainable management of Kenya’s environment and natural resources with particular bias on environmental management with economic growth, poverty reduction, and improving livelihoods. As well-structured and as lucid as the recommendation was when it was passed by parliament, it is fair to say economic progress has taken the lead and has never been at par with environmental conservation.
Indeed, Article 70 of the Kenyan Constitution 2010 provides for the right to a clean and healthy environment and provides a means for enforcement action and compensation for those deprived of this right. Such provisions are key for environmental accountability and informing policymakers on what ought to be done for the country and its citizens.
As a signatory to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals and its foster child Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Kenya needs to do more on environmental conservation as all 17 SDGs are pegged on climate action and environmental conservation. Doing more can be as much as proactively engaging the citizenry in tree planting and related conservation efforts.
The 50 million Kenyan population and its economic activities are all key to overall development. Strikingly, the population and its economic activities are the key contributors to environmental degradation. What economists and policymakers need to focus on going forward stabilizing the economy and the underpinning environment – above all. This is what will aid development programs and expand the breadth of environmental consciousness.
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