222 Oliver W. Johnson et al.
of a green economy resonates through Vision 2030, merging the imperatives of
contributing to global climate change mitigation, meeting the increasing energy
demands of a growing population and economy, sustainably managing the country’s valuable natural resources, and enhancing climate resilience.
Committing to climate change mitigation and adaptation
In 2015, Kenya submitted its NDC to the UNFCCC, noting that land use, landuse change, forestry, and agriculture contributed 75% of the total GHG emissions in 2010 (Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, 2015). By the
year 2030, Kenya’s GHG emissions under a business- as-usual scenario – excluding future exploitation in the extractive industry – are estimated at
143 MtCO 2 e,
2
based on the per capita emissions of about 1.26 MtCO 2 e (Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, 2015). Therefore, the country has
announced mitigation and adaptation actions to abate its GHG emissions by
30%. To achieve a low- carbon, climate- resilient development pathway, some of
the mitigation activities relate to promoting clean energy technologies to reduce
overreliance on wood fuels; achieving a tree cover of at least 10% of the land
area; and expansion of renewable sources of energy. Geothermal power development and sustainable charcoal production and trade both form important elements of Kenya’s mitigation priorities and, as such, both were the focus of two
recent proposed Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions for Kenya submitted to the UNFCCC (Falzon et al., 2014; Wanjiru et al., 2016).
Meanwhile, as with many developing countries in Africa that are vulnerable
to climate change, adaptation measures will continue to receive support, including ‘climate proofing’ infrastructure as well as supporting innovation and development of appropriate technologies that promote climate- resilient development.
These measures have come out of Kenya’s consecutive strategies and plans for
addressing climate change, starting with the National Climate Change Response
Strategy (NCCRS) developed in 2010, followed by the National Climate
Change Action Plan (NCCAP) launched in 2013 and revised in 2018, the
Climate Change Act passed in 2016, and the National Adaptation Plan (NAP)
which was finalised in 2016 (Government of Kenya, 2010a, 2013, 2016a, 2016b,
2018a).
Powering the nation and fuelling its cities
As shown in Figure 13.1, renewable energy has always played a major role in
Kenya’s electricity supply. Hydro has typically dominated the electricity mix,
but over the last 15 years geothermal has taken an increasing share and wind
has started to become prominent. By 2018, hydro, geothermal, and wind made
up 35.3%, 27.9%, and 1.1% respectively of the country’s 2,333 MW of installed
grid- connected electricity (Kenya Power, 2018).
As electricity access expands, the middle class grows, and industrial activity
rises, major demand increases are forecast (Government of Kenya, 2011, 2018b).
of a green economy resonates through Vision 2030, merging the imperatives of
contributing to global climate change mitigation, meeting the increasing energy
demands of a growing population and economy, sustainably managing the country’s valuable natural resources, and enhancing climate resilience.
Committing to climate change mitigation and adaptation
In 2015, Kenya submitted its NDC to the UNFCCC, noting that land use, landuse change, forestry, and agriculture contributed 75% of the total GHG emissions in 2010 (Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, 2015). By the
year 2030, Kenya’s GHG emissions under a business- as-usual scenario – excluding future exploitation in the extractive industry – are estimated at
143 MtCO 2 e,
2
based on the per capita emissions of about 1.26 MtCO 2 e (Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, 2015). Therefore, the country has
announced mitigation and adaptation actions to abate its GHG emissions by
30%. To achieve a low- carbon, climate- resilient development pathway, some of
the mitigation activities relate to promoting clean energy technologies to reduce
overreliance on wood fuels; achieving a tree cover of at least 10% of the land
area; and expansion of renewable sources of energy. Geothermal power development and sustainable charcoal production and trade both form important elements of Kenya’s mitigation priorities and, as such, both were the focus of two
recent proposed Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions for Kenya submitted to the UNFCCC (Falzon et al., 2014; Wanjiru et al., 2016).
Meanwhile, as with many developing countries in Africa that are vulnerable
to climate change, adaptation measures will continue to receive support, including ‘climate proofing’ infrastructure as well as supporting innovation and development of appropriate technologies that promote climate- resilient development.
These measures have come out of Kenya’s consecutive strategies and plans for
addressing climate change, starting with the National Climate Change Response
Strategy (NCCRS) developed in 2010, followed by the National Climate
Change Action Plan (NCCAP) launched in 2013 and revised in 2018, the
Climate Change Act passed in 2016, and the National Adaptation Plan (NAP)
which was finalised in 2016 (Government of Kenya, 2010a, 2013, 2016a, 2016b,
2018a).
Powering the nation and fuelling its cities
As shown in Figure 13.1, renewable energy has always played a major role in
Kenya’s electricity supply. Hydro has typically dominated the electricity mix,
but over the last 15 years geothermal has taken an increasing share and wind
has started to become prominent. By 2018, hydro, geothermal, and wind made
up 35.3%, 27.9%, and 1.1% respectively of the country’s 2,333 MW of installed
grid- connected electricity (Kenya Power, 2018).
As electricity access expands, the middle class grows, and industrial activity
rises, major demand increases are forecast (Government of Kenya, 2011, 2018b).