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{
    "id": 1161833,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1161833/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 170,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Kang’ata",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1826,
        "legal_name": "Irungu Kang'ata",
        "slug": "irungu-kangata"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as you have correctly made a finding, mine was just an exposition. They will definitely have their time to respond. I agree there is a problem of climate change. There is no doubt about it. The question I am asking is, first, who has caused climate change in this world? What is the carbon footprint of the global south, particularly the sub-Saharan Africa? It is very minimal. If you google and look for articles in peer review journals, they indicate clearly the carbon footprint in Africa. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, what causes climate change, according to scientists, are highly industrialized societies. Those that have huge industrial bases and those that produce oil as well as countries with many cars. When you compare Africa with Europe, it goes without saying that our footprint is negligible. One of the problems I have with the entire climate change discourse, is its failure to compel those people who advance by damaging the environment to pay those of us who are yet to develop. Some of the interventions that may be proposed, so that we mitigate the problem of climate change, may hinder our progress. Let me give an example. There was a proposal in Lamu to build a coal plant. That proposal was torpedoed on the basis that it would damage the environment, which is true and I agree with that. However, how many coal plants are there in China, Europe and Australia? Australia is one of the most developed societies in this world. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is almost USD50,000 per person. The Kenyan GDP per capita is about USD2,000 per annum per person. Compare that level of development. Australia has not stopped its coal industry. However, here in Africa, we are told to not dare put a coal plant because we will damage the environment. That means we have been burdened by the so-called measures to mitigate climate change. You cannot create employment. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, from where I sit, our number one problem in this society is unemployment. We have a massive number of young people who do not have employment. We need to industrialize and create factories, so that we can give our young people the opportunity to work. However, we are being told not to establish factories or entities because we are going to pollute the environment and contribute to climate change. I agree there are alternatives to some of the things that used to be done before. One of the examples of measures to mitigate against climate change is to introduce clean energy of which I am aware. They include wind and solar energy. You can also have electric motor vehicles. However, those alternative measures are very expensive. If you go to the European countries, very few countries have been able to transit-- -"
}