Reactions trail Obama’s historic climate plan
Reactions have trailed plans unveiled on Tuesday by US President, Barack Obama, to combat climate change.
Observers say that though the plan isn’t perfect, it nonetheless contains many important steps.
Most importantly, the plan calls for the regulation of carbon emissions from U.S. power plants and an end to U.S. support for new coal plants overseas.
The Earth Day Network says: “These are monumental steps in the right direction.”
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Christiana Figueres, stresses: “President Obama’s climate action plan is a necessary next step to meet an immediate, worrying shortfall in action to deal with climate change and can be a critical move forward on the path towards a new, global climate agreement. It remains vital that the United States as the world’s largest developed economy is seen to be leading serious action to deal with climate change, both at home and abroad. These new steps will help to meet those goals, if they are implemented to the fullest extent to which they are intended.
“It is significant that the new plan aims to start up rapidly and covers the full menu of solutions to climate change: clean energy, renewable energy, energy efficiency and the many actions that all countries need to take to adapt to accelerating climate change. This climate action plan should be positive for the US economy and the economies of other countries, as the US shifts faster towards a sustainable, low carbon model, including addressing directly the heaviest sources of emissions from unmodified coal and gas plants.
“When the United States leads action, it also encourages more rapid international efforts to combat climate change by strengthening political trust, building business momentum and driving new technology solutions. We are fast approaching 2015, the year in which governments of the world have committed to agree an ambitious policy framework to curb greenhouse gas emissions and better enable the poorest and most vulnerable nations to adapt to climate change. This new agreement will enter into force from 2020 and must be unambiguous in providing the crystal clear signals and international mechanisms that will accelerate the domestic policy and business investment decisions required to keep the world below a maximum 2 degrees Celsius average temperature rise. To get there, we need immediately stepped up action on the part of government at all levels and by business.
“I applaud the fact that the US intends to play a leading role by helping to forge a truly global solution to climate change that galvanizes international action to significantly reduce emissions, prepares for climate impacts, and drives progress through the international negotiations. This US climate action plan must also be leveraged into fresh, high-level political consensus among countries that will smooth the way for faster progress in the international climate change negotiations under the United Nations.”
Dr Simon Anderson, Head of IIED’s (International Institute for Environment and Development) Climate Change Group, submits: “The emphasis on strengthening local governance for adaptation planning, developing new risk management tools and climate adaptation technology is helpful. Framing this section in terms of ‘security’ is misguided and is likely to bias the way that resources are deployed for this objective. The main instrument for addressing this objective is and will be USAID – an agency that notoriously acts in isolation and seldom consults adequately with country governments before implementing such initiatives. Examples include the USAID-funded projects Hariyo Ban in Nepal, and REGAL-IR in Kenya.
“The resources mobilised so far by the US and other industrialised countries are dwarfed by the imposed costs of increased climate variability on the economies and societies in the developing world. Optimistic assumptions of the scale of private sector contributions to resilience investments have proved so far to be ‘pie in the sky’ and there is no evidence that this will change any time soon – at least until medium term profits can be guaranteed to investors. The cases of failed weather-indexed crop insurance show how reluctant the private sector is to outset the costs of adaptation to the climate vulnerable.
“The US cannot claim to have led anything in the negotiations so far – apart from some obfuscation. If Obama’s emphasis on ‘ambition, inclusiveness and flexibility’ leads to support for common but differentiated responsibility for emissions reductions and contributions to finance for adaptation then this is to be welcomed.”
Dr Saleemul Huq, Senior Fellow, Climate Change Group at IIED, states: “This is the first time that the Federal Government has announced significant adaptation actions at home, reflecting the fact that – importantly – Obama recognises that the United States faces adverse impacts from climate change that it must adapt to. On the international level however the promises for action, while welcome, are too little too late! While it is good to see a leader of the world’s richest country and biggest cumulative polluter finally promise to take actions, after over a decade of refusal to do so, the problem has become much bigger while the US was ignoring it. Hence the world is now headed towards 4-degree temperature rise by 2100 unless much more drastic actions are undertaken on mitigation by all countries including the United States. President Obama says he wants the US to lead this effort globally. His promise is welcome, but his actions still fall short of what is required.”
Obama to take sweeping action on climate
President Obama will announce his intention to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing power plants, increase appliance efficiency standards and promote renewable energy development on public lands in a speech Tuesday outlining his plan to use executive powers to address climate change.
While the president has talked about the need to address global warming, using sweeping rhetoric in his second inaugural address to suggest it ranks as one of his highest priorities, he has been largely silent on how he intends to tackle the problem. In the speech at Georgetown University, according to individuals briefed on the matter who asked not to be identified because the plan was not yet public, Obama will detail a government-wide plan to not only reduce the nation’s carbon output but also prepare the United States for the near-term impacts of global warming.
They said those measures would include programs to enhance the resilience of coastal communities as well as Agriculture Department “climate adaptation hubs” that could help farmers cope with changes in temperature and precipitation.
“Taken together, these actions indicate an entirely new sense of urgency in addressing the threat climate change is posing to our economy and security,” said Paul Bledsoe, a senior fellow on energy and climate at the German Marshall Fund and a former White House climate adviser under President Bill Clinton.
Unlike his other signature second-term initiatives, such as immigration legislation, gun-control measures and entitlement reform, Obama can undertake all of these policies without congressional input. Though Congress could theoretically overturn an Environmental Protection Agency rule to regulate existing utilities under the Clean Air Act, Democrats have the votes they need in the Senate to block such an effort.
In a video announcement the White House posted Saturday afternoon, Obama highlighted the benefits of addressing global warming, saying it “is a serious challenge, but it’s one uniquely suited to America’s strengths.”
“We’ll need scientists to design new fuels and farmers to grow them,” he said. “We’ll need engineers to devise new sources of energy and businesses to make and sell them.”
But the move to impose greenhouse gas limits on existing plants — which account for a third of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and 40 percent of its carbon emissions — will raise consumers’ electricity prices in the short term as utilities are forced to shutter aging coal plants to comply with stricter pollution limits.
According to the Edison Electric Institute, a utility trade group, there are 1,142 coal-fired utilities in the United States and 3,967 natural-gas-fired plants, all of which would face new carbon limits under Obama’s proposal. Last year they accounted for nearly 68 percent of all electricity production, according to EEI, compared with nuclear and hydropower utilities, which made up 19 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively. All renewables combined amounted to 5.4 percent of electricity generation in 2012.
By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post
Groups express concern over World Bank climate report on West Africa
Food production in Western Africa will be hit by more frequent and more extreme heat waves and droughts if the climate continues to alter at its current pace, according to a new report released by the World Bank.
The report, titled “Turn Down the Heat – Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts and the Case for Resilience”, takes an in depth look at what climate change means for sub-Saharan Africa. It compares the impacts on the region if warming continues at its current rate with impacts if governments successfully limit average global temperature rise to 20 Celsius.
While not removing the risk altogether, if temperature rise is kept under 20 Celsius, and comprehensive plans to adapt communities to climate change are put in place, many of the worst impacts can be avoided.
However, even at 20C, poverty reduction efforts and economic growth could potentially slump in the region as crop yields drop and water access problems are exacerbated, said Emmanuel Seck, Coordinator of Climate Action Network West Africa (CAN-WA).
For example, the median yield of all crops is expected to be reduced by 11 per cent at 20C. This is expected to double to over 20 per cent if warming reaches 40C. Furthermore, the length of growing period would also drop by 20 percent across the whole region.
While the livelihoods of families depending on fishing are also threatened, Senegal ranks among the most vulnerable countries to climate-change-driven impacts on fisheries. According to the World Bank, warming oceans mean there will be fewer fish and those that remain will be smaller.
Hotter weather will also mean fewer livestock can be maintained on land in northern Senegal’s Ferlo region as there will be less grass and fewer trees. Specifically, at 3°C warming, sub-Saharan savannah grasslands on which many communities graze their livestock will shrink to one-seventh their current size, with huge ramifications for those who rely on that ecosystem for their survival.
“This report highlights the threat the climate change poses to the hard won gains in development we have made in this region in recent years,” Seck said. “Africa needs support from the international community to adopt a low carbon approach to development that is compatible with meeting the human rights and needs of its growing population and consequently we remind developed countries to comply with their commitments in terms of mitigation and financing.”
Climate change of 2°C would lead to worse health for many people across sub-Saharan Africa. An increase in undernourishment, childhood stunting, malaria and other diseases could impact the ability of children to receive an education.
The CAN-WA called on African governments to implement low-carbon development and climate-resilient strategies in order to contribute to the reduction of the impacts of climate change on their populations.
National Coordinator of Climate Change Network Nigeria (CCN-Nigeria) and Chair of the REDD+ Working Group of the CAN-WA, Surveyor Efik, expressed similar sentiments with those of Seck.
Efik stated that the World Bank Report is indeed a clarion call to action for all stakeholders at the global, regional, national and local levels. According to him, the developed countries should end their politics of playing the ostrich game over their commitment towards emission cuts and support the developing countries with finance to combat climate change.
“Members of The G8 that just from the 39th edition of their meeting in Northern Ireland should keep to commitments as contained in a communiqué, if the world temperature should be turned down below 20C.”
The report warns that millions of people around the world are likely to be pushed back into poverty because climate change is undermining economic development in poor countries” and that “the case for resilience (adaptation) has never been stronger.
Efik states: “This indeed heightened our concerned for adaptation which is the priority action for ameliorating the impacts of climate change in West Africa that is known to be the poorest and most vulnerable sub-region on the African continent. We, therefore, call on the ECOWAS not to take the World Bank Report with a pinch of the salt but should redouble its efforts in terms of meaningful actions that will turn down the heat in West Africa and promote climate resilient development in the sub-region.
“At the national level, Nigeria with about 70 percent of its population being poor, there is the strong need to obey the clarion call to action that the report demanded. We call on the Federal Government to kick-start vigorously its own home-packaged actions, especially in terms of mobilising finance and not just depending solely on the UN-mustered finance or that of the developed countries.
“Regarding low carbon action, the Nigerian government should start with ending gas flaring in the country as that will encourage the developed countries to support our climate change agenda meaningfully and see us as genuinely committed to combating and responding to climate change.
“On adaptation, the National Adaptation Strategy and Plan of Action for Climate Change in Nigeria (NASPA-CCN) should be given the wings (finance) to fly so that climate resilience that will fortify Nigeria from the fierce impacts of climate change could be put in place. We commend the Minister of Environment, Hajia Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia for developing the NASPA-CCN, which actually spelt out the roles and responsibilities of the federal, state, local, and private sectors as well as the civil society, donor agencies and individuals, regarding adaptation actions for climate-resilient Nigeria.
“The CCN-Nigeria, with a membership of 150 civil society organiszations across the country, is set with plans to promote NASPA-CCN and strengthen the capacity of stakeholders for effective implementation. This will be done through our National Advocacy Campaign for Adaptation in Nigeria (NACAN) starting from July 2013.
“We strongly believe that the impacts of climate change in Nigeria may undermine and disrupt our own home-grown development agenda – Vision 20:2020 and might further make the global one – MDGs fail in Nigeria, come 2015. It is not incorrect to state that for the development pillar of Nigeria (Vision 20:2020) to be adjudged successful in 2020, the effort of today’s government in removing the cog from the wheel (climate change impacts) will count.”
The CAN-WA is a global network of NGOs working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels.
The CCN-Nigeria is a national coalition of over 150 civil society organizations (CSOs) from across Nigeria working to promote a climate-friendly nation though multi-sectoral approach and partnership.
Barriers to energy efficiency in the Ivory Tower
Insufficient awareness and lack of capacity to promote best practices have been identified as key barriers to the development of energy efficiency in Nigeria. This was the major observation a week ago in Abuja when representatives of the nation’s 128 state, federal and private universities gathered to explore ways to promote energy efficiency best practices and conservation in the Ivory Tower.
The university community has been identified as a major consumer of electricity such that a huge potential exist to save significant amount of energy in the sector. Observers believe that the universities are also well positioned to help spread the national energy efficiency culture.
Consequently, the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Federal Ministry of Environment (FME) and the United Nations Development Programme/Global Environment Facility (UNDP/GEF) in partnership with the National Universities Commission (NUC) held a day-long forum themed: “Promoting Energy Efficiency Best Practices and Conservation in Nigerian Universities”.
The event was aimed at enhancing the capacity of Nigerian universities to develop strategies and programme to reduce energy demand in their various campuses; and to enhance the capacity of Nigerian universities to promote best energy efficiency best practices and conservation.
Participants observed that there is absence of effective electricity metering systems in most of the universities, even as several offices, laboratories and residential buildings in the campuses are not metered, leading to high tendency to waste energy.
Apart from the use of inefficient appliances and poor consumer behavior that leads to energy wastage, many of the universities, participants submitted, do not have programmes and policies to promote energy efficiency best practices and conservation.
The university community is well positioned to spread the energy efficiency culture by integrating energy efficiency study into the university curriculum, they added, but lamented that this is currently absent in the university system.
It was likewise noted that most of the buildings in university campuses were built without putting into consideration the efficiency of the buildings, and that there are no incentives to encourage research and development (R & D) in the area of energy efficiency, leading to dearth of research material in this area.
It was however suggested that the NUC should partner with ECN and the UNDP/GEF to introduce energy efficiency studies into universities curriculum as General Studies. Likewise, participants want prepaid metering system installed in all the buildings and offices within the university campuses including staff quarters, shops and student hostels.
In a communiqué released at the close of the session, participants submitted: “Sensitisation on energy efficiency and conservation should be conducted regularly in universities to change behavior and attitudes of students and staffers.
“The universities should develop programmes and policies to promote energy efficiency culture in their various campuses, while government should make funds available in the national budget to support energy efficiency research and development.
“Yearly energy audit should be carried out in all universities and the audit should guide budgetary process in the institutions. Government should develop energy performance standards that will regulate the production, importation, distribution end-use appliances in the country.
“Government should provide incentives and subsidy to support the retrofitting of building in universities, which should conduct regular training for staff members and students on the importance of energy efficiency best practices. New designs, constructions and equipment supplies to all universities must represent energy efficiency application.”
Dignitaries present at the meeting include the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Ita Okon Bassey Ewa (who was represented by Dr. Mrs. Grace Ogolo, Deputy Director in the Ministry of Science and Technology); Director-General of the ECN, Prof. E. J. Bala; Minister of Power, who represented by the Dr. Godknows Igali Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power; Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Julius Okojie; who was represented by Prof. Adebisi Balogun; and Minister of Environment who was represented by the Mr. M. T. Abu, Director of Planning Research and Statistics, in the ministry, and the GEF Operational Focal Point for Nigeria.
Etiosa Uyigue, National Project Coordinator, UNDP GEF Energy Efficiency Programme, states that the overall objective of the project is to improve the energy efficiency of series of end-use appliances used in residential and public sectors in Nigeria through the introduction of standards and labels and demand-side management programmes.
The project, he adds, will assist government to increase access to electricity and at the same time mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases resulting from energy generation.
Chemicals management policy underway
A collaboration involving the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Swedish Chemicals Agency and the Federal Ministry of Environment is executing a project aimed at mainstreaming sound management of chemicals into the Millennium Development Goals-based plans and policies.
A week ago in Abuja, participants at a two-day event rose at the close of the forum and adopted the draft final report on Sound Management of Chemicals (SMC) in Nigeria.
The report focused on baseline analysis of SMC regimes in the country and identified SMC priority issues of utmost importance for mainstreaming into the long term development plans in the nation’s Vision 20:2020 Economic Transformation Blueprint.
SMC is the application of managerial best practices to chemicals through their life cycle to prevent and, where this is not possible, to reduce or minimise the potential for exposure of people and the environment to toxic and hazardous chemicals. It is directly concerned with implementation of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) principles in support of the achievement of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) goal and in accordance with the Dubai Declaration on International Chemicals Management (ICM).
The Nigeria-UNDP mainstreaming project is linked with the UNDP-UNEP partnership initiative and seeks to assist the government in recognising and assessing the opportunities for incorporating SMC into its developmental policies and plans.
The project will, among other things, improve capacity for the sustainable development of man and the environment; improve knowledge in chemical handling, thereby reducing risk of exposure and attendant health consequences; and, serve as poverty reduction strategy as sound chemical management reduces expenditure on health as well as its vital role to the accomplishment of the MDG goals and mitigation of climate change.
The project objectives include: qualifying the links between priority of major chemical management problem areas and human health and environmental quality; identifying areas of the national SMC governance regime that urgently needs strengthening; developing a realistic phased plan for strengthening the national SMC governance regime; assisting to qualify the costs of inaction/benefits of action in planning/finance/economic language regarding major chemical management problem areas and propose a path forward to mainstream the highest priority SMC issues in the country’s MDG-based development planning.
National Co-ordinator, Bello Hakeem Adediran, explained that after the report was presented to and reviewed by stakeholders early in the year, a concept paper on the two highest priorities for mainstreaming into the Nigeria Vision 20:2020 economic transformation has been developed. He said it utilising a series of Medium-Term National Development Plans, as part of the second National Implementation Plan scheduled to take off in 2014 has been developed.
The concept, he explained, includes rationale for costing of SMC investments by estimating and quantifying the cost of inaction and the costs of action which will help to make appropriate choices and to document the economic trade-offs.
“The costs of inaction in the concept papers will include valuing ecosystem services for SMC; incorporating the public health costs and benefits of chemicals in national development planning for agriculture, mining, leather/textiles and waste management sectors and accounting for environment and health effects in cost-benefit analysis of chemicals use,” he added. In addition to this is the development of a draft economic cost benefit analysis framework of the project which was presented to the stakeholders.
Project consultant, Bosun Oladimeji, explained that the results of the economic and policy analysis will be used to update the two issue concept papers with findings sent to the Federal Ministries of Finance and National Planning for action.
“In addition, the best opportunities to influence national development process will be identified and used to develop the mainstreaming roadmap,” he said.
UNDP international Environmental Economist, Jaime Echeverria, explained that the project is part of worldwide initiative called the Life Cycle Management of Chemicals that recognises the importance of the chemicals to the economy but at the same time recognising that, if are not well managed, may have health effect on the people and the ecosystem.
According to him, it involves the execution of situation assessment to document SMC situation in the country and lead to putting it in dollar term, the impact of not acting and the cost of acting.
“We believe the benefits of acting in the management of SMC in Nigeria are larger,” he said.
Gas flaring threatens health of Kaduna residents
Residents of Kaduna in northwest Nigeria, especially those living close to the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), have expressed reservations over a potential health hazard posed by gas flaring from the nearby refinery.
The smoke emitted by the refinery’s chimneys, according to them hovers over their area and goes beyond 10 kilometers in radius, affecting many residents in the southern axis of the city.
A resident who lives close to the refinery, Nasiru Suleiman, said the gas which is being
flared on a daily basis has saturated the area and is causing serious health concern to the locals.
“It smells badly,” he remarks, adding:
“The emission of the carbon dioxide is a serious disaster on our part. In the morning, the gas always descends on the whole environment, making it difficult for us to breathe; it is also the same thing in the evening. And it has a very powerful and unbearable odour; if we are eating, it is as if we are swallowing the substance along with the food.”
Another resident, Jacob Zango, expressed fear that if immediate measures are not taken by concerned authorities, “the residents might not be able to bear it for long.”
“We are calling on government and management of the KRPC to take immediate action to stop this flaring, because what we are inhaling in this place is poisonous and is capable of killing us,” laments Zango.
Managing Director of KRPC, Bolanle Ayodele, who acknowledged the act, said they are concerned over its effect on both humans and the environment, and are working towards minimising the black smoke being emitted. He was however quick to say that it was not possible for the company to stop gas flaring completely.
“We are aware of this problem and, very soon, we will correct it because we are also concerned about the environment.”
Nigeria is the largest oil producing country in Africa and the sixth in the world. More than 40 years after oil refineries were established in Nigeria, gas flaring still persists despite known health and environmental hazards.
Gas flaring is not peculiar to Kaduna; it is more common in the Niger Delta region where cities like Warri and Port Harcourt also experience the same hazards. Experts estimate that Nigeria currently flares between 1.3 and 1.4 billion cubic feet of gas per day. This is only second to Russia which flares three times the size of what Nigeria burns.
The gas being flared is a constituent of crude oil which observers say can be efficiently utilised as a valuable source of energy, but it is being continuously burnt and worsening the case of global warming.
Although subsequent administrations in the country have set up laws and datelines to stop the flaring, the oil firms have opted to paying fines instead of adopting modern technologies to end it.
A report by Justice in Nigeria Now (JINN), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), says since 1969, the dateline to stop gas flaring has been shifted more than five times. An environmentalist, Aisha Okunade, discloses that the damage of gas flaring on the environment, land, water habitat and humans cannot be quantified. She stresses that although adequate research has not been concluded on the effects of gas flaring on humans, the effects are sometimes visible on people residing in areas close to refineries. The sign and symptoms, according to her, include vomiting, cancer diseases, lung diseases and Asthma.
The emitted gases, she adds, include nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur and nitrogen oxide, which mostly combined with rainfall to cause damage to soil. She calls on the Nigerian government to allocate enough funds to research institutions for a comprehensive research on such gases. The concern on the flaring and environmental degradation has led to many mass movements and activism, especially in the Niger Delta region.
In 1995, a renowned novel writer and activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, was executed by the Nigerian government for oil-related activism on the environment.
Despite the hue and cry, Nigerian government has not taken notable steps at impressing on the oil companies to stop the practice. Early last year, a United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Report indicted the giant Shell Oil Company operating in the Niger Delta region for contaminating the soil and environment of Ogoniland in the past 50 years.
The Federal Government said it would clean up the area, but that is yet to commence.
By Shingdon Bala
Youths explore ways to alleviate power challenges
The nation’s power crisis has indeed gotten to a crisis situation. Recently, Power Minister, Chinedu Nebo, confirmed the nightmare.
He lamented that 120 million Nigerians – representing about 75 per cent of the population – do not have access to electricity. The minister attributed the present challenges to vandalism, unprecedented systems collapse and heavy storms that shattered transmission lines in some states that destroyed four transmission towers.
While a considerable number of Nigerians are in response to the nemesis climbing down the energy ladder – moving from electricity, gas and kerosene to fuel wood and other traditional biomass energy forms, a lot more have turned to the use of generators as an adaptive measure.
Indeed, as at 2006, says a report, over 60 million generators were being imported annually into the country, while about N1.6 trillion was spent to fuel the generators. The implication is that the nation has become a dumping ground for all sorts of generating sets from all over the world; the business of generator sales, servicing and fuelling is booming, and the device has become a part of us.
No wonder both the supposed solutions to the impasse addressed in this piece have to do with the almighty, life-saving machine. Ironically, they were fabricated by teenagers – and aimed at eliminating the use of fuel (petrol, diesel) and probably make the generator more environment-friendly and less expensive to operate.
But, while one invention has been formally celebrated globally, the other appears virtually unknown.
Recently, two teenage girls invented the urine-powered generator, which seeks to provide affordable and sustainable energy sources as a solution to the epileptic power supply in developing countries without the attendant consequences caused by carbon poisoning.
The inventors, Duro-Aina Adebola and Zainab Bello from Doregos Private Academy in Lagos, won the United Technology Company (UTC) Award for Excellence in Science and Engineering and prize money of $3,000 in scholarship.
The device works on the principle of electrolysis and energy conversion. The direct current (DC) output of the generator is connected to the urine electrolytic cell, to ensure continuous production of the hydrogen-oxygen which ensures the continuous running of the engine. The exhaust gas from the generator is water vapour and non-toxic, compared to carbon monoxide from the conventional carbon-based fuels.
The other is a fabrication by a roadside technician who fixes cars and motorcycles’ electric fittings in Makurdi, Benue State. Nineteen-year-old Christopher Chinedu Okorie, a staff of Innoma Auto Electrical in the Benue State capital, is the inventor of a generator that operates only on battery.
Incidentally, Okorie is not educated and holds only a primary school leaving certificate. But that apparently did not deter his initiative to devise a concept to aid in power generation purely with the desire to cut down the cost of running a generator on fuel.
Asked how he got the idea, Chinedu said he was just thinking of how to use other means rather than fuel to generate power when the idea came to him. According to him, his constant work with batteries as he charges them for both cars and motorcycles drew his thought to their ability to run a generator motor and armature to produce electricity.
He stated that he made the prototype of the electric generator using the engine of a portable fuel generator commonly known as “I pass my neighbour” with a motor. According to him, he used a more powerful motor to pair with the generator engine which gave him an 8-point power output which, according to him, is enough to run two television sets, a clipper, a radio, and light point.
“If you want it to carry more, you will increase the capacity of the motor and battery then. If it is a big generator, it will be 20 points and can power television, pressing iron, fridge and water pump,” he explained.
Commenting on the cost of producing an electric generator, the electrician said he can make an 8-point generating set for N45,000. Queried on the high cost in comparison to a similar type that runs on fuel which sells around N15, 000 in the open market, Okorie said he is incapable of producing the sets now at a cheap rate unless he gets help from the government or other corporate bodies or manufacturers which will subsidise the cost.
He explained that his invention, which is yet to pass the test of professional electrical engineers, would help the society by reducing the noise of generators, curb the use of fuel and thus environmental pollution.
The girls hope to partner with larger companies to produce the alternative generator on a mass scale, although some describe it has being too bulky, expensive and unrealistic to solve Nigeria’s electricity challenges.
Reducing food waste to sustain the environment
In the spirit of this year’s World Environment Day (WED) celebrations, the Lagos State Government has apparently taken up a campaign to address the worrisome issue of food waste in the light of its socio-economic and environmental implications.
At a ceremony to commemorate the WED 2013, Governor Babatunde Fashola laments that food waste leads to squandering of resources such as fertilizers, pesticides and fuel used for transportation. He frowns at the vast amount of food going to landfills, a situation he says creates more methane that significantly contributes to global warming.
The theme for this year’s WED celebrations is “Think.Eat.Save: Reduce Your Footprint” which, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is an anti-food waste and food loss campaign that encourages the reduction of the individual’s foodprint.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), every year 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted, an ammount equivalent to the same amount produced in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, one in every seven people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of five die daily from hunger.
Given this enormous imbalance in lifestyles and the resultant devastating effects on the environment, the theme encourages the individual to become more aware of the environmental impact of the food choices you make and empowers you to make informed decisions.
While the planet is struggling to provide us with enough resources to sustain its seven billion people (growing to nine billion by 2050), the FAO estimates that a third of global food production is either wasted or lost. The UN body describes food waste is an enormous drain on natural resources and a contributor to negative environmental impacts.
This year’s campaign rallies individuals to take action from their home and then witness the power of collective decisions they and others have made to reduce food waste, save money, minimise the environmental impact of food production and force food production processes to become more efficient.
Governor Fashola, represented by his Deputy, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, explains that climate change affects agriculture particularly food production, which he describes as a major concern to Nigeria where agriculture plays a significant part in the economy.
“We have already begun to see some of the impact. Only last year, the severe flooding across Nigeria showed us the damage that can be wrought from climate change,” stresses Fashola, adding that avoidance of food waste means efficient land use, improved water resource management and positive impact on climate change.
He lists some food waste reduction tips to include: carrying out waste audits and product loss analysis for high waste areas; working with suppliers to reduce waste; offering discounts for near-expiration items; redesigning product packages to avoid waste; limiting menu choices and introduce flexible portioning; creating staff engagement programmes; increasing food donations; following storage guidance to keep food at its best; and requesting smaller portions of food.
Environment Commissioner, Tunji Bello, laments that many Nigerians take the environment for granted because “it has never crossed our minds that most of the resources from nature, most especially food, need to be economically deployed.”
According to him, the culture of wasting food cannot be a guarantee for providing adequate food for the people. “It would be an aberration to believe that there is enough food in the world even when millions of people are starving. The situation of plenty food can become a truism if we all stop food waste so that we can conveniently change the course of human history.”
He urges Lagosians to abide by the “Waste not, want not” motto. “We simply can’t afford to waste up to half of the food produced in our territory. The administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) unflinchingly believes that the Think.Eat.Save campaign would definitely help reduce waste in our environment and we are committed to its pursuit.”
A drama presentation titled “Mammy Water’s Wedding (MWW)”, a presentation on ecological balance, by the Bode Showande Theatre Academy, was featured during the event.
The play, which depicts Water as bride and Earth the bridegroom, lays emphasis on the fact that it is easier to see our own image through the eyes of a stranger.
In the play, the bride sees the world of Akinla (Earth) more clearly that he sees it. It turns out a sacrifice for her to leave her world for his, but she does it for love. Ecologically, Water loves Earth, and endows it with the gift of life.
MWW depicts that the barrier to love between Water and Earth is filth, or ecological imbalance in our lives.
“The morale of the tale is that, should we desire to enjoy the love of Mother Nature, holistically we must have ecological balance in all directions and all levels of our lives,” submits Bode Showande, who heads the Academy.
Sowande, playwright and theatre director at the Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, adds: “The play is a total theatre of dialogue, music and dance, bringing the audience to the message, and vice versa.”
Environment Minister, Hadiza Mailafia, echoed similar sentiments in Abuja, emphasising that, apart from wastages incurred in the process of production, disasters put agriculture and food security at risk, and tend to have the most severe consequences on vulnerable and poor agriculturally-dependent people in the society.
Her words: “Every year, countries of the West Africa and Sahel sub-region are adversely affected by natural disasters, such as droughts and floods, as well as transboundary animal diseases, economic crises and civil conflicts. These events result in losses of life, assets and livelihoods, consequently weakening the food and nutrition security of the populations.
“The 2012 floods in Nigeria wreaked havoc on several states of the federation, adversely affecting human lives, property, livelihoods, settlements, fresh water/coastal water resources, fisheries, forest, biodiversity, agricultural farmlands, food supplies, health/sanitation and human migrations; placing a huge challenge to food supply and food security across the nation.”
She discloses that one way to narrow the hunger gap and improve the well-being of the most vulnerable is to address the massive loss and waste inherent in the food system where “at least one-third of all food produced fails to make it from the farm to the table.”
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nigeria and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Daouda Toure, notes climate change in form of increases in the incidence of extreme weather events, floods, production shocks, population growth, increasing global affluence, stronger linkages between agriculture and energy markets, and natural resource constraints will all impact on food prices.
He says: “This is why, as a part of our ongoing partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment, the UNDP has supported the development of major policies such as National Environment Policy, National Policy on Drought and Desertification, National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, National Erosion and Flood Control Policy, Climate Change Adaptation and, most recently, the National Climate Change Policy as part of the critical measures for reducing the underlying risks of climate change. UNDP also supported the national multi-stakeholder preparatory process, which resulted in the robust National Rio+ 20 reports that was presented by President Goodluck Jonathan last year in Brazil.”
Toure, who was represented by UNDP Country Director, Ade Lekoetje Mamonyane, congratulated Mailafia for “this success, and salute your foresight and inspirational leadership which is once again ensuring the sustenance on Nigeria’s regional leadership role on the issue of environmental governance and climate change negotiations.”
“We assure you and the ministry on behalf of UNDP and indeed the entire UN Systems in Nigeria of our continuing commitment to you and the private sector and members of civil society in promoting sustainable development in Nigeria, especially within the context of the outcomes of the Rio+20 summit and in developing the country’s capacity on the green economy to the future that Nigerians want.”
UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, explains in a message that, in developing countries, pests, inadequate storage facilities and inefficient supply chains are major contributors to food loss. According to him, those who grow for export are also often at the mercy of over-stringent expectations of buyers who place a premium on cosmetic perfection.
He believes that infrastructure and technology can reduce the amount of food that perishes after it is harvested and before it reaches the market, saying: “Developing country governments can work to improve essential infrastructure and maximise trade opportunities with neighbours; developed nations can support fair trade and rationalise sell-by dates and other labelling systems; businesses can revise their criteria for rejecting produce; and consumers can minimise waste by buying only what they need and re-using left-over food.”
“On this World Environment Day, I urge all actors in the global food chain to take responsibility for environmentally sustainable and socially equitable food systems. The current global population of seven billion is expected to grow to nine billion by 2050. But the number of hungry people need not increase. By reducing food waste, we can save money and resources, minimize environmental impacts and, most importantly, move towards a world where everyone has enough to eat,” he declares.
