By: Herman Ngatia
The global climate conversation is no longer distant or abstract — it is a lived reality reshaping communities, economies, and ecosystems around the world. Against this backdrop, advocacy platforms like We Don’t Have Time are emerging as powerful voices pushing for urgency, accountability, and real-world action. With a growing presence in Kenya, the platform is positioning itself as a catalyst for change, amplifying solutions and mobilising stakeholders across sectors.
In a recent interview, Patrick Kiarie, the Kenya Chapter Director, shared a compelling perspective on the state of climate action — both locally and globally. His message was clear and consistent: the climate crisis demands not just awareness, but decisive, coordinated action at every level of society.
From Reaction to Anticipation
Kiarie opened by calling for a more proactive approach to climate issues. While awareness of climate change has grown significantly over the years, he pointed out that action has not always kept pace with the urgency of the problem. Reactive strategies — those that only kick in after disasters strike — are no longer enough.
“Climate change is not a future threat; it is a present reality,” he said. “We must move from a mindset of reaction to one of anticipation and preparedness. That means strengthening early warning systems, investing in sustainable infrastructure, and supporting communities to adapt before crises occur.”
It’s a message that hits close to home in Kenya, where droughts, floods, and increasingly erratic weather patterns continue to batter livelihoods — particularly in regions that depend heavily on agriculture. Kiarie’s push for preventive thinking is essentially a challenge to both policymakers and ordinary citizens: rethink how we manage climate risk, before it manages us.
Celebrating What’s Working
While much of the climate conversation focuses on gaps and failures, Kiarie was deliberate in highlighting progress already made. Recognising what’s working, he argued, isn’t just feel-good rhetoric — it builds morale, sustains momentum, and proves that change is possible.
“Kenya has made commendable strides in areas like renewable energy and environmental conservation,” he noted. “From geothermal power development to community-led tree-planting initiatives, there are genuine success stories that deserve recognition. These efforts should be celebrated — and scaled up.”
This balanced narrative is central to We Don’t Have Time‘s approach: pairing urgency with optimism, so that stakeholders feel both challenged and encouraged.
Climate Action Is Everyone’s Business
Perhaps the most resonant theme in Kiarie’s remarks was collective responsibility. Climate change, he was emphatic, is not a problem governments can solve alone. It demands active participation from individuals, communities, businesses, and institutions — every sector, without exception.
“Climate action is a shared responsibility,” he said. “Governments must provide leadership and policy direction, but citizens must also adopt sustainable practices in their daily lives. Businesses need to embrace green innovation, and civil society must keep advocating for accountability.”
This thinking aligns closely with We Don’t Have Time‘s broader mission: building a global movement in which everyone has a meaningful role to play. By fostering dialogue and lowering barriers to participation, the platform works to close the often frustrating gap between policy and practice.
Put Climate Education in the Classroom
One of the interview’s most significant moments came when Kiarie turned his attention to education. He made a direct appeal to Kenya’s Ministry of Education to ensure that climate change is fully integrated into the national curriculum — not as an elective or an afterthought, but as a core subject.
“Education is the foundation of lasting change,” he said. “If we want to create a generation that is environmentally conscious and genuinely committed to sustainability, we must start in the classroom.”
But Kiarie’s vision for climate education goes beyond textbooks and theory. He envisions a curriculum that develops practical skills, nurtures critical thinking, and gives students real opportunities to engage with environmental issues — from tree-planting drives to school-based waste management projects. Schools, he believes, can and should be hubs for climate action, instilling values that young people carry with them long into adulthood.
This push for curriculum reform reflects something deeper too: the understanding that long-term solutions must be rooted in cultural and behavioural change. Shape the mindset early, and you shape the future.
The Urgency Is Real — So Is the Hope
Throughout the conversation, Kiarie struck a careful balance: honest about the scale of the challenge, yet genuinely hopeful about our collective capacity to meet it. Platforms like We Don’t Have Time, he noted, are uniquely placed to accelerate progress by connecting stakeholders, sharing knowledge, and keeping actors accountable.
What makes the platform’s model distinctive is its move beyond traditional awareness campaigns. By leveraging digital tools to spotlight climate solutions and track real-world action, it creates a space where progress can be measured, evaluated, and amplified — empowering both individuals and organisations to own their role in addressing the crisis.
As Kenya navigates an increasingly complex climate reality, voices like Kiarie’s offer something essential: clarity, urgency, and a roadmap for action. His message is not one of despair, but of possibility — grounded in the belief that when people, institutions, and governments work together with purpose, meaningful change follows.
The time to act, as he put it, is now. The decisions made today will shape the world tomorrow. By embracing proactive thinking, acknowledging progress, sharing responsibility, and investing in the next generation, Kenya has every opportunity to lead — not just participate — in the global fight against climate change.
Because ultimately, this fight is about more than the environment. It is about protecting livelihoods, advancing equity, and securing a dignified future for the generations that come after us. And with platforms like We Don’t Have Time helping to drive that charge, there is every reason to believe we can get there.