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By Judith Nguta/Kenya
Graphics by John Carl T. Alonsagay/ATO-ClimatEducate Project
Only 7.8 percent of the land in Kenya is under forest cover, according to data from the World Bank. This means that only 44,130 square km of estimated 581,309 square km of land mass is forested. Food and Agriculture Organization defines Forest area as “land under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems (for example, in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems) and trees in urban parks and gardens.”
Although the land under forest cover has been increasing over the years, the pace has been undeniably slow. By Mirza Mohammed/Bangladesh  Graphics by Chee Siang Teoh/ATO-ClimatEducate Project The world is facing massive destruction. Perhaps the most significant environmental problem, certainly the most urgent, the most catastrophic one, is global warming. This phenomenon has not come in the form of an apocalypse or a big bang, but something which people considered far smaller and simpler, a whimper which has been contemplated by most of us.
Global Warming is the unusual rapid increase in earth’s average surface temperature. GHGs (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, methane) trap heat and light from the sun and the result is rapid increase in temperature. The biggest contributors to global warming are industries, transportation, residential set-ups, commercial and agricultural sectors. |