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Tackling climate change in Delta State

Michael Simire
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Tackling climate change in Delta State
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State

Ikem Victor is Programme Co-ordinator at Environment Communication Research Group (ECREG), a Lagos-based environment advocacy group. He examines Delta State Government’s initiatives relating to global warming; adding that the emergence of a climate change policy and framework of action is commendable 

 

Recently, Delta State emerged as first and only state, so far in Nigeria, to develop and launch a comprehensive climate change policy and framework of action to mitigate climate change’s growing negative impacts in the state which is one of the most volatile coastal regions, with worsening levels of ecological hazards, in sub-Saharan Africa. This policy initiative is expected to set in motion effort to ensure steady evolution of an environmentally friendly clean energy and a green economy process that would see the state emerge as one of the most proactive and ‘smart state’ in Nigeria and indeed Africa within the next few years.

The government of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has always promoted the vision of a Delta State beyond oil which can be linked to the government’s determination to reduce the state’s continued over dependence on oil as primary and only major source of revenue, and indirectly on a medium to long term basis, offer some breather from the overwhelming degradation of the environment which is a fallout of years of oil exploration and environmental negligence by the big oil and gas multinational corporations.

Niger Delta region of Nigeria is characterised by lowlands with most of the delta being less than 6m above sea level, according to expert findings, making the region very much exposed to rise in sea level.  The abundant rivers, creeks and streams expose the region to adverse environmental negative impacts with significant flooding resulting from inland surface waters and the boundary coastal shelf. Food production has been adversely affected by the recurring climate change induced flooding.

Oil exploration in Niger-Delta has been on for over 50 years without any corresponding effort to clean up or renew the environment and for this reason the region has become one of the most degraded and endangered in the world. The oil and gas industry is the most vibrant industry in Nigeria and it contributes over 85 percent of total income of the country, yet there is no corresponding growth, with regards to fiscal and physical development, in this region that produces all the wealth of the nation. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report on environmental degradation in Nigeria’s oil rich but infrastructure poor Niger Delta region exposes not only the highest levels of neglect and abandonment but (un) conscious abuse of the very resources and the environment that ultimately decides the fate of all human beings within its remote or immediate influence. There are yet to be concrete response action to clean up oil spillage in the region amidst unending blame game going on among key stakeholders.

The commitment of Delta State towards addressing many of the environmental challenges facing the state through a well thought out policy, and soon to be enacted enabling laws, is remarkable. It is on record that Udghahan is a co-founder of R20, a coalition of 50 sub-regional leaders and governors from around the world with the goal to develop policy instrument and response actions towards addressing climate change and other environmental problems globally.

Addressing guest present at the event to launch the new climate change policy in Asaba, the governor, who was represented by his deputy, acknowledged that climate change was a serious global problem that could not be ignored saying that the objective of the policy was to set out a framework for reducing the vulnerability of the local communities to the anticipated impact of climate change and also develop a low carbon and climate resilient economy. The governor recognises that the devastating impact of climate change on all human systems were seen in the ravaging and unprecedented floods, which had hit the world in recent times, including extreme weather situations such as heat waves, typhoon and tsunamis hence the state is collaborating with United Nations Development Programme on the initiative referred to as Territorial Approach to Climate Change (TACC).

According to available report, the Territorial Approach to Climate Change (TACC) is part of a partnership between the United Nations and sub-national governments for fostering climate friendly development at the sub-national level. The partnership which is a collaborative effort involving UNDP, UNEP and eight associations of regions was signed in December 2009 between Delta State and UNDP as part of efforts to tackle environmental devastation arising from climate change. It is reasoned that being an oil and gas producing state, Delta State is well positioned to seize opportunities from climate change mitigation actions. And at the same time, being a coastal state, Delta State is particularly vulnerable to sea water rise and therefore has to develop a strategy to analyse the present and future vulnerability of the state.

Within the context of varied expectations, Delta State anticipates that the partnership with UN through TACC will assist the state government in developing capacity to assess the level of environmental damage caused by oil pollution and rising sea level. The goal of the initiators is that the TACC project will support the integration of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures into sustainable development planning and programming in developing countries like Nigeria.

Not only is Delta State vulnerable to the heavy negative impact and consequences of climate change, the state may certainly loss huge revenues in the future toward solving social and economic problems that can arise from climate change-related crises. It is hoped that the foresighted government would match words with action by not allowing this to be a policy just on paper alone or a law for its sake. But see to it that the very details of the policy are implemented completely, with serious attention paid to the very rural areas where the overwhelming consequences of climate change are being felt in all aspects including agriculture, food production, water scarcity, housing and health.

It is also a wish that the next administration in Delta state after Uduaghan, by 2015 going forward, will be able to demonstrate the same level of zeal, energy and commitment by paying urgent attention to climate change related issues as have been the case with the state’s current leadership.

The race to mitigate climate change impact is not a competition about who is first, but a lifelong journey towards sustainable development and economic growth of nations and the world.

Living with disability, disasters

Michael Simire
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Living with disability, disasters
Toure
Toure

With the widespread challenges arising from last year’s floods still very vivid, and even as the government institutions at the federal, state, and local levels collaborate to sharpen action on how to best tackle disasters management, Nigerians have been urged to come to terms with the fact that plight of persons living with disabilities is magnified when a disaster strikes.

According to Daouda Toure, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations (UN) Systems in Nigeria, they are less likely to receive the support they need during a humanitarian crisis and they are also less likely to recover in the long-term.

“As such it is imperative that they must be included in our disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy planning processes,” he said.

Toure, who is also Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), spoke last week in Abuja at a forum to observe this year’s International Day for Disaster Reduction tagged ‘Living with Disability and Disasters’.

He described the theme as a sober realisation that persons with disabilities often remain marginalised and excluded from DRR plans and policies and that more needs to be done in promoting their inclusion.

“Today’s event highlights the urgent need for the enlargement of spaces for a robust post-2015 development framework that is all encompassing through inclusive future DRR policies that give persons living with disabilities opportunities to make contribution to the process of identifying disaster reduction solutions,” he submitted, adding that, over the years, the UNDP collaborated with National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) to produce interventions such as: an Institutional Mapping of DRR efforts in Nigeria; Disaster Risk Reduction Capacity Assessment for the country; and the Development of a National Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Toure added: “More recently, in the aftermath of the 2012 flood, we also led the United Nations Development Systems in Nigeria to provide critical support into the development of Post Disasters Needs Assessment (PDNA) that was conducted with support of World Bank/Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Reconstruction (GFDRR), European Union (EU) and other Development Partners. To this end, UNDP also supported the preliminary humanitarian assessment, undertook a community consultation and validation surveys in partnership with the six Nigerian universities centres for disaster management as a critical part of the human recovery needs assessment (HRNA).

“Throughout these endeavours, our research, analytical base, and consultations with government stakeholders and civil society have consistently highlighted the policy gaps around the exclusion of people with disabilities in DRR, as well as the opportunities that would derive from their inclusion.

“This points to the need for inclusive policy response framework of a broader nature.  In this respect, more recently our partnership with NEMA has also resulted in the development of a number of strategic policy support documents. Among them is the National Disaster Recovery Strategy and Framework – which specifically highlights the unique challenges faced by persons with disabilities in disaster situations.  I am told that UNDP, as part of the validation process of the policy framework in question, specifically consulted with representative groups of people living with disabilities, thus giving them an opportunity to voice their interests, needs, and concerns and to see these reflected in the final strategy document.

“We are now in the process of consolidating this support through the finalisation a two year DRR intervention that will focus on providing NEMA with additional policy implementation capacity support. This project will be implemented with NEMA at both federal and state levels to predict, monitor, respond and recover from disasters through effective coordination mechanisms.”

The UN boss commended Sani Sidi, Director-General of NEMA, “for his leadership and the giant strides that NEMA and indeed the broader disaster risk reduction agenda are making in the country on his watch.”

Toure assured that the UNDP and the entire UN Systems in Nigeria would remain committed to working with him and all stakeholders in the strengthening capacity, resilience and inclusion at all levels for effective management of disasters as a critical safeguard for the ongoing economic transformation agenda.

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, in a message to mark the global event, lamented that more than one billion persons in the world live with a disability, and described the commemoration as an opportunity to recognise their role in fostering resilience.

Ki-Moon’s words: “Unfortunately, most persons with disabilities have never participated in disaster risk management or related planning and decision making processes. They suffer disproportionately high levels of disaster-related mortality and injuries.

“Early warning systems, public awareness campaigns and other responses often fail to consider the needs of persons with disabilities, putting them at an unnecessarily elevated risk and sending a harmful message of inequality.

“We can change this situation by including persons with disabilities in disaster resilience initiatives and policy planning. The recent General Assembly High-level Meeting on Disability and Development recognised the urgent need for action on this issue, which is also addressed in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

“Inclusion saves lives. And it empowers persons with disabilities to take ownership of their own safety – and that of their community.

“We can already see their potential contribution in the many persons with visible and invisible disabilities around the world who already serve as volunteers and workers helping communities when disaster hits to cope and bounce back.

“On the International Day for Disaster Reduction, let us resolve to do everything possible to ensure that all persons with disabilities have the highest possible levels of safety and the greatest possible chance to contribute to the overall wellbeing of society.

“Let us build an inclusive world where persons with disabilities can play an even greater role as resourceful agents of change.”

Monsoon in West Africa

Michael Simire
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Monsoon in West Africa

MonsoonWest Africa is home to about 317 million people. Communities in the sub-region and the entire sub-Saharan Africa depend strongly on rainfall where 65 percent of the labour force and 95 percent of the land is devoted to agriculture.

Scientists portend that if the Five-Sigma Model relative to climatology occurs, Africa may be faced with a monsoon that will affect the sub-region. But the concept indicates that there is only one chance in a million years likelihood for it to occur.

The monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea. Usually, the term monsoon is used to refer to the rainy phase of a seasonally-changing pattern, although technically there is also a dry phase.

Monsoons are large-scale sea breezes which occur when the temperature on land is significantly warmer or cooler than the temperature of the ocean. These temperature imbalances happen because oceans and land absorb heat in different ways. Over oceans, the air temperature remains relatively stable for two reasons: water has a relatively high heat capacity  and because both conduction and convection will equilibrate a hot or cold surface with deeper water (up to 50 metres). In contrast, dirt, sand, and rocks have lower heat capacities and they can only transmit heat into the earth by conduction and not by convection. Therefore, bodies of water stay at a more even temperature, while land temperatures are more variable.

There is no consensus about how precipitation will change over West Africa in a warming climate as most of the studies appear contradictory. This is because less than 66 percent of the global models agree on the sign of the change in precipitation over West Africa. Also, more than 1/3 of these models do not represent the monsoon. According to scientists, the models that that do, typically misrepresent the spatial patterns and intensity of monsoon precipitation.

There is however an agreement that the huge population in the sub-region is vulnerable to climate variability.

According to scientists Gil Mahe and Jean-Emmanuel Paturel, since 1970, West Africa has experienced one of the most abrupt changes in climate since weather data began being recorded in 1896. Mahe and Paturel, who studied rainfall patterns in the sahel between 1896 and 2006, concluded that drought was still continuing in the region even if annual rainfall had increased since the very dry periods in the 1970s and 1980s.

Meanwhile, a map released recently has shown that marine protected areas now cover 2.8 percent of the global ocean – an area larger than Europe. The map is based on data provided by the World Database on Protected Areas, run by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The map shows an increase of 0.6 percent in the ocean area protected since 2012. In 2010, most of the world governments agreed to protect at least 10 percent of the world’s marine and coastal zones by 2020.

“It’s encouraging to see the progress we’ve made so far,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme. “Protecting less than three percent of the ocean is still not enough to ensure its sustainable conservation. However, if we continue to increase this area by one percent each year, we should be able to reach the agreed 10 percent by 2020. We’re hoping that this map will make this process much more efficient.”

The map makes global marine protected areas easily accessible to marine specialists and the public for the first time. It offers the possibility to track progress towards protecting the ocean and identify those protected areas that have not yet been included in the map.

The map shows how progress in the last few years has been boosted by the addition of large offshore marine protected areas, complementing the many smaller sites that exist in inshore waters of many countries. Such developments are visible around the national waters of Australia, France and West Africa.

“Countries that are doing well should help others that are having difficulties in protecting their marine heritage due to overpopulation or lack of capacity and resources,” says Dan Laffoley, Principal Advisor on Marine Science and Conservation of the IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme. “This map should make it easier for countries to collaborate with others. It provides a new level of transparency drawing from the official statistics to track progress against the 10 percent target.”

The oceans cover more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface. More than 3.5 billion people depend on them for food, energy and income. By protecting the ocean’s natural and cultural resources, marine protected areas play a central role in addressing some of the global development challenges of today, such as food and energy security, poverty and climate change.

Ozone layer: Nigeria to complete HCFCs’ phase-out

Michael Simire
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Ozone layer: Nigeria to complete HCFCs’ phase-out

Hcfc22Nigeria has made progress in the implementation of the Hydro-Chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) Phase-out Management Plan. Government said the aim is to achieve the first phase of the control measure for the substances in line with the provisions of the Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS).

The National Ozone Officer in the Ministry of Environment, Kassimu Bayero, disclosed this in an interview in Abuja, saying that the control measure covered the period between 2013 and 2015.

“Nigeria’s consumption baseline level for 2013 freezes at the average of our 2009 and 2010 consumption. So, from 2014, it should be on the decrease. Now, the baseline amounts to 5,878.88 metric tons and is calculated as (HCFC = 398.5odp tons)”.

It will be recalled that the Montreal Protocol required the phase out of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the refrigeration and air conditioning market because they contained ozone depleting substances (ODS). This was achieved in Nigeria in 2010. So, over the years, while the CFCs were being phased out, Hydro-Chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) were brought in as substitute substances to replace the CFCs.

There are therefore, HCFC-22 used for refrigeration and air conditioning and HCFC 141B used as foaming agent. Bayero explained that phasing out of the HCFCs also became paramount because of the effects of the substances on climate change.

“HCFCs are friendly to the ozone layer in the sense that their ozone depleting potential is very infinitesimal, but were found to have very high global warming potential, thereby constituting serious impact on the climate. The whole idea is that because we are trying to solve the ozone depletion problem, we shouldn’t be seen to be causing another problem. So, at the level of the Protocol, there was another decision to accelerate the phase out again of the HCFCs in view of their impact
on climate change.

“The first phase of the implementation of the programme began in 2011 under a wider plan referred to as ‘HCFCs Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP)’ and will be completed in 2015. By 2015, the first control measure will take effect with the expected decrease of 10 percent consumption from the baseline level (average of 2009 and 2010 consumption),” he said.

Continuing, the National Ozone Officer disclosed that measures have been put in place to ensure that importers complied with the acceptable baseline consumption level in Nigeria.

“This will be achieved through our permitting and licensing system. Every year, importers apply to the National Agency for Drug Administration Commission (NAFDAC) and the National Environment Standard Regulation Agency (NESREA) for permits to bring in these chemicals. A quota system has been determined by the Ministry of Environment, which is what these agencies issue for the importation of the substances into the country.

“So the quota allocation for HCFCs in Nigeria took effect in 2013 and is frozen at the average of 5,878.88 metric tons HCFCs (baseline for consumption in 2009 and 2010). By 2014, the import data should not be more than this baseline and, by 2015, Nigeria should be 10 percent less this average. This is specified in the HCFCs Phase-out Management Plan and was based on a consumption survey from importers and users,” he added.

The first phase of the HCFCs control measure will end in 2015 and the second phase will come into force. The programme will continue until a zero consumption level is achieved in Nigeria. NAFDAC and the Nigerian Customs are at the points of entry to ensure that the allowable limits are conformed with. ODS regulations under NESREA are used to check defaulters.

The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol) on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer aims to protect the earth’s ozone layer. With 197 parties, it is the most widely ratified treaty in United Nations history, and has enabled reductions of over 97 percent of global consumption of controlled ozone depleting substances.

 

By Nkechinyere Itodo

Mixed reactions greet Lagos Eko Atlantic City project

Michael Simire
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Mixed reactions greet Lagos Eko Atlantic City project
An impression of Eko Atlantic City
An impression of Eko Atlantic City

According to Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, the Eko Atlantic City is an adaptation measure that would enable the Lagos coastline to regain what was lost to the sea. Also, a former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, described the project as a great economic delight that would attract tourists and investors to the country.

The project, which is styled after Manhattan City in the US, is expected to be home to about 250,000 residents. Great Wall barriers have been constructed to secure the city from sea level rise and coastal erosion.

At a recent workshop on Climate Change Adaptation in Africa held in Cameroon, experts gave their views on the Eko Atlantic City project.

In the view of Professor Liblief, it is a form of beach nourishment that is needed to save the Lagos coastline. He believes that if the Eko Atlantic City was not constructed the Bar Beach would have disappeared due to sea level rise that would increase shoreline erosion in the axis. Liblief said the government of Gabon was also doing a form of beach nourishment that would safeguard the coastal city from the impact of sea level rise.

According to him, if governments within the West Africa sub-region fail to collaborate and carry out a research on their coastline, many cities within the region would end up under water.

“There is an urgency to safeguard our coastal areas as studies have shown that the impact of climate change would increase in the coming years,” he said, calling for a continuous sediment supply along the coast of the Eko Atlantic City to keep it protected and to safeguard it from the impact of sea level rise.

Professor Michel Boko from Cotonou, Benin Republic, described the Eko Atlantic city project as enormous, but questioned the sustenance of the project. He believes the project may not be able to last longer than 10 years.

“Many African leaders come up with great ideas of projects and programmes but discipline and high level of maintenance is required to enable the people benefit from such. If it is in my country, I won’t allow such a project to take place,” he stressed.

He identified sand filling of wetlands as a challenge to flooding in most urban areas and called for protection of wetlands that serve as natural drainage during flooding.

Professor Godwin Aflakpui from Senegal said if the right research and simulation were carried out before the commencement of the Eko Atlantic City project, it may be worth an undertaken to protect the Lagos coastline. He cited the case of Keta Beach in Ghana that used to experience coastal erosion but, following a beach nourishment project, the Keta Beach and its environs as well as properties and human lives are now safe and protected.

 

By Tina Armstrong-Ogbonna

Scientists debate climate adaptation strategies

Michael Simire
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Scientists debate climate adaptation strategies

SurgeAs the African continent continues to grapple with the drastic effect of climate change which is increasingly affecting the life of the people, local scientists are finding ways to ameliorate the phenomenon’s negative impact.

The Network of African Science Academies (NASAC), in partnership with the Germany Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, recently held a two-day workshop in Yaounde hosted by the Cameroon Academy of Sciences. The workshop focused on the role of science academics and the scientific community in the development of climate change adaptation strategies in Africa.

Programme Director of NASAC, Jackie Olang, said it was necessary for African scientists to contribute to public debates on policy in Africa that are science-based, which will guide policy makers in formulating policies on climate change adaptation in the area of health, water management, agriculture, forestry, and urban development.

Olang said the synergy between NASAC and the Germany Academy of Sciences is to exchange research ideas and innovation that would impact positively on Africans as there are 19 countries within the continent that are members of the network.

Executive Secretary of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences, Dr. David Mbah, said science diplomacy is needed in Africa to develop the continent as no country develops without the input of science and technology.

Mbah called for international collaboration between African scientists and global powers such as the G8 and the G20 countries.

Director of Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research in Germany and co-author of the recent World Bank report titled: “Turn Down the Heat”, Professor Hans Schellnhuber, in his presentation on the climate change challenge, said the history of global carbon emission originates from the need for global industrialisation whose impact was not immediate.

Schellnhuber pointed out that, as the impact of climate change is transboundary, those that are far from the area of emission get to suffer for what they never contributed to. He cited the case of melting of the ice sheet, where it results in increased sea level rise and flooding far from the area of occurrence.

Schellnhuber explained that if the 5-sigma model relative to climatology occurs, Africa may be faced with a monsoon that will affect the West African region. He called for the use of clean energy through renewable sources that would reduce dependence on fossil fuel.

Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Academy of Sciences, Dr. Doyin Odubanjo, observed that there is limited research in the area of health implications of climate change. He called for a field-based research that would identify health needs due to climate change impact, which he said is necessary “because in health there is no mitigation but adaptation.”
According to Odubanjo, for Africans to adapt to climate change effect in relation to health, there is need to strengthen the health system. He lamented that health as a thematic area under climate change debate has been long overlooked, and that if urgent and strategic plans are not made, there would be much damage resulting from health effect due to climate change.

Chairman, Technical and Political Affairs Committee, Pan-Africa Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), Augustine Njamnshi, explained that Africa is worst hit by the impact of climate change and believes that the solution to climate change will come from the continent. Njamnshi said the kind of technology brought to Africa from other parts of the world should be reviewed because such technology should be indigenous with the input of African scientists.
He pledged that PACJA would work with the Africa Academy of Science to combat climate change.

The participants recommended that current information for different levels of development is needed to implement policies that would enable the African continent adapt to climate change impact, and there should be collaboration between scientists and political decision makers.

 

By Tina Armstrong-Ogbonna

How mobility oils cities’ machinery

Michael Simire
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How mobility oils cities’ machinery
Clos
Clos

Last week, the United Nations and the entire world celebrated this year’s edition of the World Habitat Day (WHD), a global event that serves to reflect on the state of the world’s towns and cities and the basic right of all to adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world that we all have responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns.

This year, the United Nations chose the theme “Urban Mobility” because, according to the global body, mobility and access to goods and services are essential to the efficient functioning of cities and towns as they expand. Accessible cities encourage a shift towards more sustainable modes of transportation and draw more and more travellers out of cars and onto trains, buses, bike paths, and sidewalks, disclosed the UN.

“But mobility is about more than just the mode of transport we use. Urban planning and design should focus on how to bring people and places together, by creating cities that focus on accessibility, and optimal urban densities, rather than simply increasing the length of urban transport infrastructure,” disclosed UN officials.

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, in a statement to mark the occasion, reflects that, for more than half a century, most countries have experienced rapid urban growth and increased use of motor vehicles, adding that this has led to urban sprawl and even higher demand for motorised travel, with a range of environmental, social and economic consequences.

According to him, urban transport is a major source of greenhouse gas GHG) emissions and a cause of ill-health due to air and noise pollution. He added that the traffic congestion created by unsustainable transportation systems is responsible for significant economic and productivity costs for commuters and goods transporters.

His words: “These challenges are most pronounced in developing country cities. It is here that approximately 90 per cent of global population growth will occur in the coming decades. These cities are already struggling to meet increasing demand for investment in transportation. They must also face the issue of ‘transport poverty’. Millions of people are denied the benefits of public or private transport due to cost; persons with disabilities and the elderly are regularly excluded by practicality; and safety is a serious issue for many women, young persons and minorities made vulnerable by faith or ethnicity.

“Mobility is not just a question of building wider or longer roads; it is about providing appropriate and efficient systems that serve the most people in the best, most equitable manner. This includes encouraging a transition from car use to trains, buses and bicycles, and bringing more pedestrians onto well-lit sidewalks.

“People need to be able to get to work, school, hospitals and places of recreation safely and quickly. Getting mobility right can regenerate urban centres, boost productivity and make a city attractive for all users – from investors to visitors and residents.

“Urban transport is central to sustainable development. On this World Habitat Day let us commit to making our cities and towns accessible to all.”

The WHD 2013 theme is connected to the Global Report on Human Settlements (GRHS) 2013: “Planning and Design for Sustainable Urban Mobility.” A call for improved accessibility and mobility in urban areas for more efficient of the world’s cities and towns is a core message of the report.

“Mobility is an important part of city design as it contributes, not only to the liveability of a city in terms of reduced congestion and pollution, but also to the economic potential, allowing the efficient movement of people and goods. Mobility is at the core of equitable access to basic goods, services and activities – such as work, education, medical care, shopping, socializing – and to enable people to participate in civic life,” Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Dr. Joan Clos, said.

Clos added: “Every year on the first Monday of October we reflect on the state of our cities and towns and what we want the cities of our future to look like.

“This year, the United Nations chose the theme Urban Mobility because mobility and access to goods and services is essential to the efficient functioning of our cities and towns as they expand.

“Mobility is an important part of city design as it contributes, not only to the liveability of a city in terms of reduced congestion and pollution, but also to the economic potential, allowing the efficient movement of people and goods. Mobility is at the core of equitable access to basic goods, services and activities – such as work, education, medical care, shopping, socializing – and to enable people to participate in civic life.

“Furthermore, accessible cities encourage a shift towards more sustainable modes of transportation and draw more and more travellers out of cars and onto trains, buses, bike paths, and sidewalks.

“Over time, the collective costs of ‘automobility’ have become abundantly apparent – including urban sprawl, air and noise pollution, climate change, road traffic accidents, and the physical separation of people by class and race.

“But mobility is about more than just the mode of transport we use. Urban planning and design should focus on how to bring people and places together, by creating cities that focus on accessibility, rather than simply increasing the length and capacity of urban transport infrastructure.

Saving the African elephant

Michael Simire
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Saving the African elephant

ElephantsThe surge in African elephant poaching and illegal ivory trade has become increasingly worrisome. The African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) is currently listed as Vulnerable on The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species, with population estimates of around 500,000.

According to a recent report from IUCN and its partners, the number of elephants killed has doubled and the amount of ivory seized has tripled over the last decade. Elephant poaching and the illegal ivory trade are a major concern across Africa and beyond, with serious security, economic, political and ecological ramifications.

Criminal gangs are using sophisticated military ware to kill elephants, taking advantage of high-level corruption to move the ivory across borders and out of Africa. The proceeds from these actions are used by criminal networks to undermine democratic rule in many African states and to fund armed militias and rebel groups engaged in internal and cross-border conflicts.

In Nigeria, the Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State harbours a considerable population of elephants in the wild. But stakeholders are not impressed with the state of the facility, alleging that efforts by the Reserve management to curb poaching are grossly inadequate to control the extent of wildlife poaching going on there.

An environment watchdog group warns that though the situation poses a threat to all the wildlife in the reserve, its main concern is the impact on the elephant population.

“Yankari has one of the most important populations of this species in West Africa. The current poaching trend is alarming. Every day, it is possible to find meat from elephants, roan, waterbuck and buffalo in the surrounding markets and this is all emanating from Yankari.”

The body insists that protection in Yankari is non-existent as there are no active patrols, morale of game rangers is low, and there are inadequate firearms. It calls on the authorities to take immediate steps to rectify the situation.

Decree No. 11 of 1985 prohibits the killing and or trade in endangered species of wildlife, which includes elephants. Similarly, Nigeria is a signatory to the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), implying that all trade, particularly in elephant tusks, are illegal.

Meanwhile, the Government of Botswana and IUCN are convening a high-level summit on the African Elephant, even as they call for stronger global action to halt the illegal trade and secure viable elephant populations across Africa.

Hosted by the President of the Republic of Botswana, Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama, the event will bring together Heads of State and representatives of all African elephant range countries, as well as high-level representatives from key transit and destination countries in the illegal African elephant ivory trade chain.

“The need for all African nations to work together to manage our continent’s natural resources is more important than ever,” says Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism in Botswana, Mr T. S. Khama. “Africa needs the world’s support to address the issues of wildlife trafficking and trade, as it is the world that is creating the demand for wildlife products which drives poaching on our continent, and so threatens the survival of species.”

The summit comes on the heels of the recently launched Clinton Global Initiative’s $80 million effort to fight illegal ivory trade. The African Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Security Council and US President, Barack Obama, who launched a new $10 million plan to combat illegal wildlife trade and related organised crime earlier this year, are also actively involved in the issue.

“It’s encouraging that the matter is receiving such high-level international attention,” says IUCN Director-General, Julia Marton-Lefèvre. “Wildlife trafficking is increasingly entrenched in networks of organized crime and addressing the elephant crisis cannot be left to environment ministries and wildlife authorities alone. Such high-level commitment is urgently needed to tackle this complex and increasingly urgent issue.”

“The summit will be a unique opportunity for governments from Africa and Asia to come together and commit to urgent actions to halt this devastating trend,” says Holly Dublin, Chair of IUCN SSC African Elephant Specialist Group. “Finding solutions to save the African elephant will be an important way forward in saving other species that are also threatened by wildlife crime.”

“Botswana, through its 2012 full country wildlife aerial survey, estimates that there are now over 207,000 elephants within its borders, which are increasing at five percent per year,” says Minister of Environment, Mr. T. S. Khama. “We, as a nation, are proud of this fact but it does give us some unprecedented challenges. The protection of Elephants and other species is a daunting and expensive task. The problem of human wildlife conflict must also be managed so we do not lose the support of our people living in close proximity to wildlife.”

The African Elephant Summit will take place from 2 to 4 December 2013 in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.

How transformation can be responsive to climate change

Michael Simire
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0
How transformation can be responsive to climate change
Efik
Efik

National Coordinator, Climate Change Network Nigeria (CCN-Nigeria), Surveyor Efik, explores the nation’s transformation in the light of her responsiveness to climate change

 

According to Chinua Achebe’s “The Trouble With Nigeria”, leadership is indeed the trouble with Nigeria or, simply put, the bane of Nigeria’s sustainable growth into the desired El-Dorado that has long eluded us and only remained a dream in the minds of patriotic Nigerians. Even though that expected phase of transformation is yet to come but there are indications that the journey and the steps toward achieving it is no longer far-fetched. It is actually believed that the sustainable democracy that we have boldly achieved would produce the right leadership to lead Nigeria there, whether corruption and “Boko Haram” like it or not. It is the same sustainable democracy that produced the leadership that eroded away the formidable waves of militancy in the Niger Delta and the overall socio-economic cum political depression in the nation and thus replaced it with the expected transformative leadership currently being witnessed in some of the States.

Delta State in the hand of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan is now a haven for the Nollywood. Cross River State is now a world class tourist destination otherwise known as the Dubai of Africa. Rivers State, where I live, is also now as tranquil and safe as the German City of Bonn that is home to several UN Agencies. Bayelsa State will force out a wao! of positive surprise from the mouth of a first-time visitor who knows the geographic reality of the state at its birth in 1997. What is more, Edo State in the hand of Oshiomohle and Imo State in Rochas leadership are good signs of the great expectation. Or is it to mention the marvelous transformation in Lagos State that is synonymous with Fashola and applauded by all Nigerians and global citizens alike. Yet, to describe Akwa Ibom State as an El-Dorado is to state the obvious. What is being said of Akwa Ibom State regarding the reality of its “uncommon transformation” is that Godswill is indeed, being done through Godswill Akpabio.

The afore-mentioned states at the start of the sustainable democracy in 1999 were nothing to write home about. They were usually regarded as states wallowing in poverty in the midst of plenty. They were the true case study for the dictum of “working like an elephant and eating like an ant”. Apart from Lagos State, they are the oil-producing states that received both statutory allocation and the 13 percent derivation every month, yet their roads were not motorable, Universal Basic Education (UBE) packages were empty, basic socio-economic infrastructure that reduces poverty, avoidable deaths and apathy to education were non-existent. Despite the huge financial resources, the states experienced snail-paced transformation between 1999 and 2007 and, like a bolt from the blue, the geometric leap into modern city became the reality in Akwa Ibom State under Governor Godswill Akpabio.

How best can I explain the situation that now prompted me to pick up my pen after development work in environment and sustainable development rendered me inactive in my Egyptian-trained pen profession since 2005. Suffice it to recount the experience of my immediate younger sister’s first time visit to Abuja in company of her church congregation. She did hiss out a statement thus, “Is this the Abuja that has been so purported to be very beautiful? According to her, the colleagues shouted her down in quick response saying, “is it not beautiful; can’t you see and appreciate good things… where are you from”? My sister, Patricia, boldly and proudly responded, “I am from Akwa Ibom”. Instinctively, several voices of diverse Nigerians in the bus chorused at once saying; “no wonder! It is because Akwa Ibom is as beautiful as Abuja and you are already used to seeing beautiful urban transformation; that is why you couldn’t decipher the difference”.

Another anecdote is my encounter with a non-Akwa Ibom man whom I sat next to in a road journey from Lagos to Port Harcourt and the deplorable Ore road, prompted a discussion on Nigeria’s Government inept attitude to development. Suddenly, the man boldly stated “if President Jonathan and all State Governors could perform like Governor Akpabio, then the entire Nigeria will be like the Western World”. He went on saying, “Unlike in Port Harcourt, where a bridge of few years old constructed by former Governor Odili collapsed, Akwa Ibom will never witnessed such, as the quality of infrastructural constructions is not only of high standard and durable but that Governor Akpaabio usually ensure they are tested and confirmed highly resilient with sophisticated technology; namely, the International Airport, road and bridge constructions”. The gentleman later revealed his identity to be an aviation expert and one of the Senior Staff of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority involved in the supervision of the Uyo International Airport. He further explained that he had made the journey by road to personally confirm the state of the road in the country. He confirmed that the Uyo International Airport is second to none in Nigeria, especially with the aircraft hangers that would rake in revenue to Akwa Ibom State.

Permit me to share another tears-of-joy experience about the uncommon transformation of Governor Godswill Akpabio at the Uyo Government House Dinner Night, marking the 2012 Democracy Day Celebration, which I had the privilege to attend. There I saw the Akwa Ibom Junior Secondary School Students who won 1st position in the 2012 National Secondary Schools Quiz Competition, held in Port Harcourt. The lanky students were present with their Parents whose façade not only betrayed their impoverished state but also gave them out as those who would not have been able to train their children to secondary school level but for the free education gesture of Governor Godswill Akpabio. In fact, the children confirmed that indeed, they manage to be in school today only by the free education regime of Godswill Akpabio. It is worth noting that Akwa Ibom State Students in tertiary institutions across the country live relatively comfortable as they are paid fat and un-delayed bursaries by the Government of Godswill Akpabio. I screamed out my thought unconsciously saying if the system had been like this in the 1990s, I would not have gone abroad for my university studies.

Furthermore, as a climate change expert, I visited Akwa Ibom quite often with the climate change lens and it is not incorrect to affirm that the Akpabio-built infrastructure in Uyo in particular and Akwa Ibom State in general are all climate change resilient or simply put, climate-friendly. The heights of the roads are raised high enough to ward off floods and erosion, particularly with the construction of the world-class drainage system. The Goodluck Jonathan Flyovers are climate change adaptation projects while the fountains at every old and newly-created roundabout across Uyo are heat-trapping measures that serve as climate change impacts mitigation projects. They are also projects that could attract incentives from the international community and whet the investors’ appetite.

However, there is one common missing link in the transformation works of the Governors and that is paying less attention to the global development opportunities especially in the climate change context, which is today a generic ingredient in nation-building and national transformation agenda. For instance, before now the Lagos State Government initially embarked on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project as a mere infrastructural project without wearing it the garb of climate mitigation nor Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), thus missing out the great carbon credit incentive worth millions of dollars that could also been harnessed for other poverty-reducing projects. Thanks to Fashola’s Government that now repositioned the project for CDM benefits of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and the Clean Technology Investments benefits of the World Bank. In fact, the economic opportunity that comes with climate change development is further missed out by all the State and Local Governments in the area of solar energy generation used mostly for streets and office lights, which equally has huge carbon credit benefit, if registered has Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project. Forest conservation has same huge incentive, such as job creation, which Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke actually keyed into in the area of Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+). The bulk actually lies with the national Government that needs to fast-track the process of embellishing Nigeria with the garb of green economy pathways for the States and Local Governments to follow.

In conclusion, it is of a truth that climate change is majorly caused by increased human activities as further postulated by the recently released 5th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The human activities are characterized by huge carbon emissions from industrialisation, especially from the developed countries while the brunt is roundly borne “much more” by the developing countries, whose capacities for resilience (adaptation and mitigation) are weak and feeble. Yet, the international community under the UNFCCC is operating the just principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibility and Respective Capability (CBDR), which in simple terms, appropriate mandatory responsibility to the developed countries and voluntary but incentive-loaded benefits to the developing countries. In view of this, severally developing countries such as Indonesia, South Korea, China, India, Brazil, South Africa to mention just few, have repositioned their economies and governance system to access such benefits with the ultimate aim of advancing sustainable development and strengthening national capacity and resilience against the impacts of climate change.

It is indeed very pathetic that Nigeria’s readiness to harnessing these benefits is delayed by President Jonathan’s procrastination in approving the national adaptation policy known as National Adaptation Strategies and Plan of Action for Climate Change in Nigeria (NASPA-CCN) produced since 2011. Climate change development, now embodied by green economy or green growth, has become an issue that cannot be ignored in nation-building as it is indeed a tool with a win-win component that must be integrated into the governance system. By so doing, more Godswill will be delivered.

Threats to environment as US govt remains shut

Michael Simire
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0
Threats to environment as US govt remains shut
Obama
Obama

Last Tuesday’s shutdown by the United States government has entered its second week. It resulted because the House of Representatives and Senate could not agree on a bill to fund the government.

There are wide swaths of the Federal Government that need to be funded each year in order to operate. If Congress (House and Senate) cannot agree on how to fund them, they have to close down. And that is exactly what happened.

Each year, the House and Senate are supposed to agree on 12 appropriations bills to fund the federal agencies and set spending priorities. Congress has become really bad at passing these bills, so in recent years they have resorted to stopgap budgets to keep the government funded (known as “continuing resolutions”). The last stopgap passed on March 28, 2013, and ended on September 30.

In theory, Congress could have passed another stopgap before Tuesday. But the Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House were at odds over what that stopgap should look like. The House passed a funding bill over the weekend that delayed the Affordable Care Act (or Obamacare) for one year and repealed a tax on medical devices. The Senate rejected that measure. They voted a few more times and still no agreement was reached.

However, not all government functions simply evaporated that Tuesday – Social Security checks still got mailed, and veterans’ hospitals stayed open. But many federal agencies shut their doors and sent their employees home, from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to hundreds of national parks.

In addition to costing hundreds of thousands of people their jobs, the shutdown has prevented key agencies from serving the American people. The EPA is one of the hardest-hit. The agency was basically shut down, and 94 percent of its 16,205 employees sent home.

U.S. EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy, said that the agency left just a handful of staff members available to “keep the lights on and respond in the event of a significant emergency.”

Those protecting toxic Superfund sites stayed, but pollution and pesticide regulators got sent home.

Employees who “ensure continued public health and safety, including safe use of food and drugs and safe us of hazardous materials” were sent home. Workers who protect federal lands and research properties were sent home, as employees who provide disaster and emergency aid. 505 Superfund cleanup sites in 47 states were closed. And staff that write and implement greenhouse gas regulations could no longer come to work.

The National Parks were closed to visitors, but open to oil and gas drilling. Just a few employees were around to monitor the drilling activities. The National Park Service closed more than 400 national parks and museums, including Yosemite National Park in California, Alcatraz in San Francisco, and the Statue of Liberty in New York. The last time this happened during the 1995-96 shutdown, some seven million visitors were turned away. The Forest Service had to cut its staff, too, right in the middle of peak forest fire season.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development was not able to provide local housing authorities with additional money for housing vouchers. The nation’s 3,300 public housing authorities stopped receiving payments, although most of these agencies had enough cash on hand to provide rental assistance through the end of October.

Most of the Department of Energy’s offices closed during a shutdown, except for those groups overseeing nuclear weapons and naval-reactor programmes, and officials in charge of dams and electrical transmission lines around the country.

The Department of Interior – which oversees the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Land Management – sent home about two-thirds of its staff. These closures caused a significant loss of tourism revenue for local communities.

The National Science Foundation – which funds 2,000 research institutions, including astronomy observatories, and science and technology centres, as well as millions of dollars in research grants each year – was gravely affected during the last shutdown. Approximately $120 million in research grants went unmade during that time, delaying the support of approximately 2,000 people to carry out research and education activities.

Additionally, 240 grant proposals for science and engineering research and education went unprocessed each day of the shutdown, resulting in a backlog of 3,000 grant proposals, 1,000 of which would normally have been accepted. Dozens of panels, meetings and workshops were cancelled.

About 5,700 employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration remained on the job because their analysis and dissemination of weather data are considered necessary “to protect life and property.”

Last week, Earth Day Network took up a campaign to mobilise the masses to persuade Congress to immediately bring the shutdown to an end, declaring: “The threats to the environment will not rest. We simply can’t afford to let this happen – there’s too much at stake.”

So far, the pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears.

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