24/12/2025
Simple Measures, Major Outcomes!
Check below, ajovial but factual dialogue set at the University of Nairobi 😊
Onyango (Engineering, UoN):
Hey Abigael! Campus is unusually quiet—people have vanished faster than water in a leaking pipe. Must be the Xmas break vibes 🎄😄
Abigael (Geography – Climate Enthusiast, UoN):
Haha, very engineering of you, Onyango! Yes, Xmas is here—but as we celebrate, the environment is also feeling the pressure.
Onyango:
Pressure? Come on, it’s just a bit of fun—food, travel, lights, nyama choma… what could possibly go wrong? 😅
Abigael:
A lot actually—though I promise not to ruin the festive mood. Take travel, for example. During Xmas, there’s a sharp increase in road, air, and even sea transport. That means higher fuel consumption and increased greenhouse gas emissions.
Onyango:
True, the highways are basically parking lots. From an engineering angle, engines stuck in traffic burn fuel inefficiently, producing more carbon monoxide and CO₂ per kilometer.
Abigael:
Exactly! And then there’s energy use. Decorative lights, nonstop cooking, louder entertainment systems—all spike electricity demand. If that electricity comes from fossil fuels, emissions rise significantly.
Onyango:
Fair point. Even as engineers push for efficiency, demand still overwhelms supply during festive seasons. Power plants have to work overtime.
Abigael:
And don’t forget waste generation. Xmas comes with plenty of packaging—plastics, wrapping paper, food waste. Most of it ends up in landfills, producing methane, which is even more potent than CO₂.
Onyango:
Now that one hurts. Methane is like CO₂ on steroids in terms of global warming potential. Poor waste management really compounds the problem.
Abigael:
Exactly. There’s also the issue of Christmas trees—both natural and artificial. Natural ones involve tree cutting, while artificial ones are plastic-based and rarely recycled.
Onyango:
So either way, the carbon footprint is real. But I guess the solution isn