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"id": 769626,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. (Dr.) Nyikal",
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"speaker": {
"id": 434,
"legal_name": "James Nyikal",
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"content": "there will be no life on earth. We all know it is the trees that are the carbon sinks. If we are industrialising like we all intend to do, like what has happened in China, without trees, we will be in a complete mess. China is experiencing that with industrialisation and without proper planning for tree cover, you actually mess the environment. You get fogs and people get sick. So, we must preserve the carbon sink. Therefore, as many trees as possible should be planted. This Motion urging schools and individual homes to plant tree covers is quite in order at this time. But I think the Mover can extend this to other institutions, particularly institutions that, by their activities, affect trees. Like he indicated, for companies that cut down trees, there should be a law that says that if you cut down a tree, you must replace that tree. In some countries, it is compulsory that pictures and data are taken before you undertake any activity in the environment. When you complete your activity, the environment must be restored to what it was before. This will move us in the same direction. It is obvious that the climate change that we are all worried about is basically because of the balance of vegetation or trees and that of animals; the flora-fauna balance. We are already seeing that climate change in some places. It comes as drought in some places and as floods in some places. If there is no vegetation cover and the rains come, obviously, the water will run back to the ocean in the fastest way possible. It will come through floods. It will not be conserved. On the other hand, trees are the water catchment for the rains that we get. This balance is so delicate that if we do not look at it, obviously, we are going to have a problem. We know areas that are facing this. We have just heard the Mau issue where there is very clear deforestation. What is happening along the rivers that are fed by Mau Forest or for which Mau is the catchment area is being seen. If we do not conserve trees, we are definitely going to interfere, very adversely, with our food production. If there is no water catchment and no rains, you cannot have proper food production. If the water that comes is not conserved and you have floods, we will not have adequate food production. Even on health, if we do not have a clean environment and I have just indicated of the fogs that will occur if you have industrialisation without the carbon sink working properly, the health impact is quite big. Respiratory illnesses, waterborne diseases and all these are things related to that. Therefore, we cannot say, even discuss or even argue whether we should plant trees. We should only say that the Mover should look at how we can get more institutions to do this. Let me say that we have had Motions in this House for the last five years and we really never see anything happening. I think it is for two reasons. One, we all come up with Motions that end up by saying “urging”. If you urge the Government, it has been urged. It is very difficult to implement a Motion that ends with urging because nobody has been put to task. It has been urged. So, there is nothing you can follow up on and nothing is done. It is, therefore, important that these Motions should state that “the House resolves”. If the House has resolved, the Government is put to task. I think that is something we should look at when we have such important Motions and say that the House has resolved. More importantly, it should be followed up with Bills. You can have a Bill that makes it mandatory that this is the forest cover we expect in schools. When you put up homes, it is expected that your home should have trees just like they are trying with latrines in homes for health purposes. This is equally important. I, therefore, want to urge the Mover that since this Motion is going to pass with support, we should follow up with a Bill that looks at areas where people can be forced. It The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}