What should be the balance between environmental concerns and economic development? Since the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act came into operation in January 2000, this question has bedevilled the mandarins in the Ministry of Environment, the National Environment Management Authority, local authorities and developers and not one of them has come up with a satisfactory answer. The late Prof Wangari Maathai, who was cremated today, championed the cause of forest conservation for the better part of her adult life. As the founder and Director of the Green Belt Movement she stood up against the State just when the deforestation bandwagon was gaining traction. Many will remember with gratitude the war she fought with Moi's KANU when the then ruling party wanted to annexe a portion of Uhuru Park for the construction of a 60-storey building. They will also remember the wars she fought against Moi's regime when the Karura Forest was being systematically decimated by ecologically destructive developments authorised by the Moi government.
Prof Maathai managed to link environmental issues with governance, and in winning the prestigious Nobel Prize for Peace she was vindicated by the global community for demonstrating that where people lack a voice in the governance of their nation, they lack the opportunities to manage their natural resources responsibly, effectively and for profit. But she never got a chance to demonstrate that environmental demands should supersede the demands of the business community. The record of the West when it comes to environmental issues has been mixed but only because the knowledge that we have gained since 1972 came too late to reverse some of the decisions that had been taken over a course of close to 250 years. The Industrial Revolution, while turning Europe and America into economic powerhouses, also decimated the natural environment and developed technologies that are the bane of the environment today. But without the assiduous employment of coal in the beginning of the Revolution, among other capital factors, their economies would not be where they are today, climate change concerns notwithstanding.
Kenya finds itself at a cross-roads. To industrialise, some environmental concerns must be jettisoned. There are enormous deposits of iron and coal in Ukambani, but to exploit them fully will mean generating many millions of tonnes of climate changing green-house gases. But without generating larger volumes of electricity, our steel and cement industries are dead in the water. These, by the way, are primary components in the industrialisation of this country. If we are to rapidly industrialise as Vision 2030 demands, we will have to set aside extreme environmental concerns for the economic benefits of industrialisation. Not many eco-extremists want to hear this.
Examining our options, we are left with few choices, but some advantages to the industrialising nations of Europe and North America in the 17th and 18th centuries. The information and technologies available today may help to a great extent to mitigate against the ill-effects of the industalisation of the nation. For instance, while the employment of coal will significantly increase the production of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, the knowledge gathered from carbon-sequestration studies suggest that the effect may not be completely negative if the correct techniques are employed in mitigation. Prof Maathai's One-Billion Trees project may also assist in restoring degraded forests and lands in Kenya, contributing significantly to reversing trends that have been observed since at least the mid-1970s. Ecological concerns and industrialisation are not mutually exclusive and the fact that Kenya is now part of an integrated global community means that the potential to co-opt many more partners in its quest for industrial growth has only increased. Perhaps it is time that the policy makers in government and the eco-warriors of the NGO sector joined hands to properly draft policies that not only ensure that our industrial future is sustainable, but that all sectors of the society benefit from the natural riches of this nation. This will be the true legacy of Prof Maathai's struggles for the environment.
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