National Assembly Speaker Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Moses Wetang’ula has called on major environmental polluters to honour their commitments under multilateral climate agreements.

He warned that developing nations continue to bear the greatest burden of climate change despite contributing the least to global emissions.

Speaking during a meeting on promoting climate adaptation and resilience at the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, Wetang’ula said the global community was still suffering the consequences of environmental degradation caused by developed nations that have failed to fully implement existing climate agreements.

“The Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015 as a legally binding international treaty on climate change, requires major environmental offenders to take responsibility for meeting their commitments,” he said.

The Speaker noted that many Commonwealth countries, particularly those with minimal contributions to global pollution, continue to face severe environmental challenges, including extreme weather events, food insecurity and economic losses linked to climate change.

He urged major polluters to play a more active role in financing and supporting efforts aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change.

While commending member states for implementing climate adaptation measures, Wetang’ula criticised what he described as attempts by some major polluters to dismiss climate initiatives as a “hoax”, saying such views undermine global efforts to address the climate crisis.

“I challenge the Commonwealth to engineer a return to a multilateral approach to deal with the effects of climate change,” he said.

Wetang’ula observed that although many countries have enacted robust climate change laws and policies, they continue to suffer the consequences of environmental degradation caused elsewhere.

“Climate change is no longer an issue for endless debate, thus, the need for greater accountability and concerted action by governments, legislators and other stakeholders to strengthen mitigation and adaptation efforts,” he said.

Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’, who was among the panellists, highlighted Kenya’s progress in climate adaptation, citing investments in climate-smart agriculture, small-scale irrigation and the solarisation of agricultural value chains.

“Kenya has invested in smart agriculture, small-scale irrigation and the solarisation of value chains as climate adaptation initiatives, which have had a positive impact on local communities,” he said.

The Senator also challenged the Executive to submit climate change action plans to Parliament on time for scrutiny and approval, arguing that timely oversight would strengthen the country’s preparedness and response to climate-related challenges.