Systems approach: overcoming data barriers to climate justice in Mau forest complex

Abstract

Climate change poses an existential threat to states, communities, and livelihoods. Rural and poor communities disproportionately bear the effects of climate change, including lost agricultural livelihoods, poor health and education, and climate-induced insecurity. To mainstream justice into climate response, communities and stakeholders need access to quality and timely data. However, most communities and climate change decision makers cannot access good quality and timely data to mainstream justice into programming. Stakeholders face additional challenges in accessing data, as well as analytical and digital technologies. The study's general objective is to examine the systemic barriers affecting the access, production, governance, and use of climate justice data for equitable and inclusive climate response within the Mau Forest Ecosystem.. The objectives of the study were, i) to map the existing policy and institutional framework for climate justice data, ii) identify key drivers to access and use of climate justice relevant data, iii) map out relevant climate justice data systems, , and, iv) evaluate human and technical capacities for climate justice data in Kenya. A descriptive research design was adopted with 86 quantitative interviews and four six informant interviews from the public sector( national and county), civil society, and academia. The data was collected through document reviews, semi structured questionnaires, and discussion guides. From the analysis, the study concludes that there exists a sufficient policy and institutional framework to coordinate the collection and dissemination of climate data in climate adaptation and mitigation. However, there is inadequate policy focus on climate justice at both the national and subnational levels. Despite existing mechanisms, there was no evidence of active mainstreaming of climate justice consideration in climate response mechanisms and responses. The lack of a legal requirement to mainstream justice in climate programming was identified as a key barrier. Other barriers identified in the study included the lack of “definitions” on what constitutes climate justice data. Additionally, the lack of financial allocations toward the justice components of climate change interventions limited investments toward improving data systems for mainstreaming climate justice. This study proposes an evidence-based approach to mainstreaming climate justice by ensuring the engagement of all stakeholders, integrating data systems, and availing resources to finance climate justice and relevant data. This reinforces the relevance of systems theory and systems thinking in solving challenges to access and use of data for mainstreaming climate justice.

Keywords: Climate Justice, policy and institutional frameworks, mainstreaming justice