Columnists
Brands must play leading role in the just transition to clean energy
Friday February 24 2023
Brands must play a leading role in the just transition to clean energy. FILE PHOTO | POOL
Climate change continues to occupy a central place among issues that worry global citizens even as we walk from one conference to the other every year.
According to the Ipsos Global Predictions 2023 report, most people around the world believe we will see more climate change consequences in 2023.
For example, 65 percent (up from 60 percent last year) of them say it is likely there will be more extreme weather events in their country next year.
The survey carried out in December last year also reveals that more than half (57 percent) feel that 2023 will likely be the hottest year on record where they live while around one in three (36 percent) is even more pessimistic, thinking it is likely that parts of their country will become unlivable because of an extreme weather event during the coming year.
The last climate talks, COP27, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, came with an implementation plan following multilateral negotiations and aligned world leaders in taking action to forestall the climate crisis.
But as has been stated severally, solving the climate crisis cannot be left to the government alone.
The private sector and civil society organizations must also play a role if we are to avoid the devastating effects of global warming that are experienced in every part of the world.
The private sector has an even much higher responsibility to take on the climate crisis as they are also vulnerable to its catastrophic impact.
According to the World Economic Forum, over the next five years, climate change is expected to cost businesses up to $120 billion through supply chain disruptions alone.
The World Health Organization also predicts that some 700 million people are at risk of being displaced by 2030 because of drought, disrupting local societies and economies.
One of the areas where companies can play a leading role in addressing the climate crisis is the global transition to clean energy.
In Kenya, the Ministry of Health estimates that close to 23,000 deaths in Kenya are attributed to household air pollution annually because of a lack of access to clean cooking energy.
This is mainly in rural areas where households rely on non-traded traditional biomass fuels due to extreme poverty.
