Environment Pillar

This Is the Environmental Pillar that One of the Presidential Candidate aspires to use to drive us to Prosperity; If you can relate with it, then you definitely relate to his leadership style. TUNAWESMAKE!!!

Environment

Kenya must realise that we stand to lose the most with the changes in climate. This is why it is necessary to move from rain fed agriculture to other avenues.

Strict implementation of the international conventions.

Peter Kenneth commits to strengthen and to better integrate environment and NRM policies and programmes into national development plans including the facilitation of policy coordination between local, national and regional decision making levels. Environmental Rights as enshrined in the Constitution and the dictates of the Vision 2030 will be rigorously implemented.

With the discovery of oil reserves, Kenya joins the league of resource-rich developing countries and this provides an opportunity to promote economic and social development, build human capital, and reduce infrastructure gaps. Managing those resources effectively is therefore a critical policy issue for Peter Kenneth, but a challenging one if the literature on the “resource curse” for many countries is anything to go by.

Policies to reduce land fragmentation must be put in place.

Why is a Water considered a scarce resource despite its abundance in the oceans?

Water, not unlike religion and ideology, has the power to move millions of people. Since the very birth of human civilization, people have moved to settle close to water. People move when there is too little of it; people move when there is too much of it. People move on it. People write and sing and dance and dream about it. People fight over it. And everybody, everywhere and every day, needs it. We need water for drinking, for cooking, for washing, for food, for industry, for energy, for transport, for rituals, for fun, for life. And it is not only we humans who need it; all life is dependent upon water for its very survival. 

Mikhail Gorbachev.


Water is becoming more and more a scarce and valuable resource as population and consumption rise. Many human factors influence the availability of water, including dams or other engineering, population, and consumerism - or our water use on an individual, business, and government levels. Evaluation of these factors, as well as technology and action to support healthy water supplies, is necessary to gain control of the situation.

Dams, Aqueducts, and Wells

The United States' Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that over 3.5 million miles of streams and rivers exist in the United States. Also, it is approximated that there are anywhere between 75,000 and 79,000 major dams in the United States, with another 2 million minor dams. Rivers, streams, and groundwater serve as our primary sources of water to be used in our homes and commercially. Dams, aqueducts, and wells provide an enormous amount of energy and life, but come at the cost of allowing too much water depletion, and not enough water replenishing groundwater, rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Harsh Example

Many dams have been deconstructed recently in North America, including the large Elwha Dam on Washington's Elwha River in 2011, due to environmental and wildlife concerns. Most rivers in the United States, however, are still dammed - and in many cases in order to support large populations in an otherwise unsuitable environment. For example, almost the entire Southwestern United States is part of an arid desert climate that would be unsuitable to the populations that exist there now were it not for the several dams and aqueducts on the few existing water sources, namely the Colorado River. The Colorado River largely supplements irrigation water, drinking water, and water for other city and community use to millions of people including the populations of Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and San Diego. All six of these cities (along with hundreds of smaller communities) rely on dams and aqueducts that transport Colorado River water hundreds of miles from its natural course. More than 20 major dams have been built on the Colorado, along with many smaller dams. All of these dams provide opportunities for use (primarily irrigation), and leave considerably less water for people and wildlife downstream relying on the habitat the river provides under natural circumstances.

The Colorado River is small compared to most rivers that act as a region's main water supply. The river's flow is approximately five cubic miles of water annually. To put that in perspective, the world's largest river, the Amazon, discharges almost that much every day or about 1,300 cubic miles of water every year, and the Mississippi River puts out about 133 cubic miles of water every year. The Colorado is a dwarf compared to other region's major rivers, yet still is relied upon to support an impressive portion of the population, due to overpopulation of a naturally dry region. Populations are growing in these areas, part of the so-called, "sun-belt" region, and declining in more temperate and wet areas, such as the East Coast of the United States. Many view this as a manipulation of nature, and impressive or not, decisions will have to made as to exactly how many people the water sources can handle and for how long.

Population and Consumerism

National Geographic studies estimate that 1.8 billion people around the world will live in "extreme water scarcity" by 2025. To make sense of that, look at the amount of water that we rely on. The average American lives a consumer lifestyle that requires approximately 2,000 gallons of water a day; five percent of that is used for drinking and utilities and 95 percent is used to produce food, energy, and the products you buy. Although Americans use on average twice as much water as citizens from other countries, water scarcity is a global issue that currently effects many nations around the world. Educating the public about where their water goes, and how their consumer choices affect the overall water situation may play a part in reducing the use and waste of water. National Geographic provides us with information about the amount of water used to produce food and everyday items. For instance, beef is one of the more popular food choices, especially in the United States, and it is also the type of animal product that requires the most amount of water to produce per pound (based on growing the animal's food, drinking water, and preparing it). One pound of beef takes on average 1,799 gallons of water to produce. In contrast, one pound of poultry requires only 468 gallons of water on average to produce, and one pound of soybeans requires only 216 gallons of water to prepare. Everything that we use, from food and clothing to transportation and energy, requires an astounding amount of water. (If you want to find out more, and learn about what they suggest for less water use, visit National Geographic's Freshwater Initiative site.)

Action and possibilities

Education and developing better technology are at the core of solving our water issues. The United States is falling behind in developing desalinization technology. Also needed is more energy technology and alternative sources to hydropower, which is currently relied on heavily. These are both efforts that minimize the use of water while sustaining the habits that our culture is reliant upon. Other efforts could include acting more proactive and resolute about changing some of the issues at hand; this could include issuing more water restrictions, instituting serious cleanup jobs for water bodies and finding solutions for major pollutants and contaminators. The process of desalinization may seem like an easy solution to water scarcity for populations located near saltwater. Currently it is an expensive process, whether through reverse osmosis, steaming, or other techniques like multistage flash distillation. The process also faces enough major setbacks, like producing enough energy to run plants, depositing the waste product (salt/brine), and developing each type of process more, that the option for it to be a serious possible contender to help solve the issue of water scarcity is not practical. For this to be feasible, more students need to be studying science, learning about the setbacks in the field, and working to develop solutions.
Much of the world is facing issues concerning water rights and water depletion. Many natural elements may even play a part in these issues, but we can choose what part we will play in the human interaction with water.

Living Green Tips

There are many things that you can do to make your home a greener place. Helping the environment supports our future on Earth. It also allows our children to understand how important caring for the world is. With the pollution in the air and ground in some places, going green is the least we as individuals can do.

We all know that it is imperative that we recycle. Did you know that you could recycle more than glass, paper, metal, and plastic? You can also recycle clothes, electronics, appliances, and even food. If you have the initiative to create a compost bin in your yard, you will have natural fertilizer that needs no chemicals to give your flowers and grass a boost in growth. Clothes that can be worn should be donated. However, for the clothes that you can no longer wear, you can create amazing patchwork quilts. Broken dishes make for perfect materials for mosaic works of art. If the dishes are glass, you can recycle those through normal recycle bins. For electronics such as cellphones, places such as Staples offer recycling stations.

Another thing that you can do around the house to make your home and lifestyle greener is to check your windows for energy efficiency. Windows that are more efficient can cut down on energy dependency during the winter months. If you have the money as well as the type of home able to use them, solar panels are a wonderful investment. Not only will the panels cut your electric bills down significantly, but also they have the capability to make you money over time. Solar energy is clean and free once you have the proper equipment. Another good green idea that you could install is a rain catching system. Storing rainwater is an easy way to cut down on your water bill because you can use that water to wash your car, water your lawn, or water your flowerbeds.

The most important thing you should take into consideration when you are going green is how much time you have to dedicate to being green. Take for instance your trips to the grocery store. If you take cloth bags and freezer bags with you, dependence on plastic bags with you individually can cut out at least one hundred plastic bags a year if not more. That plastic can be used for more important things such as medical supplies. You have to have time and patience when you move to a greener lifestyle. However, after experiencing the benefits of green living, you will not want to stop pressing forward.

As mentioned earlier, protecting the future of our world is also a great way to show our children how to take responsibility. When deciding to go green, explain why you are changing to this type of lifestyle to your children. Tell them what they can do to contribute to being green. Getting them involved with the process will make it easier for them to continue green living when they are adults. Start a tradition that may last for generations and help protect this world centuries to come.

Butterflies react to climate change

British butterflies are heading north as global temperatures rise, new research suggests.

The study, published in the journal Molecular Ecology, reveals that climate change is causing certain species to move and adapt to a range of new habitats.

The study, led by academics at the universities of Bristol and Sheffield, aimed to understand the role of evolution in helping a species to successfully track ongoing climate change.

With temperatures rising, many species are moving further north in the UK but this may mean crossing a landscape with increasingly less of their preferred habitat, academics said.

Evolutionary change in the ability to use geographically widespread habitats or increased ability to move longer distances can help species to track the warming climate and move northwards.

The Brown Argus butterfly is successfully expanding its distribution northwards in the UK and uses a range of distinct habitats.

Using genetic techniques to detect evolutionary change, the researchers were able to show that the colonisation of new sites further north by the Brown Argus had involved significant adaptation during or following colonisation.

Researcher James Buckley said: "These findings are important as understanding the likelihood and speed of such adaptive change is important in determining the rate of species extinction with ongoing climate change."