Sick Planet, Sick People
Rarely is the issue of climate change discussed in the context of changing health indicators, but new studies, including one by the World Health Organization, are warning that a warming planet is causing or spreading diseases that are killing at least 150,000 people every year. In this special report, read about how the biggest climatic catastrophe of our times is increasing the health burdens of humanity, and what experts think we should do if we want to survive these twin challenges.

 
Malaria is spreading to new areas; blame it on climate change
For centuries this deadly disease has been endemic in specific low-lying areas of the country, but that is not the case anymore. Why? Dr Ednah Otoo, a Kenyan parasitologist, says “we have observed that even during wet periods, the temperatures are now higher than usual”, and that “a combination of wetness and high temperatures is a good breeding ground for mosquitoes”.

 

Meet Eva Makandi, Kenyan feted at global stage for leading climate conservation

The founder of Light on a Hill Organization (LOAH) is, in her own small ways, charging against the twin crises of climate and biodiversity, and this report explains how the missteps of our collective history could be repaired by the small steps we take now as individuals and communities.

 

Uncharted irrigation path that could tackle chronic food insecurity

Tana and Bura irrigation schemes were on the brink of collapse when their main water source, River Tana, changed course. That was 13 years ago. Read about the efforts to revive these schemes, with a race against time to combat food shortage.

 

Smart monitoring needed to make groundwater sustainable

Groundwater sustainability and monitoring is an essential element in resolving the effects of water shortage caused by climate change, so why are we doing so little to monitor our exploitation of this finite resource?

 


One of the most visible impacts of climate change in Kenya is drought. The prolonged dry season and scanty rainy season have spiked food shortage, starvation, and rivers drying up.

Here are some of the stories that made headlines in our broadcast coverage:
 

Retired ambassadors say climate change likely to fan conflicts.
At the beginning of this year, Kenya went through what many researchers noted was its worst drought in over four decades. An estimated six million people faced starvation by the time the rains came in mid-March, by which data by the Drought Management Authority showed about 40,000 people in West Pokot were at risk of food security because of the West Pokot drought crisis.
Human and wildlife clash for water continues in Kajiado county due to drought as persistent drought in Kajiado County pits humans, livestock and wildlife against each other.
In Mandera, 500,000 people faced starvation due to prolonged drought. This puts the county, and indeed many others affected by one of Kenya’s worst droughts in recent history, at the alarm stage. The government has approved Sh4 billion for drought mitigation in 31 counties.