Kenyan youth are scrambling to make up for funding shortfalls in grassroots environmental programs, according to Capital News.
The Arid Lands Information Network has been engaging in local action to provide East Africans with added resilience in the face of growingly destructive weather patterns. The group recently participated in public consultations in the face of significant new budget constraints.
"Withdrawal of donor funding has negatively affected many climate change led initiatives, communities are bound to suffer the effects of global warming if the government does not act fast," said ALIN's Lucy Ngandu, per Capital News. "There should be capacity building programs for youths on the carbon credit frontier which is set to unlock more economic benefits to the grassroot communities."
Ngandu wasn't alone in her concern. The urgency for action in Kenya was growing, according to other stakeholders.
"Resources such as water and pasture are dwindling, people and animals are being displaced by floods or facing starvation due to floods and communities competing for these limited resources," said youth activist Rodgers Ngoo, per Capital News.
Kenya is suffering significant challenges in the face of climate disasters. Honeybee populations have been dropping sharply, flooding has threatened Kenya's second-largest city, and deforestation has continued despite the vital role wild habitat plays in sequestering carbon.
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Carbon offsets remain a contentious channel for funding, with additionality and verifiability being major challenges. One prominent verification standard was investigated for widespread fraud, and gas companies have been happy to peddle worthless credits.
While the climate situation is dire, progress is being made. The problem is well-understood by Kenyan youth, who have mobilized recently at another climate convention in Nairobi. The country has taken concrete steps away from gas and coal grid power with new geothermal projects. Farmers have adapted to water shortages with new mobile solar arrays to power irrigation.
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