By Harold Ayodo

Ahead of the crucial climate change summit in Copenhagen, students and pupils have added their voice to the international debate on the matter.

The students recently met at the British Council and made recommendation for leaders who will attend the Copenhagen talks in December and Kenyans to consider.

One of their bold prescriptions for mitigating climate change was that every person who owns land put 10 per cent of it under trees.

They urged parents to help every child above age six to plant a tree and care for it.

The students said the Government should launch climate change awareness and call to action campaigns, especially in the rural areas where people are most affected by the devastating effects of climate change.

The students felt that it is critical that the State and environmentalists get young people involved in finding solutions.

Believing that technology is a major component in the fight against climate change, the students urged governments of the world to aggressively invest in eco-friendly sources of energy like biogas, solar, wind and hydroelectric.

They urged planners to decongest the roads to reduce traffic jams and carbon emissions, encourage use of hybrid cars and support for solar energy instead of fuel by integrating conservation into development projects.

But for any real change to happen every body must change their lifestyle. The students thus recommended that everyone should recycle, reduce consumption of energy and conserve trees. Other simple measures include walking for short distances, car-pooling and use public transport. They said curbing pollution and better waste management would lessen the impact of climate change.