The stories I’ve heard first hand from Africans on a recent visit to Nairobi, Kenya make it very clear that climate change is undermining their efforts to reduce poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

The drought is causing farmers to lose their crops, says a development worker with a sustainable agriculture NGO based in the Rift Valley. Their spring planning was a complete failure and they had to rip out their dwarfed maize and vegetables and try planting again in September.  But recent flooding in the region has devastated the communities. They have lost everything.

This video from the Guardian shows some of the worst impacts of the drought on pastoralists in northern Kenya.

The abnormal climate is also taking its toll on Kenya’s wildlife. Lake Nakuru is famed for its flamingoes and many other species of birds. But another Kenyan tells me it has shrunk to a fraction of its former size, severely affecting the birds and animals that rely on it.

These changes in weather patterns in recent years that have resulted in unusual droughts and floods can only be explained by the impacts of climate change.

Since the outbreak of post election violence in 2007, Kenya has been making significant economic and social progress under a multi-party power-sharing government. High priority is given to poverty reduction, the Millennium Development Goals and environmental sustainability.  Kenya achieved an impressive 7% growth rate in 2008. But drought has now dropped the economic growth projection to less than 2% for 2009.

And it’s not just farmers who are affected. All of Kenya's electricity comes from hydro-power and many dams are at low levels. This forces the  implementation of power cuts, affecting industrial production and business, as well as people's lives.

Malawi is another African nation that has been hit by climate change. This small land-locked country used to be categorized as least developed by the UN. But recently a stable democratic government has made poverty reduction a top priority. Investment in agriculture and poverty reduction in recent years has produced incredible 8% growth rates. But here again, the drought is seriously impacting them and they fear their amazing achievements in poverty reduction, education and health improvements will be jeopardized.

Real progress is being made where there is peace, good governance, respect for human rights and political space for civil society to play role in society. Aid and debt cancellation have also helped but much of the effort and resources are local.  

I was really impressed by a report made by civil society representatives from five East and Southern African countries on the progress they have made in pressing their governments to make poverty reduction and MDGs a top priority, challenging corruption and holding their governments accountable to promises they have made.

The impacts of climate change, the food crisis and the global economic and financial crisis threaten to undermine these efforts. 

It is a real shame.  Time and time again the efforts of the poor to escape poverty are blocked by policies and trade rules that are not their fault. And Canada is now one of the worst offenders. Our government is blocking efforts to reach a new climate change accord in Copenhagen. It also subsidizes ethanol production, a key factor contributing to the food price crisis, even though there is clear evidence that it does little or nothing to reduce greenhouse gases.  

It is time we stopped blocking the efforts of the poor to escape poverty and instead, offer the support they need.