LET’S CULTIVATE THE SPIRIT TO CONSERVE

LET’S CULTIVATE THE SPIRIT TO CONSERVE

Environmental issues in developing countries are critical problems; they threaten to seriously damage not only developing countries themselves, but also the entire international community. 

There are three main targets that we all need to focus on to achieve  environmental conservation: to deal with environmental pollution arising from rapid economic growth; to eradicate poverty, which is one of main causes of environmental depletion in in most developing countries; and to cope with global environmental issues.

Developing countries should thus put in place mechanisms to tackle problems such as air and water pollution, waste management, energy saving, water supply and sewage systems, nature conservation, flood control, and system and institution-building. These environmental efforts will play an increasingly important role in resolving environmental issues affecting developing countries.

In order to resolve environmental problems in developing countries, it is vitally important that we all assume primary responsibility and role for tackling such problems through ownership and cooperation with stakeholders in the international community in a spirit of partnership. 

Promoting sustainable development through the pursuit of environmental conservation and development is a global concern. In order to facilitate the pursuit of environment conservation and development in developing countries, it is extremely important that developed countries provide support for the necessary environmental efforts in development, and extend cooperation for environmental protection, taking into account the different economic and social conditions of each country concerned.

In order to promote the integration of poverty reduction and environmental conservation activities, incorporating environmental considerations into all development plans and programmes is mandatory. We need to support projects in which appropriate environmental considerations are fully taken into account.

Even though developing countries have a substantial need for assistance in the environmental sector, they tend to put a higher priority on development projects, and therefore local needs in the environmental sector are not reflected in specific project proposals. For this reason, governments in developing countries ought to promote the giving of incentives for environmental conservation and the raising of environmental awareness, through policy dialogues, various forums, and other appropriate cooperation schemes. 

In Kenya for instance, people do not have access to safe drinking water, so the resulting reliance on the use of contaminated groundwater leads to the spread of ill health. Moreover, the improper management of water for agricultural use, which constitutes a large share of the demand for water, causes salt accumulation that result in the reduction of the productivity of farmlands. Consequently, many people engage in economic activities that strain our natural resources.

Kenya enjoys a natural environment that has the world's richest biodiversity, many of which is quite important for maintaining the world ecosystem. However, we are unable to properly conserve our natural environment and manage our natural resources on our own, because of the severity of our social, economic, and technological conditions. In addition, many local residents depend on natural resources for their living, so it is important that conservation methods be compatible with poverty reduction efforts. 

As we join the world to celebrate World Environment Day this year, we all should aims to raise awareness about the impact of climate change on our beloved country. There is much to be learned from the small island countries from all over the world, which have overcome a number of environmental problems with only limited resources.