Rethink Investment In Coal Power, World Is Moving On To Safe Energy

The Standard

Energy investment is important for any country since it forms the foundation for development or lack of it. Which form of energy to pursue, is usually the biggest question. News that Kenya is going ahead with plans to develop coal energy raises serious queries on the government’s commitment to conserving the environment. For a country struggling to achieve the recommended 10 per cent forest cover, coal will simply aggravate an already worrying situation.

And this is one of the reasons why there has been a back and forth on the issue of the Lamu coal project, which has been vehemently opposed by conservationists. Kenya stands conflicted in this decision because, as countries around the world are moving away from fossil fuel; some forces seem hell-bent on increasing carbon emissions by driving the country in the opposite direction. We should ask what Sh2 billion can do if invested in clean, green and renewable energy, even as we ask what the costs, in the long run, will be if it is invested in already condemned coal. Last year, the country witnessed unprecedented weather patterns that saw long rains turn short and short rains become long. That should have been lesson enough on what nature is capable of. Read more…