Deploying carbon dioxide removal (CDR) at scale is crucial for achieving sub-national, national, and global climate targets while boosting Kenya’s economic competitiveness and energy security. In Kenya, the Carbon dioxide removal field has taken-off at exciting and rapid speed.
The enabling policy environment, renewable energy dominance, massive landscapes for restoration, and ideal geology for Carbon dioxide storage are some of the key engines to Kenya becoming a world-leading CDR hub. With tremendous innovation coming from hundreds of new climate stakeholders and actors offering a number of approaches, with KERA positioning to become a carbon removal and ecosystem restoration leader in Kenya, the future of carbon removal in the country is exemplarily promising. However, our work is just beginning.
KERA, GtN, UN Decade Food Challenge, and their partners are convening a multi-stakeholder Community of Practice, Kenya Carbon Removal Collective, consisting of private sector actors, NGOs, research scientists, government and international development working with the grassroots communities to design, pilot, and scale out Community Carbon Projects and facilitate Public-Private-Partnerships with the Government of Kenya and Kenya’s communities for durable carbon removal initiatives.
This Community of Practice (CoP) shall explore, develop and operationalize a wide array of approaches, categorized into two main groups: (i) technological approaches and (ii) land management approaches. Technological approaches are sub-divided into: direct air capture (DAC), biomass with carbon removal and storage (BiCRS), and enhanced mineralization. Land management approaches are further divided into: forestry (including afforestation and reforestation) and agricultural soil carbon. Currently, we are advancing ethical and community- led carbon removal along four action pathways as follows:
Community Project Piloting: Notably, most CDR efforts in Kenya and globally have yet to remove carbon dioxide from the air beyond the small pilot size scale. Through our Silvoarable AgroForestry in Tana (SAFT) project, this Community of Practice is leveraging its comparative advantages to design and pilot a high-integrity community project in Tana River County before scaling out to other countries. With immense support from the County Government of Tana River, KERA is working together with GtN and other partners towards establishing the largest biochar production facility in Africa to be based in Tana River County.
Science Research: Further research, including carefully controlled field trials, is needed to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and potential impacts of various carbon removal approaches if deployed at large scale. Without increased support and research, solutions will not scale at the required pace. This CoP is cooperating with institutions of higher learning and scientists for participatory approach and we are looking forward to welcoming more research institutes, universities and scientists to advance this pathway in a more sustainable way.
Public Advocacy and Education: Further policy action can support the development of additional frameworks to ensure that carbon removal innovation and deployment enhances Kenya’s economic competitiveness, creates multiple decent and regenerative jobs and investment opportunities across the country, and advances environmental protection in rural communities where carbon removal technologies are deployed. Community carbon projects need to be community-led, hence, sufficient public participation and community sensitization are key ingredients to project success, and thus, we play and shall play our role in advancing such critical activities. Equitable sharing of benefits amongst stakeholders and actors is essential.
Professional development: The CoP prioritizes the strengthening the capacity of 20 existing student self-organized Nature Positive Academies across 20 universities and colleges in Kenya. This pathway focuses on three broad goals: (i) to support college and university students in selected faculties to explore career in ecosystem restoration and carbon removal fields (ii) to support college and university students in selected faculties to run successful nature-positive ventures alongside their studies (iii) to support college and university students in selected faculties to innovate business ideas geared to rethink ecosystem restoration and carbon removal. Currently, KERA is capacitating 20 KERA Campus Directors and 20 Deputy Campus Directors who are leading 20 existing student self-organized Nature Positive Academies. Also, the CoP shall focus on supporting young professionals with keen interest in devoting their career and professional life in carbon removal field.