It is time for Nairobi City to follow the green footsteps of cities such as Vancouver in Canada, touted as one of the most environmentally-friendly cities in the world.

Considering that more than half of the world’s population lives in cities, it is imperative for these urban areas to be more sustainable.

Although only 40 per cent of people in Africa live in cities, this number is expected to rise drastically in coming years. In this regard, Nairobi is sitting at a crossroads. With more people pouring into it every year, Nairobi will either crumble under the weight of a growing population or flourish in the fertile ground that green urban growth presents.

It is possible to make Nairobi the greenest city in Africa. For this to happen, we will need a Nairobi Governor who prioritises the green economy as the driver of growth in the city. If we do this right, Nairobi will also translate to one of the most profitable cities on the continent because green is definitely profitable. According to Sir Nicholas Stern, failure to tackle the climate crisis could cost the global economy $6.6 trillion a year.

This means that countries and cities in particular must embrace a green economy that saves money and opens new revenue streams. Vancouver is fairing quite well on this sustainability path. In 2012, more than one thousand leaders and stakeholders in the city came together to craft an action plan whose goal was to make Vancouver the greenest city on earth. Green economy, green transportation, climate leadership, zero waste and green buildings were among the areas that the plan focused on.

Comprehensive recycling

Last month, Vancouver City released a progress report of this ‘Greenest City by 2020 Action Plan.’ There had been a 49 per cent increase in new local food and green jobs since 2010. Additionally, the city had restored or enhanced 50 acres of natural area. Food security was further enhanced through a 42 per cent increase in neighborhood food assets since 2010.

Regarding solid waste, this largely became an asset and not a liability because comprehensive recycling resulted in 27 per cent decrease in the solid waste sent to landfills and incinerators since 2008. In addition, 311km of bike network were rolled out in Vancouver even as 82,000 new trees were planted since 2010. Such efforts resulted in 56 per cent decrease in greenhouse gases from city’s operations since 2007.

Such are the concrete green goals that Nairobi leaders and stakeholders need to include in a green strategy for the city. Considering that we are already the only city in the world to host a vast national park with throngs of wild animals, we are already well placed to become Africa’s greenest city.

We must therefore interrogate all candidates who are running for office in Nairobi on their green strategies. This is critical since as Vancouver has shown, green is good not just for the environment, but also for the economy. Think green, Act green.

 

— The writer is the founder and chairperson, Green Africa Foundation. www.isaackalua.com