Climate change is on our horizon, there are no longer any questions about it. In today’s workshop, Dr. Recha, the head of the Geography department at Egerton University, described to us how climate change has and will have acute impacts on developing countries, including Kenya. There will be significant changes in precipitation patterns and temperatures across the country, which ultimately will negatively impact the environment and human health.
Although this is not the future we want, it does create a chance for us to tap new opportunities. The concept of developing good out of the bad was new to us. Specifically, we now have the chance to generate new markets and innovations that didn’t exist previously. Electric cars, solar panels, and other forms of clean energy generation have the potential to create many new jobs and bolster the economy. We thought that this was a creative concept, but we wondered how many other people were aware of this? With so much potential, it’s up to us to step up to the plate and fully embrace these opportunities.
By: Olivia Petersons (MMASc in Global Health Systems in Africa Candidate); Aleksey Paltsev (PhD and Collaborative Program in Global Health Systems in Africa Candidate); Joyce Mutiso (BSc Egerton University)
The Africa Institute Blog 