http://blogs.reuters.com/africanews/2009/10/07/is-kenyas-drought-a-climate-changing-warning/ African business, politics and lifestyle Sat, 15 Jun 2013 08:29:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 http://blogs.reuters.com/africanews/2009/10/07/is-kenyas-drought-a-climate-changing-warning/comment-page-1/#comment-5205 Anton Espira Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:36:11 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/africanews/?p=2158#comment-5205 Indeed the drought we are experiencing at present in Kenya is quite severe. However, as with many climatic events, it is hard to pin the blame on any single factor. Historically, the region has experienced far more severe droughts in the not too distant future, and these are just a part and parcel of the region's climate patterns. To start talking about climate change, unfortunately, deviates from the key issue that pushed east Africa way beyond sustainability, which is population. With or without climate change, the population factor, with all its derived variables of crime, poverty, ethnic tension and environmental degradation, has brought the horn of Africa to a cliff edge where we don't even need climate change to fall over. For that matter, all the policy makers here at home and in the donor community should return population to forefront of priorities if we are to expect at future improvement in people's livelihoods or in our ability to adapt to climate change. Indeed the drought we are experiencing at present in Kenya is quite severe. However, as with many climatic events, it is hard to pin the blame on any single factor. Historically, the region has experienced far more severe droughts in the not too distant future, and these are just a part and parcel of the region’s climate patterns. To start talking about climate change, unfortunately, deviates from the key issue that pushed east Africa way beyond sustainability, which is population. With or without climate change, the population factor, with all its derived variables of crime, poverty, ethnic tension and environmental degradation, has brought the horn of Africa to a cliff edge where we don’t even need climate change to fall over. For that matter, all the policy makers here at home and in the donor community should return population to forefront of priorities if we are to expect at future improvement in people’s livelihoods or in our ability to adapt to climate change.

]]> http://blogs.reuters.com/africanews/2009/10/07/is-kenyas-drought-a-climate-changing-warning/comment-page-1/#comment-5193 Aly-Khan Satchu Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:37:23 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/africanews/?p=2158#comment-5193 We have toasted this Planet a great deal and we might well have tripped over the Tipping Point. We live in a very Interconnected World and the blowback from this is being felt and is amplified in many different Frontiers, The Horn is clearly one of those Zones.Some responsibility also has to be laid at Our Door as well. You do not need a Degree in Rocket Science or Meteorology to recognise that we have flipped our Forest Cover for Charcoal and here too there is a vicious price to be paid.Aly-Khan Satchuwww.rich.co.keTwitter alykhansatchu We have toasted this Planet a great deal and we might well have tripped over the Tipping Point. We live in a very Interconnected World and the blowback from this is being felt and is amplified in many different Frontiers, The Horn is clearly one of those Zones.Some responsibility also has to be laid at Our Door as well. You do not need a Degree in Rocket Science or Meteorology to recognise that we have flipped our Forest Cover for Charcoal and here too there is a vicious price to be paid.Aly-Khan Satchuwww.rich.co.keTwitter alykhansatchu

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