18 – AUTONEWS - AA CLUB OF KENYA MAGAZINE
INDUSTRY
OPINION
Strengthen auto sector policies for environmental wellbeing
By Rita Kavashe
Climate change is one of the greatest threats we face , with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) warning that continued emissions of greenhouse gases at their current level could cause a disastrous and irreversible impact on the planet . The effects of climate change are already clear : 2016 was officially named the hottest year on record with temperatures having not been this warm for 115,000 years .
In Kenya , the cause of air pollution has been on the rise with the motor vehicle transport industry contributing the largest chunk . Going by a UN report titled “ Actions on Air Quality ”, car exhaust fumes contribute 40 per cent of the particulate matter air pollution in urban areas . The report adds that imported second hand vehicles , frequent traffic jams in urban areas and poor vehicle maintenance , have exacerbated the air pollution problem in the country .
According to the Car Importers Association of Kenya , monthly second hand car imports average between 3,000 and 5,000 units per month since the Excise Duty Act 2015 came in place in November 2015 . This is against a period when 1,379 units per month was the highest sale of locally assembled and manufactured cars in Kenya in 2016 , according to data by the Kenya Motor Industry Association .
Supporting statistics from ‘ The Global Fuel Initiative Survey ’ by United Nations Environment Program ( UNEP ), shows the major cause of high pollution rate in Kenya are second hand cars . The survey further states that the emissions from these second hand vehicles increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere ,
‘ The consequences of air pollution has a direct implication to our health . In 2016 , the Kenya Economic survey found that one in four deaths is linked to respiratory diseases caused by air pollution ’
accelerating global warming and climate change . This , therefore , goes to show that Kenya ’ s urban air is unhealthy because few cars are new , with the vast majority having been shipped in secondhand from Japan and Europe .
The consequences of air pollution has a direct implication to our health . A 2008 study on carbon dioxide by Mark Jacobson of Stanford University , found that increased carbon dioxide resulted in more deaths from air pollution .
In 2016 , the Kenya Economic survey found that one in four deaths is linked to respiratory diseases caused by air pollution . Supporting statistics , by a United Nations report titled ‘ Actions on Air Quality ’, shows more than 14,300 Kenyans die from respiratory health conditions . This can be traced back to air pollution with car