GBM Blog

The impacts on human development are presented by climate change models as uncertain. These impacts are presented as occurring in the medium to long term, and on a regional or international scale. More recently, however, climate change is moving onto development agendas as greater emphasis is placed on changes that are already occurring.

As mentioned above, there is acknowledgement that is already bound into a certain degree of change by existing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Consequently, greater scientific and non-scientific field-based evidence has emerged on contemporary changes in climate and their impact on poverty reduction goals

We must improve our understanding of how climate change affects people’s vulnerability, and the challenges of coping with change. Such an understanding is crucial not only for sustaining poverty reduction, but also for informing advocacy efforts to get more urgent action on

Current climate change policies and actions in Kenya, and world-wide, do not provide effective support for community engagement in decision making, nor sustainable livelihoods and environmental conservation. It is because of this that the Green Belt Movement has a Climate Change Programme that aims at strengthening the understanding and capacity of rural communities to take action against climate change. As well as raise awareness nationally on the role of local communities and forests in tackling climate change.

Communities living in arid areas learning some of the adaptation skills that could improve productivity of their farming systems

Additionally, the organization has been engaging in climate change activities especially focusing on increasing understanding of climate change and forests (REDD+) approaches both at the local community and national  level in Kenya in terms of action and rights, and at policy decision makers, providing them with the information needed to take informed decisions about forests. At community level, the communities have been engaged in practical REDD+ activities which are related to Mitigation and Adaptation initiatives. Some of the REDD+ initiatives that the communities have been implementing are use of alternative energy for heating and cooking as an incentive to reduce deforestation. The communities are taken through climate change workshops with emphasis on mitigation and adaptation in their local context and are supported to implement adaptation and mitigation strategies.