Climate change has become a topical issue globally. Its dire consequences are already felt putting agriculture, animals, and water sources at risk.
The increasing frequency of climate change-related events, such as droughts, famine, and floods has become a big threat to the country’s social and economic development.
As the world is contending with this new grim reality, champions of climate change have popped up across the globe raising broad public awareness of global warming.
One such agent of change is Jenny Coetzee, the managing director of Crawford International School who has positioned the institution toward sustainability and ecosystem restoration.
Sitting in a semi-arid lush just on the outskirts of Nairobi, Crawford International School has been on the frontline in the struggle to avert the climate crisis that has seen the rainfalls shift from 1.7mm in 2018 in comparison to 0.5 inches in the current year 2022. Seasons shifts have seen up to months without rainfall which has been so evident with certain regions going for two to three years dry.
Jenny has taken the path of educating the younger generations on the importance of conserving the environment. A conviction that when the young and old take the initiative of conserving the environment then there is the hope of at least fulfilling the debt we owe to nature.
In the narration of her story about the huge fig tree at the gate of Crawford International School, that’s within Tatu City, Madam Jenny says that she had to intervene when the designers opted to cut down the tree.
“Nature was here and therefore as humans we need to blend into nature and not vice versa,” she said.
Panelist Mr. Joseph Nguthiru, East Africa Youth for Climate Action Award Winner | Total Energies Startupper of the Year, advised the students on the need to seek solutions to problems faced more than they place their concentration on the problem itself. According to Mr. Joseph founder of HyaPak, a startup that converts water hyacinth into biodegradable alternatives to single-use plastic products, implementation is key to averting the climate crisis.
“The young people need to take part in conservation by proper use of resources, water conservation as they undertake their learning. This is a moment that they can use to also set up their companies from building on ideas thought or learned then,” he said.
A fellow panelist Madam Wanjiku Nyaga a Forensic Science and currently is running a podcast that discusses topics on how sustainability should be worked to as the global stage seeks to deal with climate change issues.
“We have to watch out for everything we do because the climate crisis is here entirely due to our actions that will meaning from how we live and what we consume at most times. For example, when there is high consumption of beef it leads to an effect in the atmosphere as gases like methane are induced when livestock is reared and consumed at a large rate,” she said.
She urged the students to highly consume legumes and vegetables which is also emphasized by Ethan in his speech on climate. In her view cutting down on livestock farming will lead to a better/positive impact in the reduction of Greenhouse gases.
A speech that deduced the fact of humans as the course of these dry conditions however it’s sad that places paying the price of suffering more weren’t key players in the carbon emissions or pollution from cars and industries, citing an area like Turkana that is up to 77,000 km of land only receives 200 mm of rainfall!
Jenny Coetzee further reminded the students that whatever small thing they can do like planting trees will have a major impact in reversing the crisis at hand. Also calling on the need to use technology in solving this crisis.
“Use of more technology to bring up solutions will be of great succor just like what has been done in the Maldives where artificial 3D coral reefs/rocks are developed and placed within the seabed to assist sea life and natural growth. Through such action we will be able to save the planet together,” she added.
