Posts in category: Environment

By Joseph Checky Abuje

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) have named the first World Restoration Flagships for this year, tackling pollution, unsustainable exploitation, and invasive species in three continents aimed at  restoring almost five million hectares of marine ecosystems.

The three new flagships comprise restoration initiatives in the coral-rich Northern Mozambique Channel Region, more than 60 of Mexico’s islands and the Mar Menor in Spain, Europe’s first ecosystem with legal personhood. The winning initiatives were announced at an event during the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, and are now eligible for UN support.

“After decades of taking the ocean for granted, we are witnessing a great shift towards restoration. But the challenge ahead of us is significant and we need everyone to play their part,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.

The executive Director further observed that these World Restoration Flagships show how biodiversity protection, climate action, and economic development are deeply interconnected. “To deliver our restoration goals, our ambition must be as big as the ocean we must protect.” added Anderson.

The World Restoration Flagship awards are part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration – led by UNEP and FAO – which aims to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean. The awards track notable initiatives that support global commitments to restore one billion hectares by 2030.

The Northern Mozambique Channel, however small boasts 35 per cent of the coral reefs found in the entire Indian Ocean and is considered its seedbed and nursery. Agricultural run-off, overfishing, and climate change threaten this economically and ecologically important stretch of ocean.

On the African continent, countries like Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Tanzania are already working together to manage, protect, and restore almost 87,200 hectares of interconnected land- and seascapes, benefitting both nature and people.

Despite the effort to protect and preserve these natural habitats, more actions need to be put in place. So far some of the steps undertaken today to maintain it include restoration of blue and green forests by creating interconnected restoration corridors, mangroves, and coral reef ecosystems, and improving fisheries management. These efforts, championed by the NGO World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and UN agencies alike, encompass multiple levels and sites, spanning both land and seascapes.

With adequate financing, 4.85 million hectares are expected to be restored by 2030. This is expected to improve communities’ well-being and socio-economic development, including a 30 per cent increase in household income in target areas, and create over 2,000 jobs and 12 community-based enterprises, while integrating indigenous practices.

Madagascar’s mangroves already store more than 300 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e), comparable to the annual electricity use in over 62 million homes in the United States. The restoration is expected to increase these countries’ capacity to absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂) and help tackle climate change.

Today, as the world marks World Environment Day under the theme “Beat Plastic Pollution”, the Africa Coalition of for Climate Resilient Communities (ACCRCC) calls attention not only to the physical toll of plastic pollution on the environment but also to its invisible weight on our mental well-being.

“Our key message, as the World marks this important day, draws meaning from our assertion that tackling plastic pollution, is not just cleaning up our physical environment but creating a world that supports healthier, calmer minds and communities,” said Dr Rosalid Nkirote, the Executive Director, the ACCRCC.

She noted that plastic pollution has become a silent invader in our lives—from littered streets and rivers to overflowing dumpsites near homes, schools, and markets. “For millions of people in Africa, this constant exposure erodes their sense of peace, beauty, and dignity in the very spaces they call home. The burden is not just environmental—it is emotional and psychological,” she said.

Research increasingly links environmental degradation to heightened stress, anxiety, and feelings of helplessness. For communities surrounded by plastic waste as those in informal settlements in our major towns that the ACCRCC often work with, “reduced quality of life, shame over their living conditions, and mental fatigue from the daily struggle to navigate polluted landscapes is reality they live with”. This is worse during rainy seasons as the ‘flood’ prone areas are faced with blockage of drainage by plastics.

Dr Nkirote added that for children growing up amid waste, and for women who bear the brunt of household waste management, the mental strain compounds already existing socio-economic pressures.

Henry Neondo, the ACCRCC Advocacy and Campaigns lead noted that environmental justice is also mental justice. Beating plastic pollution must therefore go hand-in-hand with restoring the dignity and mental wellness of communities most affected. As a result, the ACCRCC call for community-centered waste solutions that restore pride in public spaces and promote collective healing, increased mental health awareness in areas impacted by chronic pollution and stronger policies to hold polluters accountable and prevent the dumping of toxic waste in vulnerable regions.

In addition, the ACCRCC also called on governments to enhance support for circular economy, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action, that reduce plastic use while creating green jobs and hope for the future.

The ACCRCC clarion call to ‘Beat Plastic Pollution – Heal the Planet, Ease the Mind’ is premised on the knowledge that “every plastic bottle avoided, every bag reused, every community cleaned is a step toward a greener earth—and a more peaceful you. Let’s choose mindful action for a thriving planet and balanced mind”.

“This World Environment Day, let us remember: healing the planet also means healing ourselves. By beating plastic pollution, we clear not only our rivers and roads, but also the mental clutter and chronic stress that pollution brings to everyday life,” said Neondo.

UN expert Albert K. Barume* today expressed grave concern over the ongoing land demarcation by the Government of Kenya in the Eastern Mau Complex, which threatens ancestral lands of the Ogiek Peoples and contravenes binding judgments of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR).

“These actions risk causing irreparable harm to the Ogiek’s land rights, which have been unequivocally upheld by the African Court,” said Albert K. Barume, Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. “I urge the Government of Kenya to immediately cease all activities that undermine the Ogiek’s rights and to fully comply with the Court’s rulings.”

Despite the AfCHPR’s 2017 and 2022 judgments affirming the Ogiek’s ownership of their ancestral lands and requiring their restitution, the Kenyan Government has yet to take any actions to return Ogiek lands. A hearing scheduled for November 2024 was postponed at the State’s request and is now set for June 2025.

In September 2024, Kenya’s Environment and Land Court in Nakuru dismissed the Ogiek’s claims to their ancestral lands in East Mau, contradicting the AfCHPR’s decisions. Meanwhile, from December 2024 to April 2025, the Government convened a series of public forums to discuss how to implement the Nakuru court ruling, criticised as exclusionary and politically driven. These culminated in a rushed demarcation process beginning on 25 April 2025, without the necessary consultations with Ogiek Peoples.

“The demarcation threatens the rights of more than 8,500 Ogiek people in Nessuit, Mariashoni, and Sururu, and endangers ecologically sensitive areas vital for water catchment sustainability,” Barume said.

On 6 May 2025, the President of Kenya issued a 250,000-acre land title deed for parts of the Maasai Mau Forest to Narok County, further alarming the Ogiek of Sasimwani, who remain displaced following the 2023 forced evictions of over 700 families.

“We call on Government, all states institutions and Indigenous Peoples to engage in dialogue grounded in mutual respect and human rights,” the Special Rapporteur said. He expressed readiness to visit Kenya to support efforts toward a just and rights-based resolution in line with the AfCHPR’s judgments.

By Henry Neondo

On Earth Day 2025, the HBCU Green Fund’s Sustainable Africa Future Network convened a dynamic virtual gathering of youth leaders from 16 African countries and across the African Diaspora. With coordination support from its Dakar-based office, the event marked the official launch of the #Road2Belem Action Plan—a unified effort to develop a bold African Youth Climate Justice Statement and raise funds for over 50 young leaders to travel to COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where they will present the statement and advocate for climate equity on the global stage.

“As we head toward COP 30 in Belém, African and African Diaspora youth are building a collective platform that demands climate equity, economic transformation, and environmental sovereignty,” said Illai Kenney, managing director of the HBCU Green Fund.

To carry this effort forward, the HBCU Green Fund’s Sustainable Africa Future Network and its partners will organize a series of virtual roundtables, strategy sessions, and digital campaigns leading up to COP30. These engagements will provide space for broader youth participation and shape the final Climate Justice Statement that youth will deliver in person at the global summit.

“We are issuing an urgent call to organizations, activists, and key actors around the world to sign on and support this vital declaration,” said Vanessa Ngunjiri, of Udgoon Sustainable Development Initiative in Kenya. “Youth can sign on to the statement and the public can contribute to the campaign at hbcugreenfund.org.”

The urgency of this year’s initiative is heightened by the outcomes of COP 29, where international negotiators made significant progress in formalizing Loss and Damage financing mechanisms—a hard-won victory for climate-vulnerable nations. Youth leaders are now pushing to ensure these commitments translate into direct resources for grassroots and youth-led solutions across Africa and the Diaspora.

“A 2024 UNEP report found that 88% of global loss and damage from climate impacts Africa, yet only 2% of global climate finance reaches the continent,” said Denise Ayebare, founder of Better Life International in Uganda.

“We contribute the least to global greenhouse gas emissions but suffer the most severe consequences of climate change,” said Lucky Abeng, founder of the EcoSteward Humanitarian Foundation in Nigeria. “This injustice is a driving force behind our demands for loss and damage funding, debt cancellation, and direct investment in African-led solutions.”

African Youth Climate Justice demand for immediate fulfillment and expansion of Loss and Damage commitments, cancellation of climate-related debt, and direct funding to grassroots youth initiatives. In addition, they called for ending neocolonial carbon offset schemes, ensuring equitable representation, and protecting Indigenous lands and forests through local governance and stewardship and investment in youth-led renewable energy, agroecology, and sustainable industries, with clear pathways for training and employment.

“This initiative represents more than a statement—it’s a movement. We’re building the infrastructure for sustained youth leadership in climate justice across the African continent and Diaspora,” said Saustine Lusanzu, Earthcare Foundation in Tanzania.

This Earth Day convening continues the HBCU Green Fund’s long-standing commitment to youth climate leadership. For more than a decade, the organization has sponsored and prepared youth delegates from countries across Africa to participate in annual UN climate conferences. Its annual pre-COP programming equips the next generation of environmental justice advocates with the tools to influence international policy and push for systemic change.

By Henry Neondo

The Government of Kenya announced Wednesday to have submitted its second Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), outlining its climate change blueprint for the period 1st January, 2031 to 31st December, 2035.

According to Dr Deborah Barasa, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Kenya has successfully met its submission deadline of 30th April 2025, which demonstrates its unwavering dedication and commitment to advancing it global climate action.

“The NDC underscores Kenya’s continued commitment to bold, inclusive and fast forward looking climate action, despite increasing global uncertainty,” said Dr Barasa.

She said this NDC was developed through a comprehensive, whole-of-society approach engaging a diverse range of stakeholders ensuring it captures the country’s diverse perspectives and aspirations.

Under the new NDCs, Kenya government commits to a Climate-Resilient Vision where livelihoods, communities, socio-economic sectors, infrastructure and ecosystems, will thrive despite the current and projected impacts of climate change. The NDC outlines bold adaptation measures, as well as loss and damage measures aligned to this vision.

In addition, the country commits to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 35% by 2035, compared to the Business As Usual (BAU) projection of 215 Million tons of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (MtCO2eq). This translates to an emissions reduction of 75.25 Million tons of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (MtCO2eq) by 2035.

To achieve this target, Kenya will however have to mobilize domestic resources, and deliver 20% of the emission reductions while seeking for international support, including finance, investments, technology development and transfer, and capacity building, as well as participation in carbon markets to achieve the remaining 80%.

It is estimated that Kenya needs USD.56 Billion for Mitigation and Adaptation actions across sectors from 1st January, 2031 till 31st December, 2035, of which, depending on national circumstances, approximately 19% (USD 10.5Billion, at USD2.1Billion per year) of this budget will be from domestic sources.

The implementation of this Kenya’s New Nationally Determined Contribution (2031-2035) is expected to drive transformative economic development and innovation, and inclusive growth across key sectors of the Kenyan economy.

Dr Barasa noted that since the NDC implementation period extends beyond Kenya Vision 2030, it will be revised to align with the country’s forthcoming Long-Term Development Vision once finalized.

She reaffirmed the country’s leadership in global climate change and called upon the international community to support this bold and ambitious agenda which aims to unlock sustainable development opportunities.

In a powerful virtual gathering held under the banner “Africa Unmuted: Powering Climate Action for COP30”, leading voices from law, youth leadership, and mental health advocacy converged to map out integrated strategies for Africa’s climate future.

The webinar, hosted on April 4, 2025, spotlighted bold, interdisciplinary solutions designed to amplify African perspectives. Speakers emphasized the urgent need for legal empowerment, youth-led innovation, and community-based mental health approaches to climate resilience.

Environmentalist and public interest advocate Priscilla Ibadin underscored the importance of robust legal frameworks in advancing climate justice.

She called for widespread legal reforms that prioritize public interest litigation, access to justice, and indigenous knowledge systems. “Law is not just a system of control—it can be a powerful tool for resistance and restoration,” she stated.

Climate advocate Justin Tanyi championed youth leadership as central to Africa’s climate agenda. He called for deeper investment in youth capacity building, digital advocacy, and eco-entrepreneurship. “Young people are not the future—they are the now. Their ideas and energy are reshaping climate discourse across the continent,” he said.

Public health researcher Mureithi Melvin drew critical connections between climate change and mental health, citing increasing cases of anxiety, depression, and trauma caused by environmental shocks. He introduced Mental Health Literacy (MHL) as a strategic tool to build emotionally resilient communities. “A climate-smart Africa must also be a mentally strong Africa,” he urged.

The meeting called for cross-sector collaboration to ensure African voices influence global climate policies and for inclusive systems that recognize the interconnectedness of environmental justice, youth empowerment, and mental health well-being.