by Peter Mutai
NAIROBI, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Monday launched an action plan that will guide the transition of the country toward a low-carbon climate resilient sustainable development.
Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources Judi Wakhungu said National Climate Change Action Plan 2018-2022 will help mainstream climate change and disaster risk reduction actions in development programs.
"We have come face to face with the unprecedented challenge of climate change impacts and the corresponding socio-economic losses, hence the need to re-strategize on our way forward," Wakhungu said during the launch in Nairobi.
The 2018-2022 plan, intended to help address all sectors of the economy, will set out actions for mainstreaming climate change responses into sector functions, identify all actions required as enablers to climate change response and to review and determine mechanisms for climate change knowledge management and access to information.
"We hope to work together to enhance our understanding of the risks and opportunities and find innovative and effective ways to address the climate change challenge in a manner that will result in a climate resilient and a secured future for Kenya," said Wakhungu.
She said that Kenya, like many African countries, remains highly vulnerable to climate change impacts and its impacts continue to be felt by communities around the world.
Wakungu noted that climate change is not only a threat to the achievement of sustainable development and poverty reduction but has the potential to reverse the modest gains that Kenya has achieved toward attaining the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
"These manifestations of climate change constitute a serious threat to Kenya's sustainable development and future prosperity," she added.
Even though climate change continues to undermine Kenya's development, the country has continued to make significant progress in efforts to address it both locally and internationally.
Kenya now has a law on climate change, the Climate Change Act 2016, that provides an enabling environment for implementation of both domestic and international obligations.
Wakhungu said Kenya has ratified the Paris Agreement and submitted its Nationally Determined Contribution, which commits Kenya to taking steps toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by the year 2030.
Kenya set up a task force that is composed of climate change experts from the public, private sectors and development partners.
"The task force shall be informed by scientific knowledge about climate change, technology and technological innovations relevant to climate change and the likely impact of the action plans, strategies and policies on the marginalized and disadvantaged communities, " said Director of Climate Change Programs at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Pacifica Gogol.
The team will also look into the indigenous knowledge related to climate change and international law and policy relating to climate change, Gogol said.
