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"Greenwashing" is a term that is increasingly popping up in climate change conversations. So what does it mean? An explainer, by bird story agency Explained: What is greenwashing? [Graphics: Hope Mukami] Greenwashing is an unethical practice whereby an organisation seeks to make shareholders and/ or clients believe that they are committed to environmental consciousness when they are not. It is a deceptive practice to attract customers looking to engage and work with environmentally friendly businesses. While the ultimate goal of greenwashing, in most cases, is profit-making, it can also be used for political purposes. Greenwashing is often associated with the duplicitous or incorrect valuation of carbon-offset programs. The threat posed by climate change on the world has pushed many entities, especially business organisations, into aligning their business operations with climate change management, particularly in financial commitments. Those that have lagged fear losing their customer base or even falling foul of legislation - thus the appeal of greenwashing. Discussions about greenwashing have surfaced at the ongoing COP 27 climate conference, with experts warning net zero pledges and commitments from non-state actors, especially business corporations, could be marred with greenwashing claims. It has generated further conversations about the widely varying valuations of carbon credits and how those work. There is also increasing focus on how companies market themselves in the "green" space without following through on commitments. A report from the United Nations high-level expert group on the net zero emissions commitments of non-state entities unveiled during the climate conference, COP 27, lists ten recommendations for non-state actors committing to net zero emissions. • Announcing a Net Zero Pledge. • Setting net-zero targets. • Using voluntary credits. • Creating a transition plan. • Phasing out fossil fuels and scaling up renewable energy. • Aligning lobbying and advocacy. • People and nature in the just transition. • Increasing transparency and accountability. • Investing in just transitions. • Accelerating the road to regulation. Climate change activists, including Greta Thunberg, skipped this year's COP 27, citing the insincerity of the conference heads in tackling the climate change challenge, especially after Coca-Cola was unveiled as a key sponsor of the conference despite being one of the leading plastics pollutants globally. Break Free from Plastics, a climate activist organisation named Coca-Cola the 'top plastic polluting corporation of 2021'. bird story agency.

The recent World Bank report urges African countries to increase their investment in climate adaptation lest they miss out on their development goals. Bonface Orucho, bird story agency. As African nations push for more climate financing at the ongoing COP 27, a series of reports by the World Bank underscores the urgent need for African countries to invest more in climate change adaptation. In the Country Climate and Development Reports released between October 27 and November 3, the World Bank highlights the close link between climate change and economic development considerations in African countries. They also outline priority actions and financing needs and recommend investments in infrastructure to strengthen climate resilience while supporting economic growth. The report shows that Malawi, Rwanda and South Africa are highly susceptible to climate change disasters that will hinder new developments or deconstruct existing establishments. "Malawi's pathway to economic growth is persistently halted by climate shocks, leaving many millions trapped in poverty for many decades," said Hugh Riddell, World Bank Country Manager for Malawi, in a statement during the release of the report. According to Riddell, the consistent development blockages Malawi is experiencing due to climate shocks pose a threat to development and the realisation of the country's Vision 2063. World Bank tells Africa: Invest in climate adaptation to achieve economic growth Besides the risk of experiencing an increase in household poverty levels, Malawi's GDP could plunge by an estimated "3 to 9 per cent by 2030, 6 to 20 per cent by 2040, and 8 to16 per cent by 2050 if the climate shocks continue." In Eastern Africa, the report notes that climate change places Rwanda's economic development on a risky path as its economy relies on climate-sensitive sectors. According to Rolande Pryce, the World Bank's Country Manager for Rwanda, the Eastern African country is well ahead of many other countries in responding to challenges from climate change. It would, however, need to invest more in nature-smart resource development projects, especially those focused on water infrastructure development, sustainable forestry and low-carbon energy transport. "Implementing Rwanda's adaptation and mitigation commitments would substantially dampen the GDP volatility resulting from increased weather variability," said Pablo Cesar Benitez, the Bank's Senior Environment Economist for Rwanda. The report is, however, confident that the power-starved South Africa can build an inclusive, resilient and sustainable economy. Simultaneously, it can free itself from coal-intensive energy dependence by implementing a low-carbon transition, harnessing investment in new technologies to manage the protracted energy crisis and ensuring a just transition. Marie-Francoise Marie-Nelly, World Bank's Country Director for South Africa, identifies renewables as the cheapest, most reliable and quickest solutions to increase electricity supply, thus could reduce the strain on existing power generation capacity. "Adding more power to the grid is needed to address the chronic power generation deficit that leads to rolling blackouts, harming productivity and economic growth," Marie-Nelly explained. Financing these recommendations remains a hurdle, with the report noting that the "three transitions could cost around R8.5 trillion (about $500 billion) between 2022 and 2050, of which R2.4 trillion ($140 billion) would be needed before 2030," the report read in part. Private financing is highlighted as a critical source of funding for renewable projects. It can be optimised through systemic reforms in the domestic financial market and the private-public partnership framework. Other financing options include lobbying external financiers and collaborating with regional and international multinationals to support renewable investments. The report recommended that West and Central African countries in the Sahel region fast-track economic growth and development while prioritising climate adaptation. Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Guinea, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal could have about 13.5 million people plunging into acute poverty by 2050 due to climate-related shocks, thus the call for urgent investment in climate adaptation. Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for Western and Central Africa, noted in a press conference during the release of the report that the region is already hard hit by floods and droughts that could intensify with time unless urgent actions are undertaken. "With the population projected to double to 160 million people over the next 20 years, Sahel countries need to accelerate growth and prioritise climate adaptation if they are to realise the demographic dividend and set the region on a sustainable inclusive growth pathway," he explained. The report estimated that Morocco would need a total investment of $78 billion in the MENA region for it to be "firmly on a resilient and low carbon pathway by the 2050s." The report from Morocco identifies three areas of climate adaptation investment, including tackling water scarcity and droughts, enhancing resilience to floods, and decarbonising the economy. Morocco's CCDR indicates that "Reaching a net-zero emission target by the 2050s would have an estimated cost of $52.8 billion." bird story agency.

African states are looking for a financing breakthrough at COP to unlock more affordable financing for the continent's green energy projects. Seth Onyango, bird story agency Egypt's Finance Minister Mohamed Maait, who is leading Africa's negotiations, wants a robust financing framework to be put in place to help ease debt pressure off emerging markets as they seek investments for sustainable development. "This is about greener, cheaper, less risky, debt to accelerate climate action…we want to ensure that there will be a green bond market to encourage green financing, standardising some tools to ensure that green bonds will be covered at a specific rate," he said during a panel discussion. Egypt Finance Minster Mohamed Maait giving his statement at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Friday, November 9, 2022. The event has been heralded as "Africa's COP" . (Photo : Seth Onyango, bird story agency) Negotiations at COP27 are tipped to help improve African states' access to capital markets and lower the cost of credit offered to climate-exposed African states. To fast-track progress, Egypt's COP27 Presidency and the UN Economic Commission for Africa have unveiled an initiative dubbed "Reducing the Cost of Green and Sustainable Borrowing." This renewed lobbying to drive down the cost of green credit on the content comes a year after the UN unveiled another financial mechanism to help save states more than US$11 billion in borrowing costs over five years at COP26 in Glasgow. That mechanism allows global investors with portfolios containing African government bonds to approach a Liquidity and Sustainability Facility (LSF) for short-term credit using the bonds as collateral - making it easier for investors to turn those bonds into cash at short notice. The LSF is already creating the first-ever liquidity window for African sovereign bonds, boosting 'tradeability' and attracting more investors, according to African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) President Benedict Oramah. "We expect LSF to make it easier for African countries to issue more green bonds and to raise market funding to meet urgent mitigation and adaptation needs with less adverse impact on debt sustainability," Oramah said during discussions on innovative financing at the ongoing climate change talks in Sharm El Sheikh. Maait said he hoped more innovative financial solutions like LSF would emerge at COP27 to make more funds available for green projects in Africa, Green bonds currently cost more than Eurobonds in Africa, he noted. Commercial banks in Africa have been creating specialised lending facilities to bolster private investment in climate-related infrastructure projects and sustainable businesses. According to the European Investment Bank (EID) 2021 report, nearly 70 per cent of African banks see green financing as an attractive lending opportunity. However, there is a big gap between recognising the opportunity and offering attractive financial products. "Nearly 55 per cent actively look at climate change when making strategic plans. And more than 40 per cent of African banks employ staff to focus on renewable energy. However, only around 10 per cent have tailored their products to serve green finance," the report reads in part. While analysis by the United Kingdom's Overseas Development Institute and the EIB shows that the number and value of issuances in Africa's green bond market have increased almost yearly, the African market remains small relative to equivalent markets in other regions, according to the EID. The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Climate Investment Funds have released a scoping report suggesting a way forward, utilising "green banks" and national climate funds to accelerate green financing. The AfDB is upbeat that Green Investment Banks and National Climate Change Funds (NCCFs) can increase the capacity of African countries to access and mobilise climate finance in support of implementing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and related national climate and development goals. NDCs are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and typify each country's effort to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. According to the AfDB, Green Banks can support low-carbon, climate-resilient development by raising and blending capital to finance local climate infrastructure while driving an increase in private investment. According to the Coalition for Green Capital, green banks can attract more private capital at affordable rates through credit enhancements. "Financing structures, such as loan loss reserves or loan guarantees, help de-risk investments for private investors, enabling more capital to flow to clean energy projects," it said. Expectations are high for "Africa's COP" to deliver solutions that make for a far more equitable approach to fighting climate change. bird story agency

COP 27: The heat is on for fossil fuel firms amid renewed calls for polluters' tax The UN is seeking global consensus on taxing fossil fuel companies' windfall profits to fill Africa's energy transition and adaptation kitty. Steve Umidha, bird story agency Fossil fuel firms are facing renewed pressure to open their wallets – fattened by the global energy crisis – and pour revenues into building renewable energy industries in states hit hardest by the fallout from climate change. According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund, the surge in fossil fuel prices has generated substantial windfall profits in the energy sector and lined the pockets of fossil fuel producers and their shareholders. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has used the COP 27 meeting in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, to urge governments to start taxing heavily polluting fossil fuel firms. "I am asking that governments tax the windfall profits of fossil fuel companies; let us redirect that money to people struggling from rising food and energy prices and to countries suffering losses and damages caused by the climate crises." He reminded heavy polluters that "time was running out" and that a roadmap to speedy execution was crucial. His calls were backed by 350 Africa, a grassroots program that seeks to stop the extraction of fossil fuels in Africa, and now wants such taxes levied on these companies to build sustainable energy systems in countries ravaged by polluters' emissions. Africa is among the globe's worst-affected regions regarding climate change – a particularly galling fact given that the continent accounts for less than 6% of global energy consumption and just 2% of cumulative global emissions. World leaders at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Friday, November 9, 2022. The event has been heralded as "Africa's COP" . (Photo : Seth Onyango, bird story agency) "We need to keep fossil fuels underground in Africa and hold those responsible for loss and damage to account," 350 regional organiser Christian Houndjonousse said, emphasising that states like Nigeria had already lost crucial adaptation time. Implementing a polluters' tax would be key to unlocking existing barriers to African nations' clean energy transition plans; it would give countries on the continent access to much-needed financial support to produce, use and export clean energy as part of a green energy drive. Africa is well placed for these processes; scientific research has proved that the continent has tremendous latent solar and wind power, and its soils contain many minerals needed for clean energy technologies. Such a tax would also allow many African countries to bypass traditional fuels and infrastructure and go straight to building sustainable energy systems. This would be a boon, particularly in places whose grid infrastructure, designed to accommodate conventional energy sources, is inadequate, leading to frequent power losses and low supply quality. The renewed drive for a polluters' tax could now force policymakers and tax experts in many countries to rapidly develop policies that would tax part of such companies' profits without discouraging investment. The IMF has previously stated: "Many fossil fuel-producing countries already have an adequate rent-capturing fiscal instrument in place. Others may consider introducing a permanent tax on windfall profits from fossil fuel extraction but should be more cautious about temporary and possibly poorly designed windfall profit taxes." bird story agency

Ambitious new efforts are underway to lower the carbon footprint in cement manufacturing in Africa on the back of population growth fuelling demand for housing, schools and roads. Seth Onyango, bird story agency Governments representing two-thirds of the global GDP are targeting five carbon-intensive sectors to limit emissions, including cement production, with a new package of 25 collaborative actions. The package will be delivered by COP 28 and covers power, road transport, steel, hydrogen and agriculture, designed to help cut energy costs and guarantee a just transition with green jobs. With emissions from the continent’s infrastructure sector expected to rise, COP 27 has also unveiled the Africa Net Zero Concrete Group to help green the construction supply chains, with cement as a top priority. This will include the widespread adoption of carbon capture schemes in the cement industry across Africa –– its utilisation and storage –– fast-tracked under the UN Breakthrough Agenda. COP 27 lays out concrete measures to green Africa's cement [Photo Credits: Rawpixels] “Since we launched the Breakthrough Agenda at COP 26, the world has changed and we are facing a perilous geopolitical and economic situation. That only makes international collaboration more urgent,” said Alok Sharma, COP 26 President. “That’s why I am pleased that countries representing over 50 per cent of global GDP have now agreed to a set of priority actions for implementation. Now, it is vital for all to deliver and demonstrate real progress as we move forward. This is integral to achieving the 2030 goal of making clean technology affordable, available and accessible to all.” Cement and concrete are joining the First Movers Coalition (FMC) at the ongoing COP 27 just months after the aluminium industry joined the shipping, steel, trucking and aviation sectors at the World Economic Forum in Davos. FMC was set up to help drive industrial decarbonisation and has expanded to 10 new corporate members, including PepsiCo, General Motors, Rio Tinto and ETEX, to reach 65 in total with a combined market cap of about US$8 trillion. Together they commit US$12 billion to commercialise zero-carbon technology to decarbonise the heavy industry and long-distance transport sectors, responsible for 30 per cent of global emissions. The coalition provides demand signals through advance market commitments to climate tech firms, giving investors in those technologies more certainty they will be able to scale commercially. In a win for the planet, more companies are committing to purchase at least 10 per cent of near-zero carbon cement and concrete annually by 2030. US’s first special climate envoy John F. Kerry opened the coalition leaders panel at COP 27, exuding confidence FMC will accelerate and help drive down emissions in the firms mentioned above. Cement is the second most-used product on earth after water and is responsible for about 7 per cent of global emissions, so this is a big deal. First movers pledged to purchase at least 10 per cent near zero carbon cement and concrete by 2030. Already, cement manufacturers in Africa are planning to deploy clean technologies and tap into clean energy to power their production. In March this year, a Danish multinational engineering company agreed to provide Ghana with its advanced equipment in a push to reformulate cement processes in Africa. Two Scandanavian funds have injected 27.9 million US dollars into the project, which is being initiated by Continental Blue Investments Ghana (CBI). The advanced manufacturing technique uses calcined clay (clay combined with limestone and other materials), or LC3, in place of traditional “Portland cement” clinker, an intermediate product in the cement manufacturing process. LC3, which has a far lighter carbon footprint, can replace up to 90 per cent of the clinker using the new technique. FLSmidth said it would supply Ghana with equipment that uses natural calcined clays as the main constituent in cement instead of clinker. The announcement came after the Danish Investeringsfonden for Udviklingslande (IFU) and Norwegian Norfund provided financing. CBI is a significant producer of cement in Ghana, operating a 550,000-tons-per-annum facility outside Accra. New investments into CBI will see the plant almost triple its production to 1.4 metric tons annually. The use of calcined clays as the main constituent in cement is a game-changer, especially in Africa, which is witnessing rapid urbanisation and a construction boom. The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne developed the new technique with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, IIT-Bombay, Technology and Action for Rural Development, IIT-Madras, and the Central University of Las Villas. One of the great benefits of calcined clay is that it activates at a much lower temperature than required to make clinker, with temperatures of 750 – 850˚C required instead of 1400 – 1500˚C. It is also less energy intensive and costly to grind and handle. Some reports state that the use of LC3 could lower the carbon footprint of production by 30 to 40 per cent. The use of traditional, or Portland cement in concrete for construction today accounts for 7-8 per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions. bird story agency

Twelve-year-old Sharon Ringo Mowo is passionate about the environment and wildlife in her home country, Tanzania. Her efforts have resulted in national recognition, and now she's sending her message to COP27. Kate Okorie, bird story agency It is a sunny Thursday morning in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, and 12-year-old Sharon Mowo is dressed in a corporate suit, as so many are here in the city hosting COP 27. Settling in at a table on a balcony that faces a large swimming pool, the young activist begins by talking about her foundation, which works at the intersection of tourism and the environment: Young activist Sharon Ringa with her dad at at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh. Photo : bird story agency "The Sharon Ringo Foundation focuses on three main themes," she explained. "Climate action, environmental justice and sustainable tourism." Her journey into full-time environmental activism began in September 2020. Her inspiration was Samia Suluhu Hassan, her country's first female president. "If she can do it, then I can do it too," she said. She was only nine at the time. Not long after her, she began the Sharon Ringo Foundation and launched a five-year project to plant two million trees annually. Within eight months, she had planted 38,500. According to her father, Ringo, the numbers could be even higher: "She has been planting trees since she was five and sometime in December 2020, she was invited to Mount Kilimanjaro to plant 12,000 trees." Her father has become her business coach, seeking out the best people to mentor his daughter's interests. On 9 October 2021, one of those mentors, the former Tanzanian Minister of Tourism and Heritage Zanzibar, invited Sharon to the first East African Community Tourism Expo. At the event, she gave a speech which made an impression on the Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC), Dr Peter Mathuki, and subsequently led to her appointment as the first child Trade and Tourism Ambassador of the EAC. "I recognised her as a wonderful leader who needed to be mentored and supported because of her gift and ability to assist not just the East African Community, but the entire globe," wrote Mathuki. Since assuming this role, Sharon has intensified efforts to contribute to her country's tourism and environmental spaces. With the help of her parents, she registered her foundation and began writing a book — a documentary of her personal experience watching animals in their habitat at the Serengeti Safari Lodge in Tanzania. But the book is about more than just her love for the "Big Five"- she also hopes to "inspire other parents to be able to teach their kids better." She knows how knowledge can spur children's interest in their world. She grew up watching documentaries by National Geographic and reading books by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates but recognises that not every child will be the same: "Climate education should be fun since kids like such activities. Educators can organise tree planting events for kids and at the same time, they can be playing games." At home, her work has inspired her peers to take up tree planting. "When my foundation is invited for an event in my school, I usually give a speech and plant some trees afterwards. During this time, some of the kids would gather and promise me that 'they'll take care of them.'" As for much further abroad, she's found eager listeners in Egypt. "People here at (COP27) are very interested in what I am doing." And she's got a simple message for the world leaders rubbing shoulders at this all-important event: "They need to start keeping our environment safe and stop being greedy because it hurts us, the future generation." bird story agency

Beth Koigi was determined to create a sustainable solution to water access. So she made "Majik". by Bonface Orucho, bird story agency Kenyan innovator Beth Koigi is on a mission to increase access to clean water in communities in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid regions. Through Majik Water, she has installed 20 high-volume and ten small-scale devices that produce 200,000 litres of water daily for thousands of people. Though appearing to be almost magical, the Majik technique is no a smoke and mirrors illusion. Instead, the technology uses atmospheric water generators to transform air-borne moisture into clean drinking water. Air-to-water technology is not new. But by scaling, Majik Water is making the water it generates more affordable and by using renewable energy, the project is also "green". “The generators are powered by solar thermal energy making it an energy-efficient solution to water deficits,” the 30-year-old explained. This technology has attracted global attention and she and her team have won a number of awards, including the Tech Entrepreneur Award from The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum, the Young Water Fellowship, and the EDF Pulse awards. She’s also received recognition from Oxford Innovation Fair, MIT Water Innovation, and Forbes Magazine. “The latest international recognition we had was being featured by Matt Damon in a Netflix documentary called Brave Blue World. We know we can do more to boost climate change resilience from a water perspective,” she says. Beth Koigi posing for a picture. (Photo Courtesy : Beth Koigi) But Koigi’s passion for increasing water accessibility in Kenya goes back a long way. Growing up in Limuru, Kenya, her family did not have challenges accessing water as that part of Kenya - known for its emerald, tea plantation-lined hills, is blessed with regular rains. “All this time, it did not hit me that there are regions in the country where access to clean drinking water was a big challenge,” she said. But her perspective changed when she went to college in eastern Kenya. Despite having good rivers and sufficient groundwater systems, this region experienced soil siltation that dirtied the water and left local communities struggling for clean drinking water. Beth Koigi working on the Majik Water pump. (Photo Courtesy : Beth Koigi) “Here I was now, fetching water in our campus taps that were full of silt, yet nobody seemed to be concerned. I had to think of a way to clean my water,” she said. She designed a filter using activated carbon to distil her water and quickly turned it into a business, creating more filters that she sold to students and the community. While visiting other parts of the country, Koigi saw that the problem went beyond clean water. Many communities, especially those in the arid and semi-arid regions, didn’t even have access to water in the first place. This realisation, further compounded by the 2016-2017 drought in Kenya, motivated Koigi to look for a way to create decentralised and renewable water sources. She immersed herself in months of research, collaborating with Canadian environmental scientist Anastasia Kaschenko and Oxford economist Clare Sewell, and in 2017, Majik Water was born. Beth Koigi making her presentation during Pitch @ Palace event. (Photo Courtesy : Beth Koigi) “Whenever I visit beneficiaries, it warms my heart to see them happy and content with our services. But I will be more satisfied if we reach more,” she explained. Koigi also believes her technology and other tech-based water solutions, especially in Kenya, can only attain a high impact if there is more funding for the sector. She’s also against the overreliance on groundwater solutions, terming that option “not a solution to the water problem,” due to its unsustainable nature (too many boreholes can quickly suck groundwater dry). Instead, she wants Africa to turn to technology. “While there is no single solution that will solve the water challenge, boreholes and dams are unsustainable and expensive compared to tech-based solutions,” she said. bird story agency

Lawmakers from the Climate Parliament Coalition have agreed to implement climate legislation in their countries to counteract the impacts of climate change. Steve Umidha, bird story agency A global network of legislators dedicated to fighting climate change has pledged to fast-track radical proposals designed to accelerate the globe’s energy transition through sustainable, environmentally friendly laws. Climate Parliament consists of lawmakers from African nations and other jurisdictions. It has agreed to help implement countries’ National Determined Contributions (NDCs). Given its members’ powers to make laws, amend budgets and oversee government departments, the Climate Parliament coalition is well-placed to drive the necessary processes. “It is time for elected Members of Parliament and Congress to get more heavily involved in global, regional, and national decision-making on the implementation of the Paris Agreement,” said Climate Parliament member and Kenyan Senator Moses Kajwang. He also affirmed that the coalition’s members were united in their commitments. Kajwang is upbeat that his counterparts’ input, coupled with their critical role in holding governments accountable, will help to significantly hasten decision-making processes in drafting the right laws. Other members of the Climate Parliament include business leaders, research institutions, and civil society groups. people during a conference at the venue of COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh [Photo : Seth Onyango, bird story agency] Speaking on the sidelines of the COP27, Climate Parliament’s Secretary-General Nicholas Dunlop said: “The Climate Parliament can become an active voice that brings perspective and links with domestic realities to the global talks.” He added that the group could “bring an international perspective into domestic political realities in order to ensure global accountability on national climate action”. The focus on clean energy alternatives is timely. Analysis by Statista, a market and consumer data company, found that in 2020 only 9% of all energy generated in Africa came from renewable energy sources. North Africa is the current leader on the continent in terms of renewable energy capacity – but other areas are catching up. Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda are on track to fully tap into every renewable source available by 2030, according to the Africa Energy Outlook 2022 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The same report notes that several low-carbon hydrogen projects are currently being discussed in countries like Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, and South Africa. These are focused primarily on using renewables-based power to produce ammonia for fertilizer, which would strengthen Africa’s food security. “Today’s global energy crisis has underscored the urgency, as well as the benefits, of an accelerated scale-up of cheaper and cleaner sources of energy,” the report reads.

Drought is increasingly common in the Maa communities of East Africa. For 22-year-old Anita Soina, however, drought was simply part of growing up. The realisation that this was not "normal" led her to launch her organisation, Spice Warriors and then publish a book *The Green War*. She is determined to ensure that in the war on climate change, "no one gets left behind". By Mical Imbukwa, bird story agency “The thing that discourages many people, especially those who don’t have the environment conservation background, is the terminologies used to convey information," says environmentalist Anita Soina. So, to try and break it down, she wrote an easy-to-understand book, “The Green War.” Written for "the next generation" the idea was to reassure young people that they are not alone, in case they find the challenge now facing humanity way too daunting to deal with, psychologically. Anita Soina during the launch of her book "The Green War". (Photo Credits : Anita Soina) The book, she says, came about after realizing she had to reach more people than through online engagement and her organisation, Spice Warriors, started in 2018. According to the political enthusiast and graduate of Multi Media University, Spice Warriors is an initiative whose membership comprises mostly of "ordinary" members of society who have no previous knowledge of environmental or conservation issues. “This way, I try to open people to the fact that they don’t have to leave their careers to pursue environmental courses to be environmentally conscious. When I was starting, I didn’t have a conservation background. I took time to educate myself,” she explains. One of the most effective ways to mobilise communities and inspire action, she found, was through planting trees. Anita Soina with a young girl, posing for a picture after a tree planting session. (Photo Credits : Anita Soina) “Our focus is on impact. To ensure that when we go to communities to plant trees, we leave them with the culture of tree planting, and it becomes a ripple effect,” Soina notes. Even as she pushed her climate agenda, however, Soina faced challenges. One was the lack of environmentally conscious leaders in parliament. So she decided to vie for office as MP for Kenya's Kajiado North region, on a green platform. While she was unsuccessful, she believes that just the act of standing raised awareness of the issues behind climate change and the need to mobilise communities, act presciently and invest in adaptive behaviour. It also raised the issue of misuse of resources. Anita Soina holding up a sign against tree cutting. (Photo Credits : Anita Soina) “The other issue has to do with resources. Many of us are trying to do environmental projects with little or no resources, yet we see a lot of misuse of resources happening, whereas many grassroots projects need to be supported,” says Soina. With a presence in South Sudan and Tanzania, the young activist is looking to expand the reach of Spice Warriors. Her dream is to see teams of environmentally conscious people - specifically, people without a background in environment or conservation - coming together to create a generation of leaders in the climate space. And, she says, her political drive is only just getting started. Anita Soina posing for a picture. (Photo Credits : Anita Soina) “I am in talks with many environmentalists in Uganda and Germany who have run on green platforms before so that we can see more voices for the climate going for political seats with the aim of changing the narrative within corridors of power,” she states. Climate change, she says, "is real and is no longer a 2070 thing". Her Spice Warriors "should serve as a wake-up call to the young people to fight for a course, to make the world a better place for all of us to live in." The key thing for her, is that young people feel they can do this together. In this war against climate change, she is determined that no one gets left behind. bird story agency

Climate activist Christine Wangari Gachege is determined to show that grassroots efforts can influence government policy. By mobilising communities across Kenya to plant trees and sequester carbon, she is doing just that - and her efforts are drawing comparisons to her Nobel prize-winning mentor Seth Onyango, bird story agency It is almost sunrise in Nairobi and visible signs of warmer days are now on the horizon after several weeks of wintry weather. In Sasumua, a few miles from the Kenyan capital, the soil is hardening around recently-planted tree saplings. These young trees are a part of a project initiated by environmentalist and climate activist, Christine Wangari, to rehabilitate riverbanks in and around Nairobi using tree species that will also help sequester carbon. Climate activist Christine Wangari during a tree planting session. (Photo Credits : Christine Wangari) "Climate change is here with us and we must do our part from all fronts to support mitigation efforts. Planting trees is something we can all do," Wangari told bird. Sasumua Dam is located along the Sasumua stream, a tributary of the Chania, one of Kenya's biggest rivers. The dam is a reservoir that provides 12 per cent of Nairobi's water. Uncontrolled farming practices by communities living along catchment areas on the Chania River have led to declining water levels and forced the Nairobi authorities to impose intensive rationing for domestic use. Climate activist Christine Wangari watering trees. (Photo Credits : Christine Wangari) A similar situation has been witnessed at Ndakaini Dam, the city's main source of water, where despite heavy rainfall and flooding in the region, water levels have not risen. It is a phenomenon that created what is now referred to locally as the Ndakaini paradox –– "rain everywhere, but not a drop of water in the dam". Human activities upstream have been blamed for the low water levels in the rivers that feed both the Ndakaini and the Sasumua dams. But thanks to Wangari's collaboration with the city government, the Nairobi City Water & Sewerage Company and communities along the riverbanks, water levels are steadily rising again as catchment areas recover their ability to absorb - and then slowly release - water. At the same, time, the young saplings absorb and store carbon dioxide as they grow. Wangari and a team from her organisation Multitouch International have also been propagating thousands of seedlings which are distributed to communities living along riparian (riverside) lands and to schools. The team also educates and mobilises communities as they go. "We work with both men and women in the affected areas to build tree nurseries for planting all across the country. This ensures that the communities have a sense of ownership and are conscious about the climate and the benefits trees bring," Wangari explained. "For us to be able to reach our reforestation goals, we need trees, but unfortunately, there are not nearly enough tree nurseries in Kenya to meet this rising demand and that is where our nurseries come in." She said that building tree nurseries, especially for fruit trees, is also providing an income for the few families that have ventured into tree planting as a business. In 2012, Wangari received the Energy Global Award in Sweden for her conservation efforts to help reclaim water catchments. She is now among the leading voices driving Kenya's climate agenda in the period following the death of acclaimed Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel prize winner, Wangari Maathai. Wangari was one of Maathai's acolytes. Climate activist Christine Wangari with President William Ruto after an event. (Photo Credits : Christine Wangari) "We are rapidly urbanising but we must ensure that does not come at the expense of our climate or forest cover," she said, adding that the great work of her namesake, Wangari whom she idolises, should not be eroded. Wangari founded Multitouch in 2003. It is a climate-conscious non-profit organisation that advocates for pragmatic, ecological conservation. Since its inception, the tree-planting organisation has been influencing agroforestry practice in the country, focusing on water catchment and reclamation of viable semi and arid lands (ASALs). The work aims to mitigate deforestation, desertification and degraded river ecosystems - all key to the mitigation of /unemployment, poverty, diseases, urban migration, hunger and other climate change-related complexities. Wangari's resolve has helped shape government policies on agroforestry and is credited, together with fellow activists, for pushing Kenya to outlaw single-use plastic bags in 2017. In the same year, she launched her most ambitious initiative yet, the 40 Billion Trees, One Million Jobs initiative, demonstrating how environmental campaigns can create employment for the youth. She has since collaborated with Athletics Kenya and the city government to organise annual conversation runs to promote tree planting. Wangari explained that planting a single species of tree planted over thousands of hectares - also known as monoculture – is not a solution for climate change. For example, while eucalyptus may grow quickly, the trees are harvested at around 10 years, releasing much of the carbon stored in the tree back into the atmosphere. She thus advises that tree species should vary depending on the targeted ecological zones, where high-value ASALs species are included among numerous highland and lowland species to regenerate wild forests. These include high-value fruit species, and medicinal and edible oil tree species among others. Multitouch has been involved in numerous large-scale tree planting initiatives, for instance, including in several forest catchment areas as well as in Nakuru National Park and numerous schools, through her Eco-schools Project. But perhaps Wangari's most notable achievement is the beautification program of Nairobi, where in 2006 her organisation began supplying almost all the trees that have since transformed the city. "Our aim is to influence a robust systematic culture of tree planting - involving youth and students across Kenya - with an ultimate goal of aligning an active formidable climate change mitigation network aimed at appreciating national tree cover," she said. "Conservation through tree planting also has a very high untapped employment potential," she concluded. bird story agency

A Kenyan environmental law student is seeking a patent for her healthy, edible cups and plates, designed to wage battle against the mountain of plastics that threatens marine life. She already has an airline customer lined up. By Sheila Mwalili, bird story agency Daring, beautiful dreams are spiritual fuel for 22-year-old Sheryl Mboya. She's an environmentalist and law student at Mount Kenya University who's on a quest for a cleaner and healthier environment. And she believes she has the answer: edible cups, plates, and spoons. Mboya's answer may sound fanciful but at just 22 she's got the credentials to make her case. So much so that a national airline has signed on for her first products. Snackuit – edible cups, plates, and spoons that substitute single-use plastics tableware - was born out of the anguish Mboya felt after seeing thousands of plastic cups being tossed into trash bins at eateries, after use. This was happening everywhere she looked, including hospitals, offices and get-together spots. 'Snacksuit' edible utensils made by Sheryll Mboya. (Photo Credits : GreenX Telemechanics Limited) What disturbed her most was that the destination for the trash was not only dumpsites but, all too often, rivers - and the ocean. “Whenever I would go to a hospital or an office and I felt thirsty, I’d pick a cup, drink water and throw it only to pick another one a few minutes later. This is what everybody does. So I felt that this was happening because there was no alternative,” she explained. According to UNEP’s From Pollution to Solutions report of 2022, 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually and 7 million of those manufactured between 1950 and 2017 have become waste. The report further states that the equivalent of a garbage truck is dumped in the ocean every minute, threatening biodiversity and damaging marine ecosystems. At the same time, greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastics are expected to rise to 6.5 gigatons by 2050. To do her part, Mboya resolved to avoid single-use plastic and started carrying her water bottle around to use. But this, she realised, was not solving the problem in the larger scheme of things. She was just a lone warrior in an overwhelming anti-plastics war. Sheryll Mboya the innovator of 'snacksuit', edible utensils holding one of the edible utensils. Photo Credits : GreenX Telemechanics Limited) So Mboya and a team of 20 young people founded GreenX Telemechanics Limited to be part of the solution. The result of their research and early testing is their first product: Snackfruit. “I love to term Snackuit as a similar way you can eat the ice cone once you’re done eating your ice cream, gelato, or sorbet. So once you finish your dinner or coffee, you can then eat your cup, plate, or spoon,” Mboya explained. The team, which has already set its eye on mass production even as it awaits intellectual property approvals, partnered with Kenya Airways through their Fahari Innovation Hub to facilitate the adoption of the product in the aviation industry. “During the research process, we identified the aviation industry as one of the largest users of plastics, so we wanted to cater to that need, but ultimately we also target every single market, including individual consumption,” said Mboya. Kenya Airways, for its part, would be more than happy to replace single-use plastics used for in-flight meals. This would be a first for any airline. “Edible cutlery is a brilliant concept that will revolutionize food packaging and how we eat. It is a fantastic, healthy solution for the entire ecosystem. We ardently support and co-develop innovations by the youth and entrepreneurs that seek to secure a healthy planet for all,” Kenya Airways Innovation Hub Lead, Grace Vihenda said. 'Snacksuit' edible utensils made by Sheryll Mboya. (Photo Credits : GreenX Telemechanics Limited) The Snackuit idea is currently under intellectual property protection locally through the Kenya Intellectual Property Institute (KIPI) and globally through the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). “Snackuit is a very good idea. It’s tasty and one can snack on it as they consume their meal or even afterwards. It’s also good for the entire ecosystem as it doesn’t contain toxic chemicals. I believe the innovation deserves all the support we can master as a nation,” David Owino, an Artificial Intelligence technician at GreenX explains. The biggest challenge to Snackuit so far has been viability, explained Mboya. Would it hold hot drinks and meals? How palatable would it be? To address this, the team came up with a product made of gluten-free wheat flour and sugar substitutes to ensure it is sugar-free but still tasty. It is also cholesterol-free. It also comes in a variety of flavours such as butterscotch, and if it is not consumed by the users and ends up in any water body, it will dissolve within a day, making it “good food for marine life and plants, too.” “In the testing process, we noticed that the cups leak when we put water in them. We went back and made some adjustments but then noticed they became too hard. Fortunately, we have now found the right formula that holds the product together and also softens it as you eat or drink,” Mboya explained. She’s also not oblivious to market forces. “Plastics have a huge huge market, and to find an alternative, you have to move systematically. For a start, we’re looking to start with the aviation industry, then the hospitality industry before moving towards the larger individual consumption market,” she said. Nutrition Association of Kenya chairman Henry Ng’ethe said a positive market reaction to Snackuit would allow Mboya's team to place a premium on their product early on and then wait for mass production to reduce costs. Market sentiment would allow for higher costs thanks to the social - and in this case, environmental - good of the product. “Gluten-free flour costs about 200 Kenya shillings (approximately 2 US$) per kilogramme. The cost of production for mass consumption of Snackuit is therefore likely to be very high,” says Ngethe. “Overall, it is a very good initiative and should be supported because if we eradicate plastic pollution in our water bodies even by 10 per cent it’ll help address climate change, result in improved rainfall and ultimately food security both nationally and globally.” For now, however, Mboya’s greatest bet is the GreenX team, family, friends, mentors, and university fraternity. “Innovation is the solution to a myriad of challenges facing humanity; it is what will lift developing countries out of poverty. I appreciate the Snackuit idea that Sheryl has come up with, and I appeal to those willing to partner with her to support her in fully developing the innovation to encourage other young people with great ideas. This will not only make them productive but also self-reliant,” said her mother, Ruth Areri. In 2017, Kenya announced a total ban on single-use plastic bags in a bid to clean up the country’s rivers, seas and waterways, making it one of the first African countries to make such a commitment. Mboya’s icon is the late environmentalist Wangari Maathai who used the story of a hummingbird to drive her point home that every individual effort, however, insignificant it may seem, counts in keeping the planet healthy. Like the hummingbird, she says: “I might be insignificant, but I certainly don’t want to be like the human beings watching the planet going down the drain. I will do the little I can.” bird story agency

Climate dealmakers at COP 27 are pushing to curb exports of Africa's strategic minerals, critical to the world's green energy revolution, to supercharge the continent's green industrialisation. Seth Onyango, bird story agency Resource-rich African states are keen to stimulate investments into their green minerals sector with an eye on building lithium-ion batteries supply chains to electrify the world's transport fleet. In a change of tack, stakeholders from different sectors are building consensus on the sides of the African Pavillion in Sharm el-Sheikh on harnessing the continent's new green power. These include sweeping curbs on green material exports to industrialised nations at the expense of local manufacturing. Although not on the cards yet, curbs could include the suspension of export licenses of some firms. This will force industries overseas that rely on African minerals to manufacture components of their electric systems to either set up shops in Africa or face biting shortages. It comes on the back of frustrations from African states meeting at their pavilion who feel they are getting a raw deal from the ongoing negations at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. "If after a decade they have not honoured their promises, when do you expect them to do that?" Dr Hippolyte Fofack, Chief Economist and Director of Research and International Cooperation at Afreximbank, said. Dr Hippolyte Fofack, Chief Economist and Director of Research and International Cooperation at Afreximbank at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, November 14, 2022. The event has been heralded as "Africa's COP" . (Photo : Seth Onyango, bird story Agency) "But we have options within the continent. The beauty is that when you move into the green space, some of the most important minerals from the green transition, whether it is lithium or Cobalt are in this continent. We have to get to where we are able to leverage what we have to achieve our goal. For a century, they relied on our oil and gas to power their economy… that was major leverage that we could not deploy because we did not have the technology to produce and process it locally," he added. Fofack wants Africa to "action" that leverage as part ion Africa's economies of scale. Bilha Ndirangu, a co-founder of Jacob's Ladder Africa, a sustainable development hub that advances the agenda of youth in Africa towards self-reliance and productivity, echoes Fofack's sentiments asserting that green industrialisation is part of finding local solutions to local problems. With financing needed to grow these industries, she is asking governments to instead of investing in fossils due to its current Ukraine war-induced demand, they should use the funds for clean growth. As Africa pushes to halt exports of green minerals, Ndirangu wants states to make the industry attractive for investments. "There are policies that we need to put in place to attract manufacturing… ease of doing business, cost of energy, favourable taxes and enabling environment," she said. The African Development Bank (AfDB), which has been building consensus among countries where the minerals are mined, is working on an African Green Minerals Strategy (AGREMS) to prop up clean industries to meet global demands for electric system components. As clean energy transitions gather pace, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects demand for critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, Cobalt and rare earth elements will soar. AfDB sees leverage in these minerals. Its strategy is expected to foster policies that ring-fence minerals for local production instead of often cheaper exports. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) data on global mineral reserves, Africa hosts Cobalt (52.4%), Bauxite for aluminium production (24.7%); Graphite (21.2%), Manganese (46%) and Vanadium (16%). AfDB sees Africa as the driving force behind the cobalt value chain, coupled with significant lithium deposits in the greenstone belts in Zimbabwe, DRC, Ghana and Mali. Globally, the demand for these minerals for the low-carbon energy transition will boost mining activities in resource-rich African countries. On that premise, the multilateral lender seeks to recruit an individual consultant to help craft an approach for the preparation of an AGREMS. Its green minerals strategy will capitalise on the opportunities offered by the AfCFTA to promote the emergence of regional markets for mineral resources by supporting the development of regional value and supply chains, regional labour market and regional infrastructure. The approach paper is therefore expected to identify the scope and the relevant orientation to guide the preparation of the green minerals strategy and action plan towards the development of the entire value chain. bird story agency AE