CSTI Climate change position statement:
Climate Change is no longer an obscure topic that scientific researchers are examining. Climate Change has become that nagging and often abrupt reminder that we have to focus on health and well-being.
We have always known pollution and toxins are a bad thing. Just like addicts who refuse to give up drugs that are killing them even when offered a better alternative lifestyle, we have refused to make a complete switch to cleaner methods of production and manufacturing even though they are now commercially viable. We have refused to plan for the development of human settlements (cities, towns, villages) in a way that is healthy for the planet.
We have refused to train everyone on new skills that can propel economic growth for generations to come. Just like addicts who face a shorter lifespan if they don't give up regular use of drugs, as a human species, we face a shorter lifespan if we don't switch to clean production. We won't need to worry about jobs or political parties because we will be too occupied trying to stay alive in the midst of hurricanes, flooding, and famine from droughts.
There is no need to put ourselves through agony when we have both the technological and human capability to make changes that can improve our lives and the lives of future generations. Changing towards cleaner production is easier than trying to survive against climate related natural disasters. We can choose to spend our money on disaster relief after disaster relief or we can choose to spend our money on clean technologies and green infrastructure that will prolong our lifespan and economic productivity.
Trustee Board Member Evans Kituyi
What 1.5°C increase means for Kenya and Africa
IPCC Report Findings
Five of these [findings] particularly stand out for developing countries.
First, there is very high risk that under current greenhouse gas emission trajectories and national pledges, global warming will exceed the 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels.
Secondly, the 1.5°C global warming limit is being approached very quickly, and is expected to be reached within a decade or by 2040 at the latest. This points to challenges for adaptation at local scales.
Third, even if global warming is effectively limited to 1.5°C, climatic trends and changing extreme events in oceans and over land imply appreciable climate risks for ecosystems and human societies that will be larger than today. This is especially so for individuals and communities experiencing multidimensional poverty and persistent vulnerabilities.
Fourth, the number of people affected by multiple climate change risks could double if global temperature rises by 2°C, compared to a rise of 1.5°C. Similarly, economic development is bound to be significantly affected by exceeding the adaptive capacity of vulnerable systems at temperature increases higher than 2°C.
Lastly, to meet the 1.5°C or even the 2°C target will be a difficult task. For many scientists, these targets are technically feasible but politically or socially unrealistic. These call for slowing the pace of warming and to invest in resilience to the unavoidable warming already locked into the climate system. It implies transformational adaptation and mitigation, behaviour change, supportive institutional arrangements and multi-level governance.
Top Level Policy Action Steps to Resolve the Problem
Examples could include climate-proofing of key commodity value chains and scaling up adoption of innovations such as devolved climate funds that have recently been piloted in places like Isiolo County. Other counties already ahead of the pack with climate-resilient initiatives with simultaneous sustainable development benefits include Makueni and Laikipia that have adopted community-driven activities in the crop and livestock sectors. Kenya can do its part by mobilising both national and county governments to implement its National Climate Change Action Plan 2018-2022, one of the most progressive plans in the world.
Climate Change affects us across all the titles that represent what we do in our lives. Multidisciplinary collaboration enables us to create more holistic solutions. Think of the richness in perspective as you watch
Prof Shem Wandiga, FRSC (Fellow Royal Society of Chemistry - UK), EBS (Elder of the Burning Spear - Kenya)
Ag Director, University of Nairobi Institute of Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA)
Managing Trustee, Centre for Science and Technology Innovations (CSTI)
Inorganic Chemist with specialization in environmental research
Dad, grandpa and great grandpa (-:
along with
John Kioli, Chariman, Kenya Climate Change Working Group
Executive Director, Green Africa Foundation
James Oduor, CEO, National Drought Management Authority
participating in NTV-Kenya's 40 minute panel discussion explaining Climate Change, the meaning of the recent IPCC 1.5C report / warning, Paris Agreement (COP21), Kenya's 0.1% share in global emissions and targeted 35% reduction, green house gases (GHGs) and their sources, heat absorption and climate variability, increasing drought and desertification in Kenya, sea level increases, economic impacts, carbon taxation (Kenya's fuel tax as a broad based surcharge that enables each individual to decide how much emissions they will/will not generate), County Development Plans, affordable substitutions (paraffin lamps for solar lamps), Big 4 Agenda and the need for integrated approaches across industry sectors as well as risk management.
Trustee Board Member Cecilia Wandiga
By focusing on Creating Shared Value, we are able to combine the efforts of scientific/academic research, with the propagation of Citizen Science, Social Enterprise, proactive corporations shifting to new ways, impact investors, and non-profits. It will take all our combined intelligence and skills to change our existing job and production models into models that deliver increased health and well-being while simultaneously eradicating poverty and improving economic growth.
CSTI Kenya Circular Bio-Economy for Sustainable Urban-Rural Regenerative Material Flows
The aim is to deliver response mechanisms in alignment with the Kenya Climate Change Act of 2016. We work with partners who want ensure sustainable economic growth by accelerating the transition towards production and consumption solutions that utilize renewable energy, recyled and recaptured materials, reduced emissions, reduced toxins while simultaneously improving affordability and quality of life.
In conjunction with the University of Nairobi Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation and the Kenya National Academy of Sciences, we are a knowledge creation and dissemination platform that translates successful local pilots into replicable frameworks aligned with the Global Green Growth Institute's (GGGI's) five thematic areas for green cities and climate action communities:
GGI Win-Win Strategies for Climate Action
GGGI Webinar (1hr 43min): Doing Less for More - Rebuilding Capital in a Circular Economy
1. Mainstreaming green growth into economic development and land use planning by improving the management industry and infrastructure through the use of green / blue technology innovation
2. Resource efficient low carbon and low toxin communities through the proliferation of commercially viable green chemistry and industrial biotechnology solutions that balance urban-rural material flows and improve impacts
3. Zero landfill by managing waste as a resource using the RESOLVE (Regenerate, Share, Optimise, Loop, Virtualise, Exchange) framework for sustainable circular bio-economy production and consumption
4. Integrated coordination of distributed manufacturing, transportation, energy, water, sanitation and waste networks through blockchain traceability of resource production and consumption
5. Connected and healthy communities of practice focused on through the development of applied skills for improving sustainable health and safety by linking process optimization, monitoring and benchmarking, social enterprise, and, design thinking into daily practice
CSTI strives to improve sustainable economic growth by serving as a convenor of innovators, investors, policy makers, scientists, industry leaders, and, community leaders who use data driven models and open source resource sharing to build capacity for healthy and interdependent communities with inclusive economies that benefit all socio-economic strata and address the needs of the underserved.
Theory of Change
We aim to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by developing actionable pathways towards
SDG 13 Climate Action - ensuring climate related impact measurement and risk mitigation is at the forefront of all planning activities
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities - identifying adaptation strategies for high risk human activities that are contributing towards excess flooding, drought, pollution, resource scarcity and toxicity.
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals - establishing revenue sharing and resource sharing partnerships that drive the successful implementation of the outlined activities
SDG 3 Good Health and Wellbeing - establishing baseline health and wellbeing metrics with the goal of bi-annual Factor 10 improvement through 2050
SDG 4 Quality Education - disseminate best practices in sustainable manufacturing and sustainable livelihoods while leveraging Eco-Tourism networks that provide access to Green / Blue Economy and Transformative Technology Learning Communities around the world
SDG 5 Gender Equality - ensure the active participation of women in leadership roles and technology development
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy - create financially viable Pay-as-You-Go hybrid micro grid models that integrate solar with location optimized lignocellulosic biorefinery supply chains for biomass fuels
SDG 9 Industry Innovation and Infrastructure - reverse the negative impacts of construction, manufacturing and the expansion of human settlements by ensuring material flows do not exceed the organic capacity to regenerate
SDG 8 Decent work and Economic Growth - create a skills conversion mapping of linear economy to circular bio-economy knowledge realms and applications
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production - utilize design thinking and community engagement to transform system inefficiencies into value added opportunities for transformation towards sustainability
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities - design solutions by focusing on integrating underserved groups with mainstream systems (e.g. token community currencies pegged to legal tender, ICT 4 development)
SDG 1 No Poverty - improve the ability of low income individuals to access safe and legal revenue generation opportunities that are based on living wage standards
SDG 2 Zero Hunger - share best practices on climate smart agriculture, regenerative agro-forestry (including urban), and conservation farming
SDG 14 Life Below Water - eliminate runoffs and the discharge of pollutants into natural water systems
SDG 15 Life on Land - reduce emissions and improve rain water harvesting by promoting the use of Earth Architecture and Natural Infrastructure Management
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions - promulgate policies and best practices that ensure indigenous knowledge rights while simultaneously creating collaborative benefits sharing agreements and optimizing natural resource management
SDG 13 Hatua kwa Mazingira - kuhakikisha kipimo cha athari zinazohusiana na hali ya hewa na kupunguza hatari ni mstari wa mbele katika shughuli zote za kupanga.
SDG 11 Mijina Jami Endelevu - kutambua mikakati ya kukabiliana na shughuli za binadamu zilizo hatari sana ambazo zinachangia mafuriko ya ziada, ukame, uchafuzi wa mazingira, uhaba wa rasilimali na sumu.
SDG 17 Ubia Kufikia Malengo - kuanzisha ugavi wa mapato na ubia wa kugawana rasilimali ambao unasukuma utekelezaji wa mafanikio wa shughuli zilizoainishwa.
SDG 3 Afya na Hlibora - kuanzisha vipimo vya msingi vya afya na ustawi kwa lengo la uboreshaji wa kila mwaka wa Factor 10 hadi 2050
SDG 4 Elimu Bora - kusambaza mbinu bora katika utengenezaji endelevu na maisha endelevu huku tukitumia mitandao ya Utalii wa Kiikolojia ambayo hutoa ufikiaji wa Uchumi wa Kijani / Bluu na Jumuiya za Mafunzo ya Teknolojia ya Mabadiliko kote ulimwenguni.
SDG 5 Usawa wa Kijinsia - kuhakikisha ushiriki hai wa wanawake katika majukumu ya uongozi na maendeleo ya teknolojia
SDG 7 Nishati Safina Nafuu - unda miundo ya gridi ndogo ya Pay-as-You-Go inayoweza kutegemewa ambayo inaunganisha nishati ya jua na eneo lililoboreshwa la minyororo ya kusafisha kibayolojia ya lignocellulosic kwa nishati ya mimea.
SDG 9 Viwanda Ubunifu na Miundombinu - kubadili athari mbaya za ujenzi, utengenezaji na upanuzi wa makazi ya watu kwa kuhakikisha mtiririko wa nyenzo hauzidi uwezo wa kikaboni wa kuzaliwa upya.
SDG 8 Ajira Stahifuna na Ukuaji wa Uchumi - tengeneza uundaji wa uboreshaji wa ustadi wa uchoraji ramani wa uchumi wa mstari hadi nyanja za maarifa na matumizi ya bio-uchumi
SDG 12 Matumizi na Uzalishaji Bora - kutumia mawazo ya kubuni na ushiriki wa jamii ili kubadilisha upungufu wa mfumo kuwa fursa za kuongeza thamani kwa ajili ya mabadiliko kuelekea uendelevu.
SDG 10 Kupunguza Tofauti - tengeneza suluhu kwa kulenga kuunganisha vikundi ambavyo havijahudumiwa vyema na mifumo ya kawaida (k.m. sarafu ya ishara ya jumuiya iliyoainishwa kwenye zabuni ya kisheria, maendeleo ya ICT 4)
SDG 1 Hakuna Umaskini - kuboresha uwezo wa watu wa kipato cha chini kufikia fursa salama na za kisheria za kuzalisha mapato ambayo yanazingatia viwango vya ujira wa maisha.
SDG 2 Hakuna Njaa - shiriki mbinu bora za kilimo bora cha hali ya hewa, kilimo cha misitu cha regenerative (pamoja na mijini), na kilimo hifadhi
SDG 14 Uhai Majini - ondoa mtiririko na utiririshaji wa uchafuzi kwenye mifumo ya asili ya maji
SDG 15 Uhai Juu ya Ardhi - punguza uzalishaji na kuboresha uvunaji wa maji ya mvua kwa kukuza matumizi ya Usanifu wa Ardhi na Usimamizi wa Miundombinu Asilia.
SDG 16 Amani, Haki na Taasisi Imara - tangaza sera na mazoea bora ambayo yanahakikisha haki za maarifa asilia wakati huo huo kuunda makubaliano ya ushirikiano wa kugawana faida na kuboresha usimamizi wa maliasili.