Is Charcoal Burning in Kenya leading to loss of Forest Cover?

Charcoal is a key bio-energy resource in Kenya, providing domestic energy for 82% of urban and 34% of rural households. The charcoal industry also creates jobs for wood producers, charcoal producers, transporters and vendors. The industry reportedly employs almost 1 million people on a part and full-time basis across the value chain (KFS Analysis of the Charcoal Value Chain in Kenya August2013). According to National Environment Policy, 2013 the main human activities contributing to environmental degradation in Kenya include unsustainable land use practices, poor soil and water management practices, deforestation, overgrazing and pollution. These situation analysis does not impeach charcoal burning as the major culprit of environmental degradation in fact as a matter of fact, charcoal burning isn’t the major forest degradation as presumed by people, essentially the major cause of forest degradation in this country is major changes in Land Use practice and duplication/conflict of interest or work by different government Agencies such as the Kenya water Towers, Kenya Forest Services, Kenya Wildlife Service amongst others. Part IX of the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016 prohibit felling, cutting, burning, injuring or removing any forest products however, there is no Kenyan Provision/law barring people from using charcoal yet its illegal to burn charcoal. Now the Big Question remains, what other fuel alternatives would be feasible for our people? Options • Remove all the taxes on LPG to make it affordable for low income earners Kenyans

The Power Of GIS

The economic, social and cultural viability of any nation is mainly determined by the land and water resources that it has, the aesthetic beauty that relates to natural resources is always regarded as the cultural representation of nations. For instance, when one talks about the picture of Africa, the Maasai Mara in Kenya comes into play. However, it is essential for nations to learn how to use these resources in a sustainable manner to ensure that their benefits are enjoyed in the present as well as future generations.thats why Today am celebrating the power of GIS as a game changer in Natural Resource Management. If You need these kind of maps please contacts me. This is A 2D seismic line for hydrocarbon exploration.

Climate models may underestimate future warming on tropical mountains

According to Hilde Eggermont Disappearing glacier: The Lewis glacier on Mt. Kenya has lost 90 percent over the last 75 years. New research suggests future warming on Mt. Kenya and other tropical peaks may happen much faster than climate models currently predict. Climate change are more pronounced on tropical peaks like Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, where centuries-old glaciers have all but melted completely away. Now, new research suggests that future warming on these peaks could be even greater than climate models currently predict. New accurate model needs to be suggested to avert looming massive melting on these giant Africa peaks. I challenge Kenya Climate Innovative Center to devise more methods and innovative ways to predict accurately the changes in global and especially tropical temperatures

Cutting carbon emissions sooner could save 153 million lives

As many as 153 million premature deaths linked to air pollution could be avoided worldwide this century if governments speed up their timetable for reducing fossil fuel emissions, a new study finds. If nations agree to reduce carbon emissions and limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C in the near future rather than postponing the biggest emissions cuts until later, as some governments have proposed, Premature deaths would drop in cities on every inhabited continent, with the greatest gains in saved lives occurring in Asia and Africa. "Since air pollution is something we understand very well and have extensive historical data on, we can say with relatively high certainty how many people will die in a given city under each scenario.Now if this the current situation in Nairobi guess what? In 30 years to come we shall be walking with masks. https://www.sciencedaily.com

Kenya Desert Like

WHAT ARE WE CELEBRATING? WORLD FOREST DAY!!!! Although 75% of the planet is a relatively unchanging ocean of blue, the remaining 25% of Earth's surface is a dynamic green. The darkest green areas are the lushest in vegetation, while the pale colors are areas sparse in vegetation coverd either with snow, rock, effected by drought or urban areas. Satellite data from April 2012 to April 2013 was used to generate incredible animations and images as indicated below. NASA and NOA .

Benefit of Wetland

:Image Source: National Geographic. All around the world, wetlands provide huge benefits, including clean water, ensuring a stable water supply, and providing important habitat to a wide variety of species. Wetlands are also important for disaster risk reduction. Approximately 90 per cent of disasters are caused by water-related hazards, such as floods and droughts. As recognized in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-20301 , wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide are critical to reduce disaster and climate risks and to build resilience to climate extremes. Wetlands are defined as land areas flooded with water, either seasonally or permanently. Along the coastline, wetlands act as a natural buffer against disasters. Inland, they act as a natural sponge, absorbing and storing excess rainfall and reducing flooding. In drought-prone areas, they release the stored water, which helps delay the onset of droughts and reduce water shortages. Healthy wetlands help minimize erosion and storm damage. Healthy wetlands also help communities bounce back. Following a 1999 cyclone that hit Odisha in eastern India, rice paddies protected by mangroves recovered their food production much faster than croplands without the buffer. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that even more extreme events can be expected in the future as a result of climate change. This expected increase in the frequency of climate and weather-related disasters will mean that maintaining wetlands will prove even more

Is climate change real or Hoax

Is climate change real or Hoax In Earth’s history before the Industrial Revolution, Earth’s climate changed due to natural causes not related to human activity. Most often, global climate has changed because of variations in sunlight. Tiny wobbles in Earth’s orbit altered when and where sunlight falls on Earth’s surface. Variations in the Sun itself have alternately increased and decreased the amount of solar energy reaching Earth. Volcanic eruptions have generated particles that reflect sunlight, brightening the planet and cooling the climate. Volcanic activity has also, in the deep past, increased greenhouse gases over millions of years, contributing to episodes of global warming. therefore more studies need to be done to ascertain these theories https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov

The Paradox in Environmental Determinism and Possibilism:

.

Environmental Determinism is essentially "the theory that the physical environment (especially climate) controls human character and behavior and consequently human cultures and societies.This idea gained popularity from about 1870-1915. Environmental Determinism emphasizes the fact that the human world is completely affected by the overwhelming power of the natural and physical world, Whereas Possibilism or "Cultural determinism" "means" that man is a basic actor both in his own conduct and in his fundamental activities thus denying the influence, if any, of the natural elements on man through technological advancement for Example the popular say that goes "God made Earth while man Made Holland" these arguments were supported by a number of scholars including Churchill Semple who supported the idea of Environmental Determinism and others who were on the possiblism like French Philosopher Lucien Febvre. Please give your view on this.................................................Do you support either of these school of thoughts? argue with facts

L. Victoria: Rising water level a blessing and curse to locals.

What does this tells us? is it due to climate change as suggested by different scholars or other factors related human activities or does it mean nature works beyond human understanding? some of the answers as suggested by experts includes; Silting: water level can rise because of silt from areas bordering the lake which leads to deposition of eroded materials into the lake. “This is connected to degraded wetlands around the water catchment areas and around the lake. If the filters are tampered with, deposition will find its way into the lake, which heap on the basement of the lake causing the rise on water level,” Now what are some of the consequences of this and do the counties along the lake have strategies to counter the anticipated impacts.