THE INFLUENCE OF POLITICS IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

BY

CAXTON GITONGA KAUA

caxtonk2008@yahoo.com

WANAGARI MAATHAI INSTITUTE FOR PEACE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Politics

• Activities associated with the governance of a country or other area

• Activities related to influencing actions and policies of a government

• Encompasses conflicts between parties and individuals hoping to achieve power

• Opinions one has about what a government should do i.e. political thoughts

• Relationships within a group that allows certain people to govern

• Academic study of government and the state

Levels of government in Kenya

Kenya is generally divided into two levels of government

These include the county and the national government

The two levels are interdependent and distinct

The role of national government in environmental management include: • Use of transboundary resources • Making national legal and policy frameworks • Protection of the environment for sustainable development • Disaster management

The county government roles include: • Control of pollution and other public nuisances • Implementation of environmental legislation at county level e.g. soil and water conservation

and forestry • Coordinating community participation in environmental management • Coming up with local environmental by laws

Role of government in environmental matters The government has various roles that it accomplishes through designated lead agencies

These include:

• Ensure sustainable use and management of the environment and natural resources

• Ensure equitable distribution of natural resource benefits

• Utilize natural resources for the benefit of Kenyans

• Protect intellectual property rights of indigenous communities biodiversity and genetic resources

• Encourage public participation in environmental management

Role of government in environmental matters cont’d • Protection of environment and natural resources

• Establish a system of EIA, EA and environmental monitoring

• Formulation of environmental legal and policy frameworks

• Develop institutional frameworks for environmental management

• Compliance and enforcement

• Funding of environmental management initiatives

• Implementation of international agreements the government is party to

Political vested interests in environmental matters • Leads to subjectivity i.e. decisions are biased to the interests of a few • Decisions made not for environmental integrity but for political ends e.g. to

please ones political constituency or pay political debts • Influences environmental legislations which can either be positive as in the

case of Greens or negative • Leads to corruption in environmental management e.g. hiring of personnel

or distribution of resources based on affiliations • Lack of political will can lead to low support of environmental management

e.g. low budgetary allocations • Marginalization of parties having little political clout e.g. the minority

groups • Lead to conflicts in resource as environment is used as the playground for

political contests and feuds • Has implications on environmental legislations • Implications on enforcement and compliance

Case studies of some environmental policies

EMCA 1999 (Amended 2015) • Is the overall framework for environmental management in Kenya • Aims at achieving legal and administrative coordination in environmental

management • Entitles every person in Kenya with the right to a healthy and clean environment • Provides powers of standing to anyone whose right to a clean and healthy

environment is contravened • Provides incentives to encourage sound environmental management • Provides for EIA, EA and monitoring of development projects to avoid negative

impacts on environment • Provides for strategic environmental assessment of plans, programs and policies • Provides for environmental quality standards and their enforcement • Provides for the protection of traditional interest of communities settled in an area

EMCA Cont’d • Establishes NEMA as the apex body for environmental management in Kenya

• Provides for county environmental committees for overseeing environmental management at the local levels

• Establishes the national environmental council for policy formulation and setting directions under the act

• Formation of the public complaints committee to investigate public complaints

• Establishes the national environmental action planning committee to develop five year environmental management plans

• Establishes the national environmental trust fund to support environmental management e.g. in research, awards, capacity building, scholarship grants etc.

• Provides for the national environmental restoration fund to support mitigation of environmental degradation where the perpetrator is unknown and where NEMAs intervention is needed

The constitution

• Chapter four under the rights and freedoms in article 42 provides for the right to a clean and healthy environment

• Chapter five, article 69 provides for the role of the government in environmental management

• Article 62 directs the parliament to establish courts with high court status to address environmental issues i.e. the land and environment court

The forest conservation and management bill, 2014

• Provides for the sustainable management of all forests in Kenya

• Provides for the formation of KFS to manage forests in Kenya

• Has provision for community participation in forest management

• In this way it provides for formation of community forest associations

• Provides incentives and support to increase forest cover in Kenya

• Sets the stage for enforcement and compliance with its requirements

• This is by description of offences in the sector and stipulation of penalties

The wildlife conservation and management act, 2013

• Provides for the sustainable management of wildlife in Kenya • Provides for the formulation of five year strategic plans for the management of the

wildlife sector in Kenya • Provides for formation of the KWS to manage Kenyas wildlife resources • It provides for the establishment of county conservation and compensation

committees • Provides for the formation of a wildlife endowment fund for wildlife management

incentives, protection, research and training • Provides for establishment of the Kenya wildlife service research and training

institute • Provides for management of human wildlife conflicts • Provides for wildlife conservation orders, easements and incentives • Provides for enforcement and compliance by defining offences and setting of

penalties under the act

The water bill, 2014

• Provides for the regulation, management and development of water resources and sewerage services

• Vests water resources to the national government in the interest of Kenyans

• Bestows on every Kenyan the right to clean and safe water and in adequate amounts

• Establishes the water regulation authority to regulate use and management of water resources

• Establishes the water sector trust fund to support water development and management

• Establishes the water disputes tribunal to hear and determine appeals under the water sector

Political movements affecting environmental management

These encompass the environmental movements and green political parties

Environmental movements are those that address environmental issues e.g. The Greenbelt movement and Green peace movement

Environmental movements may be scientific, political or social in nature

Green parties are those that uphold principles and values of green politics

Green politics is a political ideology that aims to create an ecologically sustainable society

The Greenbelt Movement

Started in 1977 by Prof. Wangari Maathai

Based on influence of the environmental movement observations in the West

In response to the problems women encountered due to environmental degradation, disempowerment and erosion of traditional values in Kenya

Uses an inclusive community based approach to empower communities and improve their livelihoods

Activities include tree planting, climate change, advocacy

Also gender and livelihoods, community education and empowerment

Greenbelt Movement achievements

Achievement of the Greenbelt movement include:

• Creation of environmental awareness in Kenyas’ communities

• Fostering inclusiveness in environmental decision making

• Review of environmental policy to ensure they address community needs and recognize them e.g. the forest act

• Protection of vital ecosystems in Kenya e.g. Karura Forest and green spaces e.g. Uhuru park and Jevanjee Gardens in Nairobi

• Has inspired growth of the environmental movement in Kenya

• Improvement of community livelihoods and women empowerment

• Revitalization of traditional values for environmental management

Green peace Movement

Started in 1971 by Canadian green activists including Dorothy and David Stowe

Activities in over 40 countries with HQ in Amsterdam, Holland

Has principle not to accept government funding

Funded by over 2.9 million well wishers and funding grants

Its approaches include direct action, lobbying and research

Has received criticism due to its activities that have some times lead to legal action against its members

Focusses on worldwide environmental issues including climate change, deforestation, overfishing, nuclear issues and genetic engineering

Green peace achievements

These include:

• Initiated the INGO accountability charter

• Has raised environmental issues to public knowledge globally

• Has catalyzed an energy revolution towards clean energy in response to issues such as climate change

• Defending of the oceans from poor exploitation practices e.g. overfishing

• Protection of worlds indigenous forests that are important habitats for biodiversity

• Working for disarmament and peace especially in regard to nuclear weapons

• Campaigned for reduced dependence on finite resources

• Campaigned for socially and ecologically responsible sustainable agriculture

• Creation of a toxin free future with promotion of alternative nonhazardous chemicals

Green political parties of Europe

Started taking shape in the 1970s

Exist in nearly 90% of world countries

Their platform embraces social democratic economic policies

In Europe the parties formed the European green party in 2004 to act as their federation

Are members of the global greens an international network of green parties formed in 2001

They work to implement the Global green charter

This is based on principles of social justice, sustainability, non violence, participatory democracy and ecological wisdom

Its important to note that even other parties e.g. in Britain are espousing green principles

Examples of Europe's Green political parties Examples of Green political parties in Europe include:

• The Green party of Albania

• The German social democrats

• The greens in France

• Italys’ federation of greens

• Norways’ green party

• The Danish socialist peoples party

• The green parties of England and Wales, Scotland and North Ireland

• Greeces’ Ecologist greens

• The Union of greens of Russia

• The polish greens etc.

Conclusion

Politics is part and parcel of environmental management

This calls for integration of political and environmental aspects in environmental management

It also calls for proper understanding of legislations and other political aspects in order to ensure effective and sustainable management processes