Macron, Kenyatta address UN Environment meeting in Kenya

The French President and his Kenyan counterpart have backed calls by scientists to urgently address some of the serious environmental issues the world over.

Addressing the 4th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Emmanuel Macron said the world can no longer be in a state of denial when the opportunity to reshape the future of the planet is now.

He he called on countries to invest in renewable forms of energy in order to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.

‘‘We know that the agenda that we have is essential and perhaps even more now because the United Nations has placed it at the heart of its own agenda and as I said earlier, the observations have been made a long time ago. Many heads of states and governments well before me or sometimes decades earlier have denounced scientists and the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) which said recently that we are not even on course on the Paris Agreement’‘, Macron said.

Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta bemoaned the impact of climate change on the poor and vulnerable people in the world. He said Climate change continues to be a major threat to sustainable development worldwide, while calling for urgent and sustained effort to stem this phenomenon

‘’ This session takes place at a time when the world is striving to address record levels of environmental degradation, food insecurity, poverty and unemployment. Current global statistics are indeed quite sobering and projections for the future generations are dire and demand urgent action by governments, communities, business and individuals alike’‘, Kenyatta said.

While Africa is responsible for only 4% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, 65% of the African population is directly impacted by climate change.

According to scientists, climate change is responsible for some of the worst droughts, floods and super storms fuelled by warmer, rising seas .

The environment assembly aims to push countries to commit to slashing pollution and widening renewable energy, recycling and conservation.

The outcome of negotiations and key findings will set the global environmental agenda and boost chances of success in the Paris Agreement and 2030 Agenda.