LEADERS ACROSS THE WORLD GATHER AT COP26 TO DISCUSS URGENT ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Extreme weather conditions and high record temperatures are pushing the planet to dangerous climate catastrophe, that needs urgent aversion. The need to create a better environment for our future has never been more clearer. This week, around 120 leaders from all over the world, attended the launch of the COP26 at Glasgow – to help determine whether humanity can drive change and urgent action towards climate change. 

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who attended the summit, urged world leaders to work together with Kenya to improve the development of clean technologies and sustainable solutions towards green energy. Addressing a COP26 event on ‘Accelerating Clean Technology, Innovation and Deployment’, he said, “We join the World in launching the Breakthrough Agenda. Kenya is committed to work together with other countries to accelerate the development and deployment of clean (energy) technologies and sustainable solutions.

Specifically, we endorse the proposed Glasgow breakthroughs pertaining to Power and Green hydrogen in the energy sector and look forward to transitioning and eventually exiting from use of coal to clean power,” President Kenyatta said.

At the World Leaders Summit, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged the first major deal during the ‘Action on Forests and Land Use’ event. “We have to stop the devastating loss of our forests, these great, teeming eco-systems, three trillion pillared cathedrals of nature that are the lungs of our planet and the destruction together with agriculture and other change of land use that accounts for almost a quarter of all global emissions,” Boris said. 

As part of the UK’s Clean Green Initiative, Boris also announced a funding package and pledged to support the rollout of sustainable infrastructure and revolutionary green technology in developing countries. The package guarantees to the World Bank and the African Development Bank to provide £2.2bn ($3bn) for investments in climate-related projects in India, supporting India’s target to achieve 450 GW of renewable energy installed capacity by 2030, and across Africa.

The event that brought together renowned leaders, experts and various alliances – government, corporate and nonprofit – was instrumental in pushing the message home to everyone. World marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge also addressed the conference, urging Western countries to work with Kenya to achieve sustainable climate change. 

Kenya was among 105 countries that promised to end and reverse deforestation by 2030. In the past, Kenya has demonstrated its ability to achieve its development while using green and renewable energy. The President noted that renewable energy currently accounts for 73% of Kenya’s installed power generation capacity while 90% of electricity in use is from green sources among them geothermal, wind, solar and hydro-electric installations. He currently leads the Kenyan delegation, where he has been calling for the rest of the world to help Africa deal with the effects of climate change.  

Attending the summit was Kenyan’s environment and climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti who said, “We need you to respond with courage to the climate and ecological crisis…for these next two weeks – which are so critical for the children, for our species, for so many other living beings – let us step into our hearts.”