Topic:
Country: Kenya
Delegate Name: Will Allen
Climate Change and Infectious Disease is major problem in Kenya. Much of Kenya has experienced floods which is to blame for the spread of infectious diseases. Many of which have been lethal, such as malaria, dengue fever, cholera, and typhoid. Spreads and outbreaks of these diseases have been reported in lower-lying areas, notably in Western Kenya.
First of all, how is climate change affecting Kenya? Climate change in Kenya impacts the lives of Kenya’s citizens as well as Kenya’s natural environment. Climate change has led to more frequent extreme weather events, as well as increasing temperatures and unpredictable rainfall. Those events in question have been increasingly more severe. Take floods for example. Floods in the past few years have been killing hundreds of Kenyans. Rivers, especially in western Kenya, have been flooding. This is very crucial because Kenya is only around 7% forest, and every year over 5,000 hectares of forest is lost. This directly correlates with infectious diseases. As people migrate away from the flooding, so do animals. Most dangerous mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can infect people with deadly diseases that can spread quickly in densely populated areas which will lead to death.
I propose an idea that can help us fix this. It will not immediately change but will set us up better for the future. What I propose is that we mainstream climate change acclimation in the school system. Teaching our children about climate change, what its causes and effects are, as well as how we can prevent it is crucial to the future of not only our country, but the entire world in terms of our climate. If we change the curriculum on climate change as necessary, the youth will be educated on the subject and will know how to prevent things that can cause climate change. According to the Public National Library of Medicine, education has been found to promote behavior change. This can be backed up by the students who took the COMM 168 course at San Jose State University. A majority of course graduates reported pro-environmental decisions that they gained from experiences they had while taking part in the course. A carbon footprint analysis claims that the average course graduate reduced their individual carbon emissions by 2.86 tons of CO2 per year after completing the course. Surveys identify that course graduates developed a personal connection to the effects climate change has and find solutions to help fix it.
Our specific goal in this is to help educate the future generation on the subject. Furthermore, we want to provide insight into climate change and how it affects us, and most importantly, how to help stop it. It has been an issue for many, many years prior, and is getting worse every single day. Our only hope is the future generations, and it is our responsibility to teach them how to help us.
