Nairobi: To protect the environment from destruction, the world is returning to traditional knowledge from the past. In Kenya’s capital Nairobi, a construction material is being used that relies more on ordinary soil rather than cement.While Pakistan is witnessing a growing need for construction due to increasing population, the country is also facing the severe impacts of climate change. The cement industry is a major contributor to air pollution.
According to available data, air pollution in Pakistan increased by 687 percent between 1990 and 2020. Emissions rose from around 2.7 million tonnes to nearly 21 million tonnes during these three decades and are expected to increase further.During her participation in the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi, Lok Sujag correspondent Aliza Khalid visited Kenya’s Laikipia region to study the Laikipia Integrated Housing Project, a local housing initiative being built with low-carbon earth bricks instead of conventional cement blocks.These blocks are produced using Compressed Earth Block (CEB) technology.
They are considered an alternative to the traditional cement industry, as slightly cement-mixed wet soil is compressed and hardened through a mechanical press. These blocks are environmentally friendly and can also be affordable for ordinary people.This construction material is especially important for Pakistan because increasing floods and rising temperatures have made climate-friendly housing an urgent need.
However, such housing must also remain accessible to the public. Kenya’s community-led production of CEB materials could become an environmentally friendly alternative.If the government is serious about protecting the environment, instead of facilitating land mafias, cement companies, and large construction groups, it should support the use of materials like CEB that can benefit ordinary people.
Nairobi: At the ongoing United Nations environmental conference in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, a battle of interests has erupted between countries and various lobbying groups. Considered one of the world’s largest and most important conferences on the environment, the event will continue until December 12.The conference will set the United Nations’ environmental agenda for the next four years, from 2026 to 2029.
Discussions are focused on a comprehensive plan to address the three major global crises: climate change, the rapid destruction of nature, and rising pollution.There is intense debate over draft resolutions — which words should be included, which should be removed, and how implementation mechanisms should be described. Each country is using diplomatic strategies according to its own priorities.On one side, the fossil fuel lobby wants to keep room for the continued use of oil, gas, and coal in future strategies, while environmental groups and supporters of renewable energy want their position to become part of stronger global policies.
UN approval gives any decision greater political and moral weight.Some countries are attempting to soften strong and clear language on climate change. Meanwhile, another worrying trend has emerged: proposed measures regarding the inclusion of local communities, especially women, in environmental policymaking are either very weak or being completely ignored.The conference is not only about environmental issues but also a major geopolitical activity, where countries are positioning themselves according to their economic interests, energy needs, and future strategies.Jurisa Lee, a representative of indigenous communities at the conference, said that some “suspicious actors” are preventing important resolutions from moving forward due to their own interests.
All eyes are on whether global leadership will truly stand with the environment by December 12, or whether an anti-environment narrative will prevail once again.
