By Enock Okong’o
The elites in society have been asked to write books in local languages to highlight the effects of climate change.
Speaking to local volunteer groups for the conservation and preservation of the environment in Kisii town, Kenyatta University don Dr. Kennedy Obiero said that climate change is a global threat that needs to be understood by children and youths who are the majority in the developing countries.
“Most of the populace hear of climatic change over radios but they do not get the real scope,” he said.
The scholar asked local artists to compose songs based on the causes, and effects of global warming while making music a main tool of educating communities.
He asked the Ministries of Agriculture, Education and that of Environment to join hands and provide best ways to educate the public about the effects of global warming.
He thanked the Ministry of Education for infusing environmental studies in the new CBC curriculum but lamented that, it was not enough when it is compared with the urgency that calls for mitigation of the problem at hand.
“Climate change is like a snake that clips into the bedroom but needs to be stopped before it causes harm,” He stressed.
The don asked the residents to do away with trees like the eucalyptus from along the river banks as they leave the rivers dry due to their water consumption rate. He asked residents to replace them with environmentally friendly plants like the bamboo and other indigenous trees.
The scholar who specializes in Geography and the Environmental studies said that his group will continue sensitizing communities about taking care of the natural resources.
He decried the pollution of river Gucha, the major water source in Kisii and called for its urgent clean up and reclamation.
