The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), on Tuesday, May 16, cautioned car owners against driving their vehicles to work, for five straight days.
NTSA explained that Kenyan motorists greatly contributed to environmental degradation through the emission of greenhouse gases fueling climate change crises.
The transport sector is Kenya's second-largest emitter of Carbon dioxide gas, accounting for 31.2 per cent of total emissions. Most of these emissions come from road transport, which accounts for 95 per cent of all transport emissions.
"Go the extra mile today for the environment by taking a matatu or bus instead of driving alone. It reduces emissions, saves money, and eases traffic congestion," NTSA warned.
At the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (Cop 27), President William Ruto noted that the average Kenyan car emits around 200 grams of CO2 per kilometre. This is higher than the global average of 140 grams per kilometre.
It was noted that high emissions from Kenyan cars are due to several factors, including the use of old and inefficient vehicles, poor quality of fuel and poor condition of the roads.
Other factors included the high number of traffic jams that forced the government to take several steps to reduce CO2 emissions from the transport sector.
The interventions by President William Ruto's government included subsidisation on the purchase of electric vehicles, promotion of the use of public transport, investment in road infrastructure and introduction of a fuel levy to discourage the use of petrol and diesel.
These measures have successfully reduced CO2 emissions from the transport sector. However, more must be done to achieve the country's target of reducing emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.
"Kenya's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2020 were 16 million metric tons. This is a decrease from 18.3 million metric tons in 2019. However, Kenya's CO2 emissions have increased overall since 2000, when they totaled 10.4 million metric tons," President Ruto stated in a previous address.
The agriculture sector is the largest emitter of CO2 in the country, accounting for 62.8 per cent of total emissions. The energy sector is the second largest emitter, accounting for 31.2 per cent of total emissions.
The industrial processes sector accounts for 4.6 per cent of total emissions, and the waste sector accounts for 1.4 per cent of total emissions.
President Ruto's government committed to reducing GHG emissions by 30 per cent by 2030. This target is contingent on receiving international finance, investment, technology development and transfer, and capacity-building support.
Some key challenges to reducing CO2 emissions include the country's reliance on fossil fuels for energy and the need to increase agricultural productivity while reducing emissions from the agriculture sector.
