In Kenya, a different perspective on global warming
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
By Joe Nation
I am always struck by the harshness of Africa. Even in a large city like Nairobi, I can’t help but notice the contrast between the city’s extreme wealth and horrific poverty. Large estates are located less than a mile from shantytowns dominated by crime, premature death, and little opportunity.
On the streets, there are brand new Range Rovers driven by wealthy East Indians, westerners, and a few Kenyans, but most people must walk everywhere they go. Just two days ago, torrential rains resulted in flooding in parts of the country not prone to heavy rainfall. A short distance away, there is barren, desolate land parched by many years of drought.
Those barren and desolate stretches of land seem to be getting longer and wider. Extended periods of drought in Kenya and in other parts of Africa suggest that this continent is suffering the effects of climate change earlier and more intensely than most parts of the world. And once again, Africa, which is responsible for very little of our climate change problem, is suffering because of the actions of the industrialized world.
Last Saturday, thousands of Kenyans came to Nairobi to protest at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, urging immediate action. By the end of this week, delegates will announce whether progress has been made. Word came today that agreement on next steps against climate change among the developing world may be forthcoming.
This challenge is particularly difficult in a country as poor as Kenya. Of the 1.5 million who live in Nairobi, about a third live in conditions that most Americans can only imagine. Much of their food comes from scavenging dumpsters and trash cans, and their shelter is only as good as the next storm.
Kenya remains a poor country. The per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is just over $1,000, 205th out of 231 countries. Unlike China, India, and some other countries, Kenya’s GDP is expanding at only about 5 percent per year. In contrast, U.S. per capita GDP is about $40,000 and has grown recently at about 3-4 percent annually.
It is understandable why Africans and Kenyans may not be willing to give up future economic prosperity in the fight against global warming. Not surprisingly, the U.S. is the largest emitter of GHG worldwide. California alone ranks 12th worldwide with more than 400 million metric tons of emissions annually. GHG emissions from Kenya, with nearly the same population as California, rank near the bottom at about one-tenth that of California with only about 40 million metric tons.
Some of those here—conference delegates and Kenyans—are disappointed, if not angry at the lack of American response to climate change. In my short travels, they are the angriest at President Bush. But they are not angriest because of his inaction on climate change. They are angriest because he denies that the problem exists.
Even as many curse President Bush, American culture permeates this country. Western music is everywhere. Television contains its share of Hollywood productions, and everyone I meet here wants to come to America. It is clear that Kenyans and delegates to the U.N. Conference separate American—and likely most Americans—from national climate change policies. I’m astonished at the number of people here who know about the recent Democratic takeover of Congress. That, they assure me, will change America’s course.
Being a Californian has had its advantages. In fact, most attending the conference and most Kenyans view California as the leader on the climate change issue. (A few other states have also recently moved on climate change, but they are not on anyone’s radar screen here.) Some of that probably lies in the attraction that California has around the world. But much is indeed because Governor Schwarzenegger and the California legislature have taken such an aggressive stance on global warming.
Last evening, as I chatted with my cab driver, he rejoiced when I told him I was from California. Without prompting, he told me how much he liked California and how much he respected our Governor. Curious, I asked him what drove his admiration of Schwarzenegger. He cited two things: he admired Schwarzenegger ’s career as a “wrestler and boxer” (I, of course, didn’t correct him), and he liked his movies. He knew little about the Governor’s fight against global warming, but he assured me that whatever Schwarzenegger was doing was ok with him.
In a few decades, much of the harshness of Africa will probably remain. Large income disparities may continue. The education system may still not guarantee basic skills to everyone. And many people will undoubtedly rely on their feet as their sole means of transportation. But perhaps Africa will dodge the worst of the climate crisis because of actions taken in California and other parts of the developed world. Actions taken thousands of miles away by those who live in a land of plenty and who have a responsibility to this harsh continent.
Assemblyman Joe Nation, D-San Rafael, represents the 6th District. He is in Nairobi, attending the U.N. Conference on Climate Change.