Kenyan scholar urges African countries to adopt measures to curb temperature rise

A Kenyan scholar on Tuesday urged African countries to put solid measures in place to curb rise in temperatures, saying the continent could suffer water stress due to overheating.

Shem Wandiga, Professor of Chemistry and a former Acting Director in the Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA) at the University of Nairobi, said this at a news briefing in Nairobi.

“The hot weather might result to further droughts culminating in food insecurity among other devastating agricultural impacts,’’ Wandiga said.

Climate change is a leading cause of food insecurity and malnutrition in Africa, with tremendous evidence showing worse impact if the heat continues.

Wandiga said that in 2017 alone, droughts left 12.8 million people in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Somalia food insecure.

He said that African governments have many options to cut down on their carbon dioxide emissions including the use of cleaner energies such as solar and geothermal.

“Others include putting up commuter railroad system to reduce the need to drive, stop deforestation and encourage the planting of trees,” said Wandiga.

He recommended the use of methane as opposed to fossil fuels as it produces less carbon dioxide and financially affordable.

To attract its use, Wandiga said there should be political and economic policy incentives.

“It is the responsibility of every country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions especially carbon dioxide and not limited to wealthy or industrialized countries.

African countries have to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by all means as everybody is being affected,” said Wandiga.

He attributed the increased greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere to human activities, such as industrialisation activities that make the atmosphere warmer by at least one degree.

“With temperature in the last decade rising by more than one degree and resulting to warmer climate, the new decade, heat levels will remain the same or even hotter in some places,” said Wandiga.

Wandiga added that the continuous rise of atmospheric temperature globally is a worrying trend that should not be taken lightly by the human race.