Global leaders ponder ways to curb pollution
By Fauxile Kibet
Global leaders are pondering ways to curb pollution as one way of ensuring sustainability in conserving the environment.
The leaders are converging in Nairobi Kenya for the third United Nations Environment Assembly that opened Wednesday and runs until Friday 7th December.
Speaking on a side conference ahead of the official opening of the UNEA which has brought together more than 4000 delegates, United Nations General Assembly President Miroslav Lajčák said that protecting the environment in ensuring sustainable development of a country.
“There can be no sustainable development without conservation of forests. Environmental conservation goes a long way in protecting the economy, biodiversity, energy sources, food production and climate change.”
According to Mr. Lajčák, 25% of the global population depend directly on forests for their livelihood and 80% of terrestrial animal species live in forests while forests cover 30% of the earth service.
However the president argues that there is need to find a better solution by enacting good laws, better plans on conservation and better implementations of these plans and laws.
The host nation has already taken drastic measures aimed at preventing pollution by banning manufacture, import and even use of plastic bags in the country.
PLASTIC BAN
While addressing the opening session of the conference Wednesday, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta urged global leaders to show more commitment towards curbing pollution and invited them to copy Kenya’s example of banning us of plastic bags.
“My advice is that nations should not heed the skeptics, who say that all countries cannot protect our planet better by banning plastic carrier bags,” said Mr. Kenyatta.
President Kenyatta also urged the United Nations Environmental Programme to strengthen its functions even as he announced that Kenya will increase its voluntary contributions to the world environmental body.
He also announced that after the plastic ban milestone, Kenya has embarked on organising a major regional anti-pollution forum. Kenya is organising to host the East African Framework Agreement on Air Pollution, building on the Nairobi Agreement of 2008.
AGREEMENT ON AIR POLLUTION
The Nairobi agreement brought together 11 countries to develop actionable targets to address air pollution.
“In furthering the Agreement on Air Pollution, we hope to repeat the success we have achieved with the ban of plastic carrier bags, and we look forward to global support in this effort,” said the President.
Kenya has also started bidding for the hosting of the second United Nations Oceans Conference in 2020. The first conference was held in New York in June this year.
The President of Guyana, David Ganger, and the President of Trinidad and Tobago, Anthony Carmona, who spoke at the assembly praised Kenya for implementing the ban on plastic packaging.
President Carmona said through the plastic ban Kenya has become the hope for humanity.
“Nothing stops Kenya from becoming known as the hope of humanity just as it is known as the cradle of humanity,”
He said he learnt with admiration that the ban on plastic bags in Kenya has resulted in renewed growth in paper and jute industries in Kenya.
UN undersecretary and Executive Director of UNEP, Erik Solheim, also praised the Government of Kenya for passing tough laws to control plastic use.