Educating people about climate change can help us restore our planet

UNEP postulates that the worldwide health pandemic has been linked to the health of our ecosystem. [Courtesy]

During World Earth Day last month, millions of people globally called for urgent action to restore the planet after decades of rampant degradation. This year’s theme, “Restore our Earth” was a rallying call to restore the planet’s ecosystems amid a devastating pandemic that has sent a clear message-a healthy planet is not an option; it is a necessity. Humanity is re-learning a critical lesson: We do not exist separately from nature.

Indeed, UNEP postulates that the worldwide health pandemic has been linked to the health of our ecosystem. According to scientists, Covid-19 is likely to have originated from a bat before crossing over to humans due to the ongoing destruction of natural habitats.

It is clear that if human activities such as pollution, deforestation and over-exploitation of natural resources go on, we will continue to grapple with health-related consequences of an unhealthy planet. Moreover, global warming and climate change will continue to cause extreme weather events such as floods, hurricanes and droughts.

Therefore, the call to take urgent action to restore the earth should not be taken lightly. We must all take responsibility for the impact of our actions on the environment. Consumers, for example, can recycle and re-use products and participate in activities such as waste collection and tree planting. Manufacturers too need to embrace sustainable technologies such as eco-design, resource efficiency and sound waste management.

Nevertheless, we must recognise that an essential element for the success of any of these actions is education. To enable both citizens and institutions to become environmental stewards, there is need to empower them with the necessary information.

Climate education helps people understand and address the impacts of global warming, encourages behaviour change and increases their adaptation and mitigation capacity to environmental issues. In Nairobi, a youth group in Dandora is restoring former dumping sites into green spaces and teaching community members on the importance of environmental restoration.

According to experts, climate and environmental education will help raise a new generation of individuals equipped with the ability to make better sustainable consumer choices. It will lead to job creation, boost the economy, increase innovation and creation of environmentally-friendly products.

Plastiki Rafiki, a student-led club at the International School of Kenya, is recycling discarded plastic to make innovative products and empower local communities to earn a living.

Kenya, sadly, is characterised by relatively low awareness levels and an education system that places little emphasis on environmental education, a subject that is presently a privilege for students in select schools.

At Kenya Extended Producer Responsibility Organisation, we believe that it is crucial to empower every Kenyan with the right education to successfully restore our environment. Our goal is to drive public awareness on conservation, sustainable waste management practices, recycling and the circular economy.

We call upon the government to incorporate climate education as a core subject in our school curriculum to ensure that every child is educated on the climate crisis and organisations to prioritise climate education in their sustainability agenda.