President William Ruto has urged global leaders to turn climate commitments into tangible action, warning that Africa is bearing the heaviest burden of a crisis it did not create.
Speaking at the opening of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi, Ruto underscored the urgency of responding to the “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, calling for stronger multilateral cooperation, fair financing, and technology support.
“Climate change is not an abstract debate. It is a daily experience,” Ruto said, citing Kenya’s recent declaration of a national drought emergency in 20 counties, which has put citizens at risk of severe hunger and water scarcity.
He further highlighted extreme weather events across the continent and the globe, including floods and deadly cyclones in Southeast Asia and Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, which caused economic losses equal to the Caribbean nation’s annual GDP.
“Africans are paying the price for a crisis they did not create,” he stressed.
Ruto warned that the escalating costs of natural disasters, estimated at USD 150 billion (Sh23.25 trillion) annually in Africa, compound existing economic pressures, including debt, infrastructure deficits, and limited fiscal space.
“Behind each statistic is a farmer, a small business, a community. They are the human face of a crisis accelerating faster than our institutions can keep pace,” he said, emphasizing the need for climate action that directly improves the lives of vulnerable communities.
The President also linked environmental action with economic transformation, highlighting the global shift brought about by artificial intelligence, electrification, and digital technologies.
“If this transformation is not aligned with environmental protection, equity, and human dignity, we risk building a new high-tech economy on the old foundation of extraction, exclusion, and pollution,” he warned.
Ruto showcased Africa’s leadership in climate solutions, citing the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi and Addis Ababa in 2023 and 2025, as well as Kenya’s efforts to protect biodiversity.
He noted that Kenya hosts 80% of the world’s black rhino population and the last two northern white rhinos. “Seeing 100 black rhinos in a single sanctuary is a triumph of dedication, science, and partnership. It reminds us that when we commit and collaborate, we can reverse decline and restore life,” he said.
Ruto emphasized upcoming initiatives, including the 11th Our Ocean Conference, efforts to safeguard Central Africa’s carbon and biodiversity reserves, and negotiations on an international treaty on plastic pollution.
“Environmental action and economic transformation must move together. We can recover growth from emissions and pollution while creating new jobs, industries, and markets—but this transformation must be fair and accessible,” he said.
The President invited delegates to experience Kenya’s landscapes and wildlife while urging them to act decisively: “Africa will not only bear the brunt of climate impacts, but will also lead in providing solutions. Let this assembly rise to the occasion and take decisions that can be felt in people’s lives and in our natural world.”
