Let's expose children to climate change mitigation early enough

Little miss environment kids competitors plant trees at the Kenya Wildlife Service,Nairobi on August 13, 2021. [David Gichuru, Standard] On planting trees to make up for the environmental degradation, we have certainly done a great effort. But, it is the least effort and easiest option to take. Last Saturday, I watched a film called 'The Letter', with children from St Mary's School, Musongari. The film is based on Pope Francis' most read encyclical Laudi Si on the call to care for the environment. What made the film have a new meaning for me is the reaction of children to its content. As they watched the film, I could hear and see reactions, particularly on how much human activities have contributed to climate change. Children are sharp and extremely attentive to what they see and hear. As children in the film gave testimony on their engagement in mitigating the negative effects of climate change, I could feel total silence in the theatre because the reality of climate change was sinking in. The occasional cheering of scenes subsided. The children reflected deeply on what they were seeing. That brings me to my main point. Children must secure their own future. Kenya's forest cover is still way below the 10 per cent required to ensure our existence. With population growth ever rising, bush fires clearing forests, land subdivision intensifying in parts of the country, rivers drying, seas rising, weather patterns becoming unpredictable, there is reason to involve children in securing their future. Schools are excellent spaces to educate children about climate change and the effects it has on their future. With modern education technology, teachers can demonstrate the latest negative impacts of climate change and how, in a globally interconnected world, little efforts anywhere in the world can save humanity. Many schools just focus on planting trees as if that is the only cure we need. Children need to know the strong correlation between corruption and environmental injustice. There are unscrupulous people who engage in unlicensed logging through dubious networks. There are people who don't care littering roads and compounds they live in. These people are not children. They are adults who are so inward looking that they forget by committing crimes against the environment, they are ruining the future of children. The question is: Which future are we handing over to children? I was also touched by the fact that children feel they are losing their future but appear helpless. Policy recommendations in the film but also in general are way above what children can do given their primary task is to study. A few children across the world have successfully become environmental activities. However, we do not expect many children to be activities. They nevertheless can contribute to making our country better by preserving as well as promoting the ecosystem upon which our lives depend. Given the real danger facing all of us due to climate change, every child should be trained to be an activist in their own spaces. Teachers should go beyond environmental clubs to ensure every child is fully aware that their present and future life is very much pegged on preserving the environment. While biodiversity is the way to go, children can be supported to preserve the natural environment around them by becoming more creative on sources of energy. No child is too young to be creative. On our part as adults, we shouldn't wait for the government to do everything for us. There are few people particularly in rural areas who do not understand that every time they cook using a piece of wood, they are contributing to endangering the future of children. Understandably, that is the only source of energy they have. However, the justification doesn't make the environment and hence the ecosystem less endangered. Advocacy and support groups should drive strong campaigns against all forms of environmental injustice. The one clear place to start is lobbying for reduced solar energy costs so that more people can be less dependent on wood for their domestic energy use. Dr Mokua is executive director, Loyola Centre for Media and Communication

Let's expose children to climate change mitigation early enough

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