There once was a time when people thought of the environment, they thought of its virginity and its beauty, but now the natural beauty of the earth that once was has almost completely disappeared. It is now official-man has finally managed to twist the fabric of nature. Africa represents what is at risk in the face of global climatic changes as it is where the negative impacts of environmental destruction are most evident.

The environment is being transformed and fast. Previously undisturbed rain forests are being cleared at a sickening rate; fresh surface water bodies, landfills and other undesignated open spaces are being stuffed with non-biodegradable and toxic garbage leaving a legacy of pollution and waste for future generations. Indiscriminate human behaviors and an inadequate understanding on the part of the public of the potential consequences of their actions and the lack of proper infrastructure have resulted in such poor and unsustainable environmental management practices. These practices pose economic, health and aesthetic problems especially for the poor as dumping of waste, toxic or not takes place in poor neighborhoods globally. These poor waste disposal methods threaten to rouse conflicts between those living in affluent neighborhoods and those in the informal settlements.

Other environmental problems such as soil erosion and toxicity, poisonous food, ozone layer destruction, carcinogenic pollutants, radon in our homes and a series of other threats are looming larger than ever. Mining companies are ripping pristine mountaintops to strip out coal mainly for use in industries, and the transport sector is rapidly increasing the numbers of fuel inefficient automobiles. Both are main sources of green house gases and acid rain. Climate change, now the 21st century global environmental challenge, has gained attention as a potential source of widespread conflict in Africa. Evidence is pointing toward unnatural and unprecedented global temperature increases that could wreck unlimited havoc.
Global climate change is set to reshape coastlines, alter disease prevalence, weather patterns, water availability, and where people can grow food and live. Changes in rainfall patterns, along with increased evaporation rates driven by the rising temperatures, will mean some places on the continent will face considerable decline in available water. Flooding in the lowlands will force people to relocate and hamper crop productivity. And while water is indispensable to human survival, livelihoods and most of economic production, climate change is intensifying water insecurity on unparalleled scale. The threat of water wars hangs over the heads of the world’s population living in water stress areas where shared resources serve diverse peoples within and between countries. Constraints in water availability are currently a growing concern which climate change will exacerbate, making access to water; water allocations and use become the focus of tensions which may spill over to conflicts.

The planet is moving into an accelerated period of climate change driven in part by the industrial agribusiness model that dominates the global food system. Rain fed agriculture being the backbone of many African economies and a climate sensitive sector at that, will present another possible conflict point which is food insecurity. Decreases in rainfall and prolonged and repeated drought periods cause loss of productive assets such as fisheries and also undermine the sustainability of livelihood systems based on rain-fed agriculture. This results in decreased crop and aquatic yields in parts of the continent amidst growing population demands and rising malnutrition. In fact, research proves that hunger has been on the rise for the past decade. It is estimated that in the year 2009, 265 million people were undernourished in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. Climate change is affecting food availability and its accessibility as reflected by the high food prices. In fact here in Kenya the prices of staple foods had more than doubled in the past year.

This has a huge impact on human health, livelihood assets, food production and distribution channels as well as purchasing powers. This forces poor people to reduce consumption below the minimum required for a healthy and active life leading to food riots and social unrest. .
These concerns about climate change and environmental degradation have now broadened and evolved into energy and economics. Countries all over the world are now centred on national and regional security struggling to slow down atmospheric pollution that initiated the whole problem, as climate change threatens to undermine international peace and security.

Africa is no stranger to conflict. The continent has been rocked by war, ethnic hatred, post-colonial border disputes and competition for resources. The continent is getting hotter. But as deserts encroach in Sudan, rainfall declines in the Horn of Africa and fresh water evaporates in the south, climate change is transforming conflicts and kicking old tensions into an overdrive. Maximum temperatures in Kenya’s Rift Valley and on its northern coast have risen by more than 5 degrees over the last 20 to 40 years. Climate change is amplifying and escalating vulnerability. And more so because of it’s ever increasing population growth rate.
Africa has the highest population growth rate in the world and this is only aggravating the situation. According to the United Nations Population Fund, Kenya’s population in 2008 was approximated to be 38 million with an annual growth rate of 2.8 per cent, which is considerably higher than the world’s average of 1.2 percent. Shrinking natural resources combined with climate change and the increasing demand from such a growing population is likely to trigger conflicts causing more failed states and mass migrations, food insecurity and water stress.

Kenya provides us with an example of how nations despite being peaceful, can experience conflicts as a result of limited natural resources. For a long time, the country was perceived as a beacon of stability, democracy and economic growth on the continent. This colorful picture however, was shattered in 2007 when violence broke out following the country’s disputed general elections. As is now being appreciated, beneath the simplistic tribal battle-lines laid the historic patterns of unequal resource distribution in Kenya. The contested presidential votes only triggered the much larger underlying problems of poverty and inequality of access to national resources. And though Nairobi is one of the rapidly growing cities in the world, it is fast becoming a divided society where the gap between the rich and the poor is widening and fast. Kenya is still politically volatile with the growing resentment over inequality and the continuing environmental changes will worsen this situation.

There is therefore much to be done to turn the tide on the decline of the environment.
Despite all of the damage we have caused the environment, most of it fortunately is reversible. We can restore habitats and return species to them; clean rivers; renovate buildings; replenish the topsoil; replant forests and manage waste in an environmental friendly way. However, these activities do not relieve the worst symptoms of the damage. We still have to fix the source of these problems in order to progress towards a much cleaner and greener sustainable development.