Kenyan coast line. Authorities worldwide talk about climate change, but seem to be doing little about it in any concrete way – lobbying groups seem to be far more effective than public outcries and scientific evidence. Perhaps it is time to cite more concrete examples to help with convincing governments to look a little further than the ends of their noses, and their campaign fund balances.
When Roberto Macri built his luxury hotel in the Kenyan coastal village of Kipini, it was about 100 meters (330ft) away from the beautiful waters of the Indian Ocean. For nearly two decades his business thrived as tourists arrived in droves to enjoy the pristine beach and the sunny weather. His Tana Lodge Hotel, which was built on top of sand dunes, offered a spectacular view of the ocean. But in 2014 he started to notice a change.
The sea level had begun to rise and, within five years, the hotel’s nine guest cottages had been swallowed by the sea – one after the other. “The ocean changed steadily, and started encroaching on the hotel. The last standing cottage was gulped by the sea in 2019, marking the end of my glorious hotel,” Italian businessman Mr. Macri said. Now other residents of Kipini village, whose houses are located further back from the hotel, are facing the same prospect.
Kipini – built at the mouth of Kenya’s longest waterway, the Tana River, which flows into the Indian Ocean – is among several coastal villages that are slowly disappearing. “The ocean advances every day, and our houses are becoming weaker. We are afraid and distressed, but there is nothing much we can do,” said Saida Idris, a community leader. She said several people had died, and an unknown number were missing, after being swept away by the rise in sea levels, coupled with strong winds and heavy tides, especially at night. The depletion of mangrove forests along the shoreline – the coast’s main line of defence against erosion – as well as climate change, are to blame.
Mangrove forests are full of salt-tolerant trees and shrubs that prevent sea water from advancing into farmlands by stabilising soil that otherwise could be washed away. The cause of the mangrove disappearance appears to be a combination of deforestation by locals wanting coveted hard wood – and rising sea water as a result of climate change, which scientists feel is the major factor.
“The shoreline in Kipini is very exposed to the effects of strong winds that strengthen the ocean waves,” George Odera, a scientist with Fauna and Flora, a nature conservancy group, explained. Kipini, with its welcoming palm trees and smells of spice and barbecuing seafood, evokes what every Kenyan pictures of laid-back coastal life. But this idyll is under threat as the seawater levels continue to rise.
According to Omar Halki, a local administrator, nearly 10km (6.2 miles) of what used to be dry land have been swallowed by the sea in the last 10 years. “It’s just a matter of time before the whole region goes under water,” he said.
Kipini has a population of about 4,000 people, and residents say they can no longer dig or build strong foundations for their homes because of the rising sea levels. Some in Kipini estimate that more than 1,000 people have relocated to other villages over the last decade. Most of the wells or boreholes that used to give them fresh water have now turned saline, forcing them to look for alternative sources of drinking water. The increasing salinity in groundwater has also severely affected farming. Crabs and prawns, which have also served as a source of livelihood for locals, are now scarce as their breeding grounds are within the mangrove swamps.
For Mr. Macri, the whole situation has been devastating and he has now moved to the coastal town of Malindi town,170km (100 miles) from Kipini. “The area was like gold – a calm village with beautiful sand dunes surrounded by coconut trees and historical buildings just next to the beach,” he said.
All that remains of his $460,000 investment is what used to be the manager’s house, standing less than 50m from the sea, and awaiting its fate. Out of the 10 acres (four hectares) on which the hotel stood on, four are fully submerged.
Mr. Macri is holding on to his remaining six acres hoping to return and invest again once the ocean has been stopped from encroaching on to land.
One can hope that real stories like this one will bring home to governments the horrors of climate change but, unfortunately, it’s unlikely unless the same thing happens to the homes of senior members of those governments. When they lose their own homes, it might persuade them to act..
