| dc.description.abstract | Climate change has remained an environmental concern in international relations especially in nation states consolidating long term solutions on adaptation and mitigation policies. As states deliberate on developing comprehensive international environmental policies with emerging issues such as emission reduction caps, carbon trading and credit ratings affects the states decision to comply with international environmental laws and regulations. International climate change agreements have been the bedrock from which national governments draw its national policies on ways of curbing the effects of climate change by developing stringent laws and policies to ensure emission reduction of the harmful gases such as carbon dioxide. The UNFCCC, which came to force in 1992 signified an era of nation states cooperating on climate change challenges with developed nations faced with the responsibility of reducing its green house gas emission due to large industrialization and consequently higher concentrations of harmful substances.
The UNFCCC was further succeeded by the Kyoto protocol to enhance the commitment of both developed and developing nations. The international climate change forums have so far been a platform of blame games between nation states since the stakes of comprising economic growth and development over environmental degradation issues such as climate change are too high Developing nations have an important part in climate change just as the most industrialized nations. Climate change is a global concern that requires collective action by each and every nation. The implications of climate change will remain to worsen in Africa if national government fails to develop a framework concurrent with the international climate change agreements. It is evident that effects climate change is capable to increase the level of poverty in Africa and impede economic growth and development. Africa nations will thus require the assistance of developed nations to create adaptation and mitigation policies to curb the impacts of climate change as per the Kyoto protocol on developing nations providing both financial and technical support.
Kenya is a party to almost all the international climate change agreements in that it has signified and ratified the conventions of climate change. The development of the national response strategy through the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources shows that it is in the fight against climate change.Inspite of this assertion; Kenya is still in the process of developing a comprehensive climate change policies which will require it to be in a position to implement clear polices on integrating climate change and development. Development is the main focus on Kenya's national agenda and would incorporate climate change policies if only the policies will drive it towards achieving its economic and development hence sustainable development.
An integrated climate-development policy will have several implications to the national government such as integrating and merging functions of ministries that are both affected by climate change, a new form of partnership that involves the private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations, NGO's . Since the inception of the response strategy, Kenya has affirmed its position in climate change through cooperation with other nation's states on international transfer of technologies especially on alternative energy and energy efficiency to facilitate low carbon forms of energy and transforming food and water production. Kenya is taking up the challenge of curbing the effects of climate change at both national and international level and the success of an implementation of climatedevelopment policies means more interactions and cooperation in the global community | en_US |
