@elsa_wangeci
Shared by Elsa Wangeci
How do we avert a global water crisis? Here are 5 ways to get started! 💙 Value water 🤝 Share water 🚜 Transform agriculture 🌱 Restore ecosystems 🏗️ Build resilience In 2050, Earth could be home to 10 billion people, but we will not have more freshwater than today. To avert a global crisis, we must immediately change how we use and manage water. Here are five ways to get started. Already today, close to 4 billion people lack sufficient water at least one month per year and the situation is rapidly deteriorating. The combination of climate change, growing demand and a rising global population is putting increasing pressure on the world’s freshwater. Human activities have broken the water cycle – the system that produces and recycles water – and mending it must now be a top priority. 💙 Value water The situation will only improve when we begin to understand the true value of water. All life requires water, it is a finite resource, and it has no substitute. Given these three characteristics it seems absurd that water has often not been attributed any value at all, though this is luckily starting to change.When societies place a higher value on water, we can expect improved efficiency and reuse instead of waste and pollution. Both the public and the private sector will want to invest in crumbling water infrastructure to limit waste and prepare for future weather extremes. It makes sense to apply more nature-based solutions to clean water and recharge supply. As we start to understand the true cost of pollution, we can expect improved wastewater treatment and more recycling. All sectors of society must learn to manage water in a way that strengthens the water cycle. 🤝 Share water Competition over water is likely to increase and good water governance will be critical. Though having access to clean water and safe sanitation is a human right, the fact the remains that one person in four still does not have access to clean water at home. Similarly, around half the global populations lacks safely managed toilets, which is a major driver of disease and deaths, especially among children. At a time of growing climate threats, lack of water and sanitation exacerbates the vulnerability of the world’s poorest. Sharing water is an efficient way to increase justice and resilience. This is equally true for relationships between countries who share a river, lake, or groundwater aquifer. By managing it together, they are much better prepared for the increasingly erratic rainfall patterns and the growing number of droughts and floods that must be expected as the global temperature rises. 🚜 Transform agriculture All over the world, agriculture must undergo massive transformations, for several reasons. First, to avoid mass hunger since climate change and degraded lands are making farming much more difficult in many parts of the world. Second, to make freshwater available for alternative uses – currently food production accounts for 70 per cent of freshwater withdrawals. A third reason is because agriculture is a main driver of water pollution and global warming.We need more research and innovation to improve the sustainability, climate resilience and water efficiency of agriculture. But many alternative methods already exist that recharge water, restore soil health and improve food security. Often a combination of traditional knowledge and new inventions give the best results. Changing food habits and reducing waste are other key factors in the overhaul of the global food system that has started and now needs to rapidly pick up speed 🌱 Restore ecosystems The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) warns of an era of mass extinction of species that could threaten also human existence. We depend on healthy ecosystems for food, water, and livelihoods. But by protecting and restoring ecosystems we can limit climate change, stop the loss of biodiversity, and improve water security.Since all living organisms depend on water, we must pay more attention to the role of water in ecosystems. And this is starting to happen. A growing number of governments and companies understand their responsibility to protect and restore forests, rivers, wetlands, and oceans. This is in turn should mean that we stop over-abstracting and polluting the world’s groundwater, which poses an enormous risk to global food and water security. 🏗️ Build resilience More and more signs are indicating that Earth’s life-support systems are seriously weakened – across the world people experience droughts, heat waves, floods, and rainstorms at an unprecedented scale. Such extremes are expected to only become more frequent and more severe, making it necessary for all sectors of society to redesign for resilience.Luckily there are already many good examples from across the world of how this can be done. Cities are integrating trees, wetlands, and farmland to recharge and clean water, boost carbon storage, and reduce the risk of flooding. Farmers shift to agroforestry and methods that improve soil health. Communities protect their local watersheds and manage forests in a way that improves groundwater recharge.What all these solutions have in common is that they help us tackle several of the world’s greatest challenges simultaneously. By innovating and working with nature, we can improve the lives of the poorest, restore the water cycle, mitigate climate change, and improve biodiversity. So, what are we waiting for?
Shared by Elsa Wangeci
Patrick Kiash
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There is something admirable about scientists dedicating their entire lives to prove a phenomenon. I for one can't wait for a solid conclusion as to what could have possibly wiped out an entire dinosaur species or if aliens actually do exist. But on this one there is virtually no debate about it, “Earth is not cool anymore!”. And we humans are the primary cause. Given that the world's most competitive enterprises on matters science; including but not limited to NASA and World Meteorological Organization agree on this, I'd say this is an astounding level on consensus. We may not have all the answers but we have enough to level the curve. Or rather cease borrowing from the future if not go back to how things were in the beginning. Science can be very technical, so I'll leave out the scientific explanation as to how the Greenhouse effect works and make it a normal conversation, me to you. If your concern for growing climate crisis is genuine then you're definitely aware that our biggest threat is how big our Carbon footprint is. That's a good a good place to start. Climate crisis is by far the most hyped and talked about global crisis and still the most ignored when it comes to action. Ironic, right? That poses the question. Are we really doing enough? I’d say NO. Someone else will ask; “What do you mean we aren’t doing enough? We are holding relentless campaigns on plastic bans, reduced carbon emissions, we're encouraging citizens to plant tress in their homes.” Truth is planting 2 or 3 trees at my backyards or at events just to leave a mark is not going to fix a melting glacier in New Zealand. While is say that, I appreciate all efforts no matter how small of everyone fighting the same battle as me; though on a different battlefield, the goal is still the same. Regain climate stability. However the board is uneven and a universal formula is less effective. I called it a conversation more than an essay, so lets try something more practical. A butterfly has to undergo all 4 stages before it can fly. And just like a butterfly, the African continent is yet to grow some wings. Why do I call it an uneven board? To understand this concept you'd either have to visit Africa or live here. While climatic change is a global crisis an insight to that which we can actually identify with to know that the planet is changing; unfortunately not for the better, is key. (Photo Credits BBC) Iceberg A-76 of Antarctica; World's largest Iceberg on the move. As I write this, millions of others just like me may not be in a position to identify with alarming headlines of the West on climate crisis..... “World glaciers melting at a faster pace......The water is coming, millions at risk from rising sea levels.....California record-breaking wildfires consume nearly 1 million acres in a month....World's biggest iceberg on the move..” (Photo Credits: Reuters) Serbia Wild Fires. That does not mean it's not happening down here! Water levels have risen in all of RiftValley lakes. Most noticeable being Lakes Naivasha, Baringo and Turkana. While the Great RiftValley is subject to ongoing plate tectonics and crustal movements that could affect the lakes, the recent rises have been directly linked to above average rainfall- one of the many extreme weather events happening. (Photo credits: The Star, Kenya) Aerial view of Lake Naivasha floods. Studies have shown that Kenya has experienced above average rainfall annually in the last decade. Between 2019-2020 some areas experienced as high as 400% above normal rainfall. By May 2020, Lake Naivasha had already reached its highest water levels since 1932 forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes as well as flooding of nearby flower farms. It was no different for communities living along Lake Baringo. Over 5,000 people were displaced leaving behind submerged schools, hospitals, hotels and permanent closure of certain roads. Land use changes, riparian zone encroachment, loss of wetlands and urban growth are all contributing to more flooding. The proportion of rain and sediment that runs off from the catchments is increasing. In return, changes in the catchment areas reduce rainfall recharging of underground aquifers and cause more sediment such as soil to run off into rivers. This sediment reaches and accumulates in lakes and reservoirs causing clogging of underground outlets. Over time, the sediments build up the lake beds displacing lake water lever upwards. While this shows that the levels aren't unprecedented; today all of Kenya's lakes as well as those of the African Continent face modern challenges arising from growing Infrastructure development pressures. Unfortunately we can't stop growth! Given the disparity in industrialization and technological advancement between the West and Africa, a universal climatic response is not going to fix this. Lets face it; Africa is where the West was hundreds of years ago. We're all prone to the same crisis but on very different timelines. A common enemy on a different battlefield and so should the tactics; Different. It’s time we personalise the crisis as per the region. So I speak for Kenya. Like I said earlier, planting of trees in backyards, street lanes or fences is not effective enough to fix global climatic crisis. We are a country currently experiencing rapid growth in industrialization, which is a good thing. But with this, our contribution to the carbon footprint is equally big. We can't deal with either separately as the two go hand in hand. But we can create a balance. Our only hope is investing 100% in Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technology; a process of capturing carbon dioxide before it enters the atmosphere and storing it for centuries or millennia. This means going really huge on Afforestation and Re-Afforestation especially around areas with high industrial activity. We are already experiencing above average rainfall patterns and we can use that to our advantage. As WDHT community through the right channels we need to approach the National Land Commission as well as other relevant bodies within the National and County governments to identify public land that stands no chance of urbanization and convert them into carbon capture units. Our mission will be to oversee that the carbon capture units are implemented, well maintained and protected from human destruction. Trees are proven to outlive humans’ with a lifespan of more than 100 years . So long as the cycle never stops; continuous setting up of large carbon capture units, I'd call that a life time achievement for generations to come. Some effects may still be unclear and beyond humans. However, our commitment to existing legislation and national vegetation cover goals as well as bio-diversity friendly land use gives us a chance to slow down climate crisis. We hurt the planet and it lost enough. Now it's at war with us and we stand to lose a lot more. It’s time we cut a deal to make Earth cool again! Written By Eunice Elsa Wangeci. WDHT- KENYA CHAPTER. Writer/Photojournalist.
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Wow!! Different analogies have been brought out here but it's just to prove a phenomenon that we out reinstate the planet for it to be habitable for the future generations.
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Interesting piece🌱🌲. #netzeroemissions
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Thank you so much for this well written piece. We are all in this together.
Shared by Elsa Wangeci
❤️Like this sponsored post to support innovators who invent new ways of protecting and healing the planet. Follow @circulareconomymfg 🌍 Chris Graff, an investor in sustainable manufacturing, was sitting on a recycled plastic Adirondack chair one day on Governors Island, NYC, when he realized that it was made of recycled plastic that had been collected in the USA, shipped around the world for processing, and then shipped back to the US to be made into that chair - all powered by fossil fuels. Together with Barent Roth, they founded Circular Economy Manufacturing (@circulareconomymfg), a startup that designs and locally manufactures products with recycled, single-use plastic through their solar-powered MicroFactories made from reused shipping containers. Their recent innovation is the BioCyclr - a food scrap collection bin. Composting has been classified as one of the most impactful things an individual can do to combat the climate crisis. BioCyclr can fit in most fridge and freezer doors to prevent odors, whose lid nests under itself to maximize countertop space, fits BPI compostable bags, has a recycled steel carrying handle, and has a long edge to slide scraps from a cutting board. It follows their take-back system through which, when returned at its end of life, can be molded into a new product. The duo hope to install their MicroFactories all over the country and eventually the world to produce locally and decrease ecological footprints everywhere. Learn more about Circular Economy Manufacturing by visiting their Kickstarter campaign at http://kck.st/3ikZA6p Visit their website at CircularEconomyMfg.com Share the good news, Champions! 👑
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The private sector has such an important role to play in leading the way towards new climate-healthy technologies. This is quite the accomplishment!
Shared by Elsa Wangeci
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Shared by Elsa Wangeci
Timothy Ndegwa
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Your contribution to environmental conservation will always be in our hearts. Gratitude for reminding us that we all have a role to play in matters to do with environment regardless of our position in the society just like the hummingbird did during the fire in the forest, long live the spirit of environment conservation.
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Elsa Wangeci
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Turkana County in Kenya is a vast –wracked region characterized by dry sandy ground, tiny thorny bushes and occasional acacia trees. Dust swirls can be spotted cutting across open ground from miles away. Termite nests usually thinner and taller than normal pointing to the clear skies. Not a single permanent river in the area. Assumptions of availability of underground water along seasonal river beds are key reason for shallow boreholes across the region. The dry and barren area is one of the most arid regions on the planet with high temperatures sucking every bit of moisture. Locals are mainly Turkana people, a nomadic pastoralist tribe always on the move with camels and goats in pursuit for water and pasture their entire lives. They are always facing both physical and economic water scarcity interchangeably during and between seasons. In September 2013, a life-changing discovery that was indeed seen as a beacon of hope was given to the locals only to be dashed shortly after. Below the desolate arid county flows and aquifer as large as 4,164km2 which is 9 times bigger than any other underground aquifer in Kenya. Lotikipi Basin Aquifer was believed to have a potential to serve over 41 million Kenyans for the next 70 years or indefinitely if properly managed. Assurances were made by the government and various institutions terming the discovery as a beginning of a new era and a possible solution to the regions humanitarian and social economic problems. According to a report released by World Food Programme, 1 in 4 people in Turkana require food aid due to cyclical drought, flooding and conflict. Malnutrition rates are above the emergency level of 15 percent. Then what happened? The geology team that found the aquifer warned against bursting of boreholes until comprehensive studies on the sustainability of the water were conducted. They needed to determine the aquifers replenishment rate as well as how safe the water was for humans, livestock and agriculture. The people’s hearts sank as they resumed walking between 20-40 kilometers a day to get water. Unlucky blessing! The region is the least developed county with about 80% of its population not having access to 50 litres of water a day- the amount ensuring that most basic needs are fulfilled according to a UN report. A test drive was carried out in Lotikipi by drilling 350 meters underground and on February 2015 a report on the aquifer was released. What had been presumed all along was finally confirmed; the numbers were not looking good. World Health Organization recommends that PH levels of drinking waters be maintained between 6.5 and 8.5. Well, in this case the levels were 7 times higher. The water was declared unfit for human consumption! Trying to keep the people hopes alive; the government promised to carry out more tests. And once again promises were made. To objectify the area’s supply of reliable and sufficient quality and quantity water which would in return translate as a fundamental building block for the region’s economic and social development, the water needed to be desalinated using reverse osmosis. Due to the complex and delicate nature of the process, Kenyans authorities settled on bringing on board a Saudi investor who was at the time had signed a deal worth $160m to construct another desalination plant in Mombasa. According to Tito Ochieng, the director of water services in Turkana a similar plant would be built on top of the Lotikipi aquifer, on Nanam village and was estimated at a cost of 5-10 billion Kenyan shilling. The locals and generations that came before have done the least to contribute to the carbon print being entirely into pastoralism. While climate change is global, the poor are disproportionately vulnerable to its effects. However, stable water supply from the 250 billion cubic meters of water discovered underneath the barren Turkana could see hunger crisis that have kept the county of the map for decades take a new turn. Water and weather, the subtle balance between evaporation and precipitation, is the primary cycle through which climate change is felt. Therefore, as an organization that seeks to create a world where the value of water is recognized, allocated sustainably, equitably and efficiently to meet everyone’s basic needs, I believe SIWI could join the conversation and speed up plans to turn the discovery into a reality. At the moment Turkana people remain at the mercy of an already heating planet! Read more https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/oct/28/kenya-turns-to-saudi-investor-to-make-water-drinkable-in-arid-turkana-region-kenya https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24049800
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Thank you for sharing this climate idea with us. We shared your idea with our groundwater expert, and must emphasise that we are not a technical consultancy company so there are others much better placed to advise on if and how to proceed with your idea. One consideration is that if the pH level is too high, the local groundwater cannot be treated i.e. made fit for consumptions using reverse osmosis - an established method in places like India. But even if the groundwater is not potable it could still be used for other purposes than drinking. The Turkana people, as many others, are suffering the consequences of climate change. At the upcoming COP26 climate conference we will be championing water smart solutions to the climate crisis, to reduce the impact on communities such as the Turkana people. Next year's UN Water theme is Groundwater so ideas like this may have the chance to access the financial and technical support they need to succeed.
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A word of caution is needed here. This groundwater will be fossil, dating from the African Humid Period, 15,000 to 5,000 years ago, when the whole region was much wetter, with greatly expanded lakes, due to a different orbital configuration of the Earth, or from earlier similar periods. So it will eventually run out unless it is very well managed. Creation of a desalination plant will also require a strategy to utilize, or dispose of, the resulting salt. Coastal desalination plants often dump dense saline brine into the ocean, which may have unforseen effects on marine ecosystems and possibly, ocean circulation. Northern Kenya is not without rain, but it is highly seasonal and very erratic. Great progress has been made in areas with similar climates in Northwest India and West Africa, by building bunds to capture surface runoff from the rainstorms that do occur, and directing it into small community ponds and permaculture plots where trees and other suitable crops can be planted, rather than flowing away uselessly down ephemeral river systems: https://youtu.be/jDMnbeW3F8A
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I agree...This is a very delicate project that could either go so well or so bad with the slightest miscalculation...That's why we are calling on experts with a track record to engage in these conversation. Only then, can we have solid conclusions on the way foward rather than lots of hope to the people based on assumptions....
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True,what we save,saves us!
Shared by Elsa Wangeci
Patrick Kiash
132 w
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When we engage in climate conversations most of the manual work that goes into it; if not awaiting implementation is left to the younger generation. And it all makes sense because they have a lot much to lose in the future when those who talk the walk are gone. A couple of months ago Vets international officials; Dr Scarlet Magda and Dr Erin Ivory accompanied by Dr Sweta Chakraboty visited Kenya and engaged WDHT Kenya chapter members in an open forum. Dr Erin Ivory pointed out something that stuck with me since then. “The action we need to take is not going to wait for our children”, those were her words. We say we don’t have time, but go ahead and leave what needs to be done now to be done in the future, ironical. If you walked up to children right now in most settings; they are all aware of the current climatic crisis. But pose a question on what they imagine the world should look like. They have little or no clue. I thought of trying it out. Back in the village I’m taking a break from my photo spree under a huge tree next to a dry river. Two little girls walk past a dysfunctional well a few steps from me and head to where the sand looks moist and deeper than the rest of the dry river bed. Tough times always have a way of prompting humans to look for probable solutions to survive. These little Turkana girls from Logetei, a small village at the heart of the Samburu in the Northern Frontier of Kenya are no exemption. By now they know the water table of a sandy river bed is always close to the surface. I walk up to them and we engage in a conversation as they use sticks to dig deeper into the sand. At last, water begins to ooze out. Its looks dirty at first and I sit there wondering how that is even safe for human consumption. They say we should now sit and wait, so we wait! I’m tempted to ask, “Ematathi ng’akipi nu? (Is it safe for drinking?). Ng’akipi namatan, naliwak. (Yeah, the sand cleans it), one of them says. Our wait is over and the water is finally crystal clear. I take a few sips as they fill their cans and the water tastes nothing less than rain water. I watch as they begin ascending the hills to their village, 10km away. Miles far from Samburu; I’m in Laikipia and on another photo spree. I get to meet other kids; Cherop and her older siblings. Every day after school, she meets her older siblings; who ceased going to school due to poverty, at the already drying dam or at least whatever is left of it to offer extra man-power to fetch enough water for quite a large homestead. (Below; . One thing is for sure. Water is never a guarantee with these communities. It’s more of keeping the hope that it rains somewhere else close enough to allow runoff water to flow into their seasonal water sources. Lately, even dirty runoff water is becoming scarce. Communities in these areas are entirely into pastoralism; leaving less or no chance for industrial activities. Regardless; the pinch of a heating planet is starting to hit harder. With all the children one thing was common, from stories they’ve heard it was much easier than it is now. To them whatever they are experiencing is a norm they got used to. When I asked what they would picture it to be other than what is, the answer I got was heartbreaking. “Hatujui, sisi tulipata kukiwa ivi (We don’t know, we found it this way)”. And it got me thinking; do we really have that much time to await these kids to grow up to understand the concept of how far gone this is? It’s the smallest of activities we do within our homesteads that will make a difference. What can you do from home? Studies have shown that a child’s daily experiences determine which brain connections develop and which will last for a lifetime. From their early years, children develop from their everyday experiences which are built through positive interactions with their parents and caregivers. Therefore the little efforts we undertake within out homesteads to make it a more habitable environment creates a mindset of a lifetime. Invest in living fences. While stone is preferred as a better option, a green fence has more benefits to reap from. Careful selection of what fence to plant can be very beneficial as it can offer: shade, act as a wind breaker and purifier, beautification as well as fruits with some tress. A green home environment creates an ideal picture in a child’s mind of what every other place beyond home should look like. Take hikes to beautiful places within the natural environment. This helps them become personally invested in what’s at stake. This way they have something to compare to when they go back to areas where human activities have had undesirable effects on land. Organize planting activities within the homestead with them. Physically connecting with the literal earth and caring for what’s grown helps them understand and appreciate vegetation. Channel some of their entertainment time into watching and reading informative pieces. This helps to improve their understanding of climate change and other scientific issues. Powering your home with renewable energy, turning off lights, unplugging appliances when not in use to avoid sucking up needles energy when not in use and replacing inefficient bulbs are everyday practices the children can learn from watching their elders do. We’d be surprised how all these little things would make a difference someday. The amount and quality of care and things they learn at their early years makes all the difference. Let charity begin at home!
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This message is very close to my heart. We need to pass information to young people who will be able to carry on the agenda and ensure climate works are championed.
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Such a nice topic..
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Thank you so much for your story, Patrick. It is so important to share what is happening in Africa with the world!
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Valuable info
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Great lesson,thankyou for sharing