Kenya Youth Engagement in Climate

Change Mitigation Adaptation

through Environmental Education

Practice

Brian Waswala

Youth Coordinator - RCE Greater Nairobi

First RCE Thematic Conference: Towards Achieving the SDGs

5-7 December 2017, Okayama, Japan

brianmarv@gmail.com / coordinator-rcegn@ku.ac.ke

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Selected impacts of climate change in Kenya

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Increased drought incidents / water scarcity Increased crop failure and famine

Increased vector and water-borne diseases Increased human-wildlife conflicts Increased natural resource conflicts esp. water

& pasture

Attributed to:

• Poor policy guides and lack of enforcement

• Non-inclusiveness in policy development and implementation

• Lack of / inadequate sustainable development education

• Competing sectors of the economy

• Lack of sustainability champions

• Education is theory designed with no / limited practicability

• Most research is academic, limited solutions to emerging problems / scenarios3

Established in 2012

Caucus of transdisciplinary youth volunteers – youth as untapped / under-recognised agents of change

Vision:

To be the leading force for sustainability and a hub for student engagement in championing Sustainable

Development in Kenya and beyond

Mission:

To inspire, inform, motivate and empower students to create sustainable communities around them.

We champion practical action-oriented remedies to mitigate climate change through formal, non-formal and

informal education.

Case projects / initiatives:

Adapt-a-forest-initiative, the Kenya Green University Network; and promotion of green-building standards.

More info: http://wscsd-kenya.wscsd.org/4

The Adopt-a-Forest-Initiative

• Kenya’s tree cover approximated at less than 4%• Hinders achievement of various UN SDGs (SDG 13, 14, 15)• Seeks to restore and increase acreage forest and river ecosystems in Kenya• Use student organised associations, students and youth commitment• Conducted within formal institutions – sustainability reporting

Achievements:o Greening the under-utilized on-campus land resources;o Promoting green entrepreneurship (SDG 1);o Food security (SDG 2) through agroforestry and apiculture;o Enhanced capacity for communities in environmental resilience, especiallyfor women, youth and marginalised communities;

o Promotion of fuel-efficient cook stoves and briquettes production asalternative fuel-wood energy sources (SDG 7 and 12).

Over 20 tree nurseries have been set up in five universities, and 10,000 trees planted on or near Kenyan campuses.

Website: http://wscsd-kenya.wscsd.org/199-2/5

Kenya Green University Network

• Universities are centres of excellence and should impact theirspheres of influence

• Most universities do not promote sustainable developmenteducation, within student learning

• Through policy design and implementation, youth in collaborationwith UN Environment, the National Environment managementAuthority and the Commission of University Educationchampioned the formation of the Kenya Green UniversityNetwork (February 2016).

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Website link:

http://web.unep.org/africa/news/kenya-green-universities-network-launched-

promote-sustainability-practices-higher-education

Outputs Incorporation of low carbon-climate resilience developmentstrategies and sustainability aspects in Kenya’s higher educationinstitutions’ training, campus operations and student activities(Sustainability policies and Sustainability Literacy Test:https://www.sulitest.org/en/index.html);

Catalysing and raising the need for more sustainable universities;

Fostering student eco-innovations and acquisition of relevant skillsfor sustainable local communities; and

Promoting the adoption of green schools and universities.

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8Kenya Green University Network Launch – 5 Feb 2016

WE are achieving the following:

Positive behaviour and attitude change towards environmentalsustainability due to life-long learning in natural resourcemanagement;

Development of green building standards that are eco-friendly –promoting use of ambient lighting; alternative building material;surface rain-water collection; recycling and waste watertreatment; solar water heating and green spaces; and

Sharing of best practices and upscale these initiatives to TVETs,secondary and primary school initiatives.

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African Environmental Education and Training Action

Plan (AEETAP)

• Inadequate and uncoordinated environmental awareness

adversely contributes to environmental degradation;

• Developed to promote capacity development for future

professionals on environmental education

• Policy document facilitating and promoting

environmental awareness, education and training.

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AEETAP advocates for:

• Ecosystem resource management;

• Communication and dissemination of environmental material

in all forms of education;

• Increased disaster risk management;

• Holistic waste management;

• Spatial planning and urban design through green campus

designs;

• Sustainable tourism and efficient transport; and

• Water and sanitation, among other green practices.

Website: http://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/14063

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UN Habitat III Conference

Youth Climate Change Initiatives in relation to Kenya’s National and UN Agenda

United Nations Environment AssemblyResolution 2/3: Investing in human capacity for

sustainable development through environmental

education and training

UN Sustainability Accord: http://www.sdgaccord.org/

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Opportunities and Lessons Learnt

• Promote bottom-up approaches for CC adaptation and mitigation through

awareness

• Access to climate funding – invest on efficient technologies and good

practices

• Promote public-private partnerships on capacity development

• Promote conservation of ecosystem services

• Delve into green technology research and clean energy, food and water

efficiency

• Offer cost efficient solutions – reduce on food waste, use of biogas

• Use students as conduits of data collection and analysis, to advice policy

& standards16

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“Every action that promotes a sustainable future, however small, has an impact;

Even a pebble, can cause ripples on an ocean”

Brian Waswala