Murang’a Governor Mwangi Wa Iria’s Civil Renewal Party of Kenya wants political parties in Kenya to begin taking measures to mitigate climate change.
The party is currently on a mission to plant trees across the country in an effort to address the problem.
According to researchers, planting trees helps absorb greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that fuel climate change.
Over the weekend, the party’s youth league planted 1500 mangrove trees at the Mida Creek conservation area.
Researchers have in the past indicated that while all forests help mitigate climate change, Mangrove forests are best suited as they absorb four times more carbon as compared to terrestrial forests.
Speaking at Mida creek after the exercise, James Mwangi, a senior party official said as a party they have decided to tackle the climate change issue head-on.
”We are aware of the huge role the community plays in mitigation, today we have come to partner with this organization to make sure we also support these women,” he said.
Mwangi added that climate change is an integrated issue with an impact on development adding that the current generation will determine its outcome in the future.
According to Climate Links, Kenya is one of the countries tipped to be largely affected by climate change as the country’s economy is largely dependent on tourism and rain-fed agriculture, two economic activities that are dependent on climatic conditions.
While climate change has been blamed on changing weather patterns and the dwindling of fish stocks at the Kenyan coast, the ripple effects of the changing patterns are already being experienced in the country.
Earlier in the year, millions of desert locusts destroyed thousands of hectares of food crops across counties such as Narok, Kajiado, Samburu and Laikipia.
According to the United Nations Environmental Program(UNEP), abnormal rains blamed on climate change experienced in the normally arid Arabian Desert last year provided a fertile ground for the breeding of the destructive pests.
Mwangi said their campaign is targeting: the Mau forest, Aberdares,Mt Elgon catchment area, Lake Turkana, Lake Paradise in Marsabit.
”Leadership is focusing on real issues, when rivers, water catchment areas are affected cities will die,” he said.
As a party, he said they were ready to partner with all groups to work and ensure the environment is conserved.
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