President Uhuru Kenyatta and Lord Evgeny Lebedev have been selected to host the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow next week.
Reports by The Independent indicated that the two will convene the high-level event to discuss how the private and public sector investment are crucial in battling the climate crisis.
The event will be staged by Kenya, the Independent and the International Conservation NGO Space for Giants. Discussions will also explore how public and private financial institutions can be mobilized to invest in the course.
President Kenyatta has emphasized the need for European nations to honour their climate action commitments to developing countries especially in Africa.
Cop26 event will feature contributions from the Presidents, or their senior representatives, from all the Giants Club countries to which President Uhuru is a member.
“Cop26 must focus on an African solution to our global climate problem. We need to preserve Africa’s carbon sinks if we are to stand a chance of saving our planet. Together, African governments, the private sector and the global community can help to sustain Africa’s natural habitat – and combat climate change,” Lord Lebedev stated.
Dr Max Graham, founder and CEO of Space for Giants, emphasized the need for the world to cut deep emissions from the major polluters adding that "Africa’s carbon sinks and their restoration and protection through carbon finance offers one of the greatest conservation opportunities of our generation."
This comes at a time when Kenya has set up a global pooled financing facility to fund its ambitious and fast-tracked afforestation programme.
Kenya has a forest cover estimated at 7.24 per cent of the country's total landmass, against the recommended global minimum of 10 per cent. The country has also been classified as one of the low tree cover countries in the world.
The programme aims to plant more than two billion tree seedlings to meet the tree cover commitment.
