The Climate Change Program emphasises on the strengthening of understanding and capacity of rural communities to take action to tackle climate change.

The livelihood of the communities are strongly entwined with the environment and greatly affected by the effect of climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) warned that climate change can result in severe negative impacts on our global water supply, the agricultural yield, our ecosystems which will affect the livelihood of many people, especially those living near coastal areas. The rural communities depend on their environment for food, fuel and water. Change in temperature or the weather along with deforestation in Kenya had led to women having to travel long distances or cut back on nutritious food due to lack of wood fuel.

Hence the GBM, through the Climate Change Program, hopes to raise awareness of how local communities can take up the role of change agents to their environment and how the forests play a part in tackling climate change.

Engaging with climate change  

• Mitigation – carbon sequestration through tree planting and ecosystem conservation and management
• Adaptation – encourage people to plant trees and use sustainable farming technique such as growing of indigenous food crops to enhance food security, harvesting rain water and curbing soil erosion
• Promotion of Sustainable Development – livelihood of community, diversification and education to allow community to become more resilient

 

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