{"id":572709,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/572709/?format=json","text_counter":277,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"the Commission for University Education (CUE). Therefore, that is a broad based council. The other entity is the Climate Change Directorate which must be set up under this new legislation to be responsible for climate change matters as a directorate within the relevant state department, most likely the state department that deals with environment issues. Other than the institutions as I have said, this Bill is about helping Kenya to; one, adapt to the reality of climate and, two, to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, adaptation is defined in this Bill in the clause that deals with definitions. It means adjustments in the natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic effect which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. In short, climate change adaptation means measures that the country has to take or put in place to ensure that our country and economy are aligned to the realities of climate change. Some of the effects of climate change include rising sea levels. Already, we have seen reports of how, for example, certain parts of the coast, including Old Town of Mombasa, in the next 20 or 30 years might be submerged in water as a result of rising sea levels. What causes rising sea levels? It is caused by warming of the oceans and the melting of glaciers at the North and South Poles. The melting of glaciers releases a lot of water into the ocean. That, of course, has an implication on sea levels. That is an example. An example of how coastal communities can adapt to climate change would be in a housing policy that helps the country to develop technology in housing that can resist in the event of a tsunami, tide or wave of the oceans which is one of the effects of climate change. That would fall within adaptation measures. Adaptation means that climate change is a reality so we must do certain things so that the effects of climate change do not harm us. One area is in the housing sector as I have already indicated. The other area is in the agricultural sector. How can farmers, for example, in countries that are affected by climate change plant crops that are alive to the fact that climate change brings erratic rainfall patterns? One of the effects of climate change is erratic rains. So, how do farmers adapt to that? We have seen in our country when rains come at the wrong time or when least expected. There were times when we could expect rains in various parts of the country. We knew when long rains would start. Normally, we would suggest in a very precise manner that it will rain on a certain date of the month or year. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, today, the rains come when we do not expect them and in amounts that are either too little or too much. The farmers end up losing out because they cannot have a predictable way of knowing when to plant what or when. They could tell when to plant crops which require too much rain or less rain. They could also tell whether the rain would proceed for a while and so on. Therefore, measures of The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."}