All around the world, the effects of human-made climate change are disrupting and destroying natural ecosystems that are needed for survival.
Climate change and the legacy it comes from have threatened every country, including Kenya.
“The effects of centuries of unchecked industrialization and exploitation of natural resources by the West contributed to a grim climate crisis, that the exploited nations are having to pay the highest price,” said Billy Mugambi, Program Designer at EDU Africa.
Mugambi said that it makes perfect sense to not expect the same people who destroyed our land to be the ones providing solutions on how to reclaim and repair it.
“Deforestation, over-cultivation of farmland, destruction of water towers, proliferation of tropical pathogens and pests, and disproportionate population distribution are just a few of the climate challenges we’re having to mitigate in Kenya,” Mugambi said.
Many of these issues stemmed from colonizers introducing exotic plants to Kenya, which disrupted local ecosystems and degraded the soil. These non-native species were invasive and disrupted the cycle of nutrients in the soil, leading to less arable land and more erosion, harming the capabilities of all life to live within a land.
While this has and continues to have devastating impacts on Kenya, there is a solution: mainstreaming Indigenous knowledge of the land instead of strictly selected cases, in tandem with safe imported assumptions and aesthetics of colonial origin.
“Indigenous communities across Kenya had a community contentment that esteemed success through collectivist lenses. Oneness/harmony with nature and each other represented the pinnacle of human achievement,” said Mugambi. “Imperialism/capitalism exposes humanity to a debilitating disorder of individualistic acquisition.”
He said the greed this cultivates cannot be fenced in and resources that were previously sufficient for everyone become too scarce for capital greed.
“Not every question in life needs to be answered by profit,” Mugambi said.
In the U.S., economic gain at the expense of the environment is a norm, although protested. In Kenya, this is not fully a norm anymore as the country works in tandem with its law to protect the environment, thanks in part to the Green Belt Movement. The Kenyan Constitution states, “Every person has the right to a clean and healthy environment.”
The U.S. does not have this protection in its constitution, which could be added to prevent the issues of greed.
“The indigenous people of every country on the planet are the primary custodians of all its ancient expertise, and the living library of everything a nation needs to be sustainable for the long term. Knowledge about biodiversity, weather patterns, pathogens, natural calamities, optimized living conditions, remedies, antidotes, and conflict triggers is time-tested and handed down from one generation to the next,” Mugambi said emphatically.
“There is a great need to fully decolonize the Native American [Indigenous American] population and mainstream their voices and wisdom if the USA is to effectively reset itself for posterity.”
Like the work in Kenya to listen to Indigenous knowledge to combat climate change ignorance, there are also initiatives in the U.S. For example, in Minnesota, Indigenous Americans are rediscovering agricultural practices like wild rice farming.
This promotes Indigenous community voices, while also helping to bring back more native knowledge to its residents so that there is more certainty in ethical sustainability in the face of climate uncertainty. While progress has been made, significant work remains. Across the U.S., we need to support our Indigenous communities. Following Kenya’s efforts and ongoing initiatives in the U.S., we can restore the sustainable America that once was and rejuvenate our environment.
By following Kenya’s lead, it would send a powerful global message on the importance of Indigenous communities’ cultures, histories and abilities to fight climate change. It would also help promote attention to the country’s Indigenous communities who have long cared for and known the land that is lived on.
If we commit to this path, it will ensure a brighter future for us all.