Gaële ROUILLÉ-KIELO, INRAE, France
This paper explores the implications of the evolving environmental discourses and actions under the global climate change agenda using the example of a region in Kenya, Naivasha, which is a hot spot for environmental action in that country.
Over the past three decades, Naivasha has become a major industrial hub (for the export of cut flowers) and has experienced significant population growth. These changes have increased pressure on local resources, particularly water. The Naivasha area (and its freshwater lake in particular) was then considered to be at risk of an irreversible environmental crisis. This has led to a proliferation of environmental programs aimed at preserving water, involving international funds, multinational companies, large international NGOs and local associations.
Based on a review of the literature and local archives, this contribution first shows how the environmental crisis observed locally since - at least - the 1970s has been progressively interpreted as mainly anthropogenic and has acquired an international dimension, thanks to the work of different groups of actors (scientists, local associations). At the same time, it is no longer only the consequences of industrialization on the local ecosystem that have been discussed but also its global effects via the consideration of the carbon and water footprint of the flower industry. The paper then discusses the practical consequences of this change, building on interviews and discussions with the designers (agencies and international organizations) and local beneficiaries of these environmental programs. I use the example of a simple action-tree planting-that has been given different meanings over time, from protecting waterways to offsetting the carbon emissions of Naivasha-based industries. I show how this evolution could lead to (counterproductive) competition between objectives, in a context of land scarcity and thus space to plant new trees dedicated to conservation.
Mots clés : environmental crisis|environmental discourses|tree planting|Kenya
A105527GR