In a Carbon-Valuing World Pastoralism and Climate Decolonization in Kenya
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Abstract
This article introduces the concept of “decolonizing climate” through the framework of postcolonial political ecology, offering an academic critique of mainstream climate discourse that advocates for global reductions in livestock and meat consumption as a carbon mitigation strategy—without regard for cultural, geographical, and historical differences. Using a case study of pastoralist communities in Kenya, and drawing from literature review and fieldwork conducted between 2022–2024, the article shows that mobile livestock systems serve as adaptive mechanisms to drought, expressions of cultural identity, and forms of local epistemology.The article challenges universalist framings that reduce livestock to mere “carbon sources” and argues that such narratives perpetuate colonial structures of land and environmental governance. It calls for the recognition of women’s voices and local knowledge systems as equally legitimate contributors to shaping just and inclusive environmental futures.
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