NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 7 – Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala has unveiled plans to restrict the use of vehicular transportation within all National Parks and Reserves to those that use non-fossil renewable energy by 2030 as part of Kenya’s commitment to achieving sustainable tourism.
Balala, in a statement, noted that that the ministry will also require all hospitality and tourism facilities in Kenya to adopt renewable energy and circular economy in their operations by 2030.
The CS also fronted the mobilization of ecological assets in areas that act as carbon sinks to maximize global carbon credit facilities available in order to raise additional resources to play an active role in meeting our national goal of a net carbon-neutral nation.
“It is imperative that as we demand more action against emissions as well as resources to mitigate the threats to our economy and livelihoods of our people, we must likewise play our part in reducing our own footprint in any way possible.
He said that the ministry will also restore degraded areas in National Parks and Reserves with a concerted effort on reforestation and increase marine conservation areas network.
“To develop and enforce minimum sustainability standards that are in line with global benchmarks for businesses in the sector that form the basis for operations of sustainable tourism businesses with accompanying incentives and disincentives,” he added.
To establish frameworks for documentation and measuring the economic impacts of climate change on the tourism and wildlife sector in Kenya as a basis to mainstreaming practical, quantifiable, and accountable required measures on climate actions by actors in the entire value chain.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, during a side meeting on ‘accelerating clean energy technology innovation and deployment’ at the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland told the international community that Kenya is determined and on course to achieve a full transition to clean energy by the year 2030.
The President noted that renewable energy currently accounts for 73% of Kenya’s installed power generation capacity while 90% of electricity in use is from green sources among them geothermal, wind, solar and hydro-electric installations.
“Renewable energy in Kenya currently accounts for 73% of the installed power generation capacity, while 90% of the electricity in use is from clean sources. We are on course to achieve our target of 100% use of clean energy by 2030 and to achieve 100% access to clean cooking by 2028,” Kenyatta said.
At the meeting, also addressed by several world leaders among them UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden, President Kenyatta noted that the energy sector accounts for most of the global greenhouse gas emissions saying the world’s greatest challenge was innovating new low carbon energy solutions.
“…the energy sector accounts for three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions. The critical challenge, therefore, is how to reduce carbon emissions from the energy sector while ensuring that all people have access to clean energy. We urgently need new and improved clean energy technologies that meet the energy demand without exacerbating greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
