'Environmentalism of the poor': The case of Kenya green belt movement

The various manifestations of environmentalism across the globe are distinguished by their predominant attributes concerning the problems, causes, demands, methods and actors. These attributes are articulated through distinct notions, such as "environmentalism of the rich," encompassing nature conservation and eco-efficiency currents in developed countries, and "environmentalism of the poor," prevalent in less developed countries. It is argued that rich societies in the Global North place more emphasis on environmental protection, while poverty in the South is one of the main causes of environmental destruction. In the North, the prevailing nature conservancy is characterized by wilderness conservation, the defense of pristine ecosystems, and the exclusion of traditional inhabitants from their land and natural resource management; Eco-efficiency is characterized by the monetary valuation of ecosystems and their services, ecological modernization, sustainable development and smart growth. On the other hand, environmentalism of the poor is characterized by fair access to environmental goods and services, the right to livelihoods, respect for local cultural values, the mode of production, consumption, and distribution, and the appreciation and utilization of the natural world. This research, grounded on the political ecology approach, uses the body of current literature to analyze the Kenya Green Belt Movement as a case of the environmentalism of the poor. The sources of the research, which was designed as a case study, consist mainly of the books published by the founder of the movement, the documents and the annual reports published by the movement. In addition, secondary literature was used as additional sources.