Global warming has been experienced due to greenhouse gas emissions that blanket the earth thus trapping the sun’s heat leading to severe storms, increased drought, rising ocean levels and unpredictable weather patterns. The objective of thisbaseline study was to explore means to transform and empower communities economically through transformative leadership by creating land-based carbon sink by establishing the climate and demographic changes in the last 30 years, estimation of the changes in area covered by vegetation and calculation of the amount of carbon dioxide that can be absorbed and sold as credits locally or internationally. The theories adopted for the study ware Sustainable Development Theory, Community Based Adaptation and Participatory Planning Theory. Temperature, precipitation, wind-speed data was obtained from satellite data using Glovis software and the Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) website. Demographic and land use data was collected through a surveyquestionnaires and from government records. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics using excel software. From the results it was apparent that in the last 30 years, annual maximum temperatures have increased by 0.8oC with the biggest change being experienced in the years between 2014 and 2024. Minimum temperatures have also reduced by 0.83o C in the last 30 years with the biggest change being experienced in the years between 2004 and 2014. Precipitation increased by 760 mm with the highest change experienced in the years between 2014 and 2024 while wind speed also increasing by 3.7 km/hr. which significant changes between the years 2004 and 2014. Farm sizes also reduced by 50% while the number of trees per acre was reduced by 25%. Generally, the population increased by 75% with the number of men to women ratio being 1:2 respectively. Current and past forest cover data collected extrapolation has been used to determine below ground and above ground carbon changes. Carbon credits were then calculated using established standards. The same imaging and extrapolation, estimates were made from full county forest coverage verses current status and the figures converted to monetary value. This forms the basis for recommendations for the county on the best land use systems for transformative community empowerment economically through informed leadership by creating a land-based carbon sink.

Climate Change, Carbon Sequestration, Carbon trading, green financing

environmental engineering

Presentation: poster