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Tag: climate change

  • Catholic bishops: our environment in danger over climate change

    Catholic bishops: our environment in danger over climate change

    Catholic Bishops under the auspices of Caritas Nigeria have said that the Nigerian climate is  currently  threatened , following  abuses of the environment ranging from illegal mining, indiscriminate drilling of bole holes, and cutting of trees  by the people.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Caritas Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Uchechukwu Obodoechina was among the Catholic Bishops who made this known while speaking at the 13th Anniversary Celebration of Caritas Nigeria Day, with the theme: Mainstreaming Climate Smart Principles and Practices among Faith-Based Communities in Nigeria organised at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria in Abuja.

    Fr Obodoechina, said that he was glad that attention has been focused on the environment, their common home, saying that they deliberated on it and decided to the messages to the doorsteps of everyone because Nigeria’s climate and the environment are in great danger.

    “I have never heard of an earthquake in Morocco before, apart from flood, Nigerian flood and all that. These are the consequences of climate change.

    So, we are also thinking that if we draw attention to the effects of climate and the environment, we should be able to do within ourselves to correct the situation.

    Read Also:‘$3tr needed to address development goals, climate change’

    “The government will not be able to do everything for us, there are certain responsibilities that should be carried out by citizens. Let us refine ourselves to make the environment something worthwhile,” he said.

    The Catholic priest, who is also the Executive Secretary of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, while speaking on the need to rescue less privileged Nigerians languishing in Correctional Centres, said: “Two days ago we went to Suleja Correctional Centre in Niger State to discover the numbers of men and women there, teeming youthful population.

    “Some have been there for the past one year and two years, for offenses ranging with a fine of 5,000, 10,000, and 15,000. Somebody is serving a jail term for two years because he is unable to pay N15,000.

    “It was for something that we thought we could deliberate, to see how we can support and free a good number of them. If paying N5,000, N10,000, and N15,000 could release someone from prison instead of spending one full year or two years there, to come back home to begin to live a new life.

    “You may imagine the fine of N15,000 in a country where billions have been stolen by the elite, political class, governors and senators, men and women of power and they are free walking across the streets, ditching out instructions, but they have stolen billions and somebody will serve a year and two years term for N5,000,” he said.

    Also, the Archbishop of Kaduna State,

    Archbishop Mathew Manoso N’dangoso, expressed concern about the indiscriminate tree cutting in Nigeria, that it contributes to the negative climate changes experienced in the country.

    “I think there is no Nigerian living, especially those of us who are over 60 years old. If you compare the situation in our country today, in terms of the environment, while we were young and what is happening today.

    “In my village in those days, in the ’60s and the ’70s, you will stand kilometers away and you will not see the houses, but now, every tree has been caught off everywhere. It is a very, very serious matter.

    “We can see the flood everywhere, the heat, and the unpredictable nature of our climate today. I think it is something that sends dangerous signals. Everybody has something to do about it. We just need to keep our environment clean, ensuring we plant trees because the way trees have been destroyed and cut off is alarming,” he said.

  • Tackling climate change challenge in Lagos

    Tackling climate change challenge in Lagos

    • By Victoria Ifeoma Nwosu

    The gradual deteriorating environmental conditions and their effects on the health and standards of living of the coastal dwellers in the coastal areas of Nigeria are perceptibly caused by varied factors such as global climate change, neglect by government and unwholesome practices by coastal dwellers.

    These require hands of all stakeholders to be on deck to salvage the worsening conditions in the coastal areas of Nigeria including other West African regional coastlines.

    The coastal areas, unlike landlocked countries, are a huge asset for Nigeria in broad terms of material, human and cultural resources which must be well harnessed and managed for the benefit of all.

    The coastal areas, apart from airports and road transport, constitute a major gateway to the outside world and which brings in the highest volume of goods and services to (in form of import) and from (in form of export) the country.

    It is inconceivable to imagine the Nigerian economy without the coastal areas including the ocean and sea ports that have contributed to the entire nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP) over the decades before and after political independence.

    The entire coastal areas including the ocean and the sea ports constitute a micro ecosystem of its own within the macro or larger ecosystem: economically, politically, socially and culturally. For instance, when well cultivated and developed, the coastal areas constitute a huge tourist attraction and the corollary revenue for the nation. This is one of the reasons the federal government cannot afford to ignore or neglect the coastal areas and their largely yet-to-be-tapped resources in its various sectors.

    Apart from serving as the intersection of import and export of goods and services, the coastal areas are also living areas for millions of dwellers who carry out their daily activities both in traditional and modern ways. Trade and commerce are daily preoccupations of the coastal dwellers constituting their main source of living. Fishing, transportation, cultivation of other forms of aquatic farming – – constitute a major segment or sector of economic activities in the coastal areas.

    The coastal dwellers largely live in slum conditions, in squalor with no dreams of a bigger picture of modern living conditions. They lack basic social security amenities such as pipe borne water, electricity, schools, clinics or hospitals and recreational facilities.

    Read Also: Tackling climate change challenge in Lagos

    A Blue Economy is defined by the World Bank (2017) as the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem.

    This definition excludes the coastal areas as part of the ocean system.

    The five key pillars of a Blue Economy, according to the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Bashir Jamoh, are: (1) Sustainability, (2) Promoting Ocean Resources, (3) Preservation of Ecosystem, (4) Economic Growth, and (5) Improved Livelihoods and Jobs.

    What are the main problems or challenges facing the coastal areas in Nigeria?

    There are two major categories of problems facing the coastal areas: (1) Unwholesome activities (often civil and criminal in nature) and practices by coastal dwellers and other foreign persons or agents coming to the coastal areas for one reason or the other, and (2) Neglect or lack of adequate attention by all levels of government, the lack of enforcement of all applicable laws relating to the management of the coastal areas.

    A research and field trip to Ebute Ilaje Community of Bariga Local Government Area of Lagos State revealed a complex web of problems facing the coastal dwellers in this particular community. Some of the dwellers, in hours-long interaction with this writer, revealed that they are faced with multiple problems.

    The first of these problems is the diminishing harvest of their aquaculture (fishing) because of environmental disruptions to the feeding and breeding areas of the fish habitats over the years.

    According to them, this was caused by constant transportation of engine boats (not canoes) which disturb and disrupt the fish habitats and drive them to migrate elsewhere that is safe for them to breed and multiply. The second problem is sand mining.

    According to them, the coastal dwellers also mine sands at artisanal level from the coastal areas to be sold to who-would-be buyers. However, the sand mining has been aggravated by large-scale mining by the construction industries including the government. This two-layered sand mining has not only caused sub-marine disruptions to the fish habitats but has also disrupted the regular pattern of ebb and flow of tide in the coastal waters during wet and dry seasons, ultimately affecting their means of livelihoods.

    The third problem is that housing construction companies through the state government have encroached on their dwelling areas which have been their ancestral homes by evicting them without adequate compensation and without relocating them to better places – to construct their high-rise buildings and cite their industries.

    The coastal dwellers revealed that in their views, government is not particularly interested in their economic, social and cultural well-being, not interested in their sustainable small and medium-scale aquatic farming and other businesses – but in providing enabling environment for its elite clientele.

    The overall effects of all the problems itemized above, among others, are increasing poverty level and diminishing standards of living or quality of life in coastal areas in Lagos State as an empirical case study.

    The implication of the above scenario is the disconnection between mud and blue economy which produces another set of problems especially for the blue economy.

    The coastal areas, including rivers, rivulets, lagoons and the oceans constitute a very critical part of the larger ecosystem that is impacted by global climate change from one degree to another and also by unhealthy environmental practices by coastal dwellers and wrong government policy interventions.

    However, our research findings from the field trips to the coastal areas show clearly that the problems or challenges facing the coastal areas can be surmounted or mitigated if and when all hands are on deck in cooperation and integrated approach. Our research findings also include the fact that the coastal dwellers are not difficult to deal with once the purpose of government interventions are honestly explained and communicated to them and are tailored to benefit them.

    Another fact revealed is that there are lot of misconceptions about the coastal areas that are not scientifically valid. Therefore, there is urgent need to generate new and correct narratives and mainstream the environment of the coastal areas as part of the larger ecosystem.

    The importance of mainstreaming the coastal environment in Nigeria cannot, therefore, be overstated. The foundation for sustainable development of the coastal areas for our overall national economic development must be provided by all stakeholders. A variety of commodities, goods and services are produced or provided by our coastal areas which include clean water, aquaculture, biomass and biodiversity. These vast resources generate wealth, health and livelihoods for the poor in the coastal areas.

    The coastal area, finally, when properly taken care of also help to mitigate the negative impacts of global climate change. The coastal areas are part of our natural resources that must be sustainably protected.

    • Nwosu is African Climate Stories Fellow.

  • Climate Change: WAICA Re urges more agriculture insurance uptake

    The Group Managing Director, WAICA Reinsurance Corporation, Mr. Abiola Ekundayo, has stressed the need  for  an increase in agriculture insurance uptake by players in the agricultural sector value-chain to cover risks that can lead to low farm yield.

    He said this was necessary with climate change negatively affecting farmers’ productivity across the world, especially, in Africa.

    He spoke at the WAICA Re International Agriculture Insurance Seminar held in Harare, Zimbabwe.

    He noted that though Africa has about 17 per cent of the world’s pastures and arable land, the value of premiums for agricultural insurance in Africa represents less than 0.7 per cent of the world’s total.

    This remarkably low figure, he said, is deplorable when one considers that about 60 per cent of the active population in Africa is working in the agricultural sector and that with the advent of climate change, the risks in agricultural activities are becoming even more frequent and severe.

    For smallholder farmers, he said, agriculture insurance offsets risks associated with weather fluctuations, adding that, risk reduction can make it more likely that a farmer will qualify for credit and thus invest in the tools and resources, such as, seed, fertilizer, labour, among others, needed prior to harvest that would potentially increase crop yields.

    Stating that Agric Insurance provides farmers with the peace of mind required to invest savings into businesses, he added that, this also increases their confidence to engage in contracts with buyers and processors.

    On agricultural micro-insurance, he suggested the development of index insurance, an approach he said, pays out benefits on the basis of a predetermined index, such as, rainfall level, livestock mortality rates, and so on, for loss of assets and investments resulting from weather and catastrophic events, without requiring the traditional services of insurance claims assessors to assess individual losses.

    With the development of new technologies for the management of insurance schemes, such as the adoption of mobile payments, he said, costs have the potential to drop even further.

    As the dynamics regulating claim payments are known to both parties at the onset, index insurance also reduces the information asymmetry between clients and insurers on the risks insured, something that continues to be an issue for classic insurance schemes, he pointed out.

  • Tackling natural disaster, climate change

    The Nigerian Conserva-tion Foundation (NCF), the Civil Society Network for the Lake Chad Basin (Northeast Nigeria), and the Humanitarian Forum, United Kingdom with the support of the International Islamic Charity Organisation (IICO) have called on Nigerians to rise and tackle natural disaster and climate change challenges in the nation as an urgent human issue adversely affecting the Northeast region.

    This call was made at the opening  of a two-day workshop held in Abuja with the theme Resilience agenda: Natural disasters and climate change – How are we managing risks and crises differently in Northeast Nigeria?

    Twenty-one Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from the six states in Northeast, representatives of government agencies, UN agencies, international NGOs, security agencies and the media gathered at the workshop to take stock of how climate change is being addressed as a risk factor for disasters. They also examined adaptation measures are being implemented, action-oriented discussion to formulate concrete practical steps to overcome challenges and make a difference to people affected by crisis.

    In his remark, NCF Director-General, Dr. Muhtari Aminu-Kano, stated that ‘climate change and environmental degradation are at the root of the humanitarian crises in the Northeast, such as shrinking of the Lake Chad, drought and desertification, deforestation and land degradation. He noted that the consequences of the crises affect climate change and natural resources in the region. President of the Humanitarian Forum, UK, Dr. Hany El-Banna, said: “For us to achieve substantive success in the fight against natural disaster and climate change, we must embrace progress through partnership.”

    Meanwhile, Civil Society Network for the Lake Chad Basin President, Ambassador Shehu Ahmed charged the Federal Government, international organisations and corporate citizens to help. He said: “Disasters and climate change impact on lives, livelihoods and economic development, people living in poor and developing countries bear the highest risk for disaster, impacts of disasters and climate change set back and undermine development efforts, Climate Change is causing an increase in frequency and intensity of certain weather-related disaster events are some of the reasons we should take action immediately.”

    IICO Country Director, Alhaji Abdulwasea Adesina urged participants not only  to end the discussions at the workshop level but to also chart a path to implement all the proposals from various relevant quarters.

    The outcome of the workshop will be feed into discussions at the World Humanitarian Action Forum (WHAF) 2019. WHAF is a project that aims to enhance partnership and collaboration among humanitarian actors from the global North and South and to share effective humanitarian practices and responses that affect local, national and international NGOs.

  • Climate change: Living in ignorant bliss

    Most Nigerians probably say “what concerns us about climate change?” I can understand this especially when we have many existential problems that are of immediate concern to us while the problem of climate change appears to be something not in the imminent physical horizon. Our problems are legion as the mad man of Gadara said. But this does not excuse our non-participation in saving the only planet where we and others call home. We are also victims of climate abuse and degradation and unfortunately we Africans and poor Asians and Latin Americans are the least technologically prepared to bear the burden and consequences of environmental degradation and climate change. In other parts of the world, individuals are being called upon to reduce their carbon footprints through responsible minimization of individual emissions. One of the constituent colleges of the University of London is presently considering abandonment of beef in order to reduce their individual and collective contribution to greenhouse gas emissions arising from the methane cows belch into the air! Some are taking to vegan lifestyle and eating more grains than animal products. We can join the rest of the world not necessarily through our cuisine and change of diet. We can of course ride bicycles than drive cars for short distances. If we have to use our automobiles we can attach catalytic converters to filter the carbon from our vehicle emissions. When I drive in Nigeria and I see rickety vehicles belching huge smoke into the atmosphere, my heart beats skip some beat wondering why such irresponsible behaviour does not attract sanctions or correction of the apparently ignorant offenders. I hope one of our overpaid and over indulged legislators would bring a comprehensive bill to save our environment and to show the world that as a responsible member of the international community, we want to join in the struggle to reverse environmental degradation and save the planet. The first thing we can do is to have a population policy that says no man should have more than two children. Emphasis and the onus on population reduction and control must be on the man not the women. This will not go down well with the religionists but we must force it down their throats.

    We can do more. We need to stop the slash and burn agricultural practice by which we clear virgin forest whenever we farm. This leads to deforestation and reduction of the very forest that acts as carbon sinks and source of the oxygen we breathe. We need to teach this subject in our schools so that children can be made aware of the global problem. We do not have the time to waste and prevaricate about what to do. Scientists say we only have 11 more years to reverse global warming or else it will be too late. Burning bushes every year and burning refuse contributes to the problem. Instead of burning refuse we should make them into composts since most of our refuse are bio-degradable. The plastics that are not should be collected and recycled. We should use less plastics and try to replace plastic packaging with papers that do not litter our streets and find ways into our oceans and rivers to destroy aquatic ecology and kill and poison fishes on which we are increasingly dependent for our protein intake. Anyone who lives in Lagos like me and those people who live in our urban  areas like Kano and Ibadan  would have noticed the constant smog that tends to hang over our cities particularly during harmattan arising from smoke mixing with dusts and blanketing most our cities. It is not neuro surgery or rocket science to see the linkage between this and the increase in respiratory diseases such as asthma among our children and adults. People are being choked and are not able to breathe because of the unnecessary burning of forests, refuse, tyres and plastics, yes plastics thus poisoning our urban and even village environment!

    Some years ago, the European Union banned the export of tropical wood from countries such as ours. Unfortunately this law has been obeyed in its breach. Trees are still being felled and exported abroad as raw timber or timber products in the mad struggle for foreign exchange. Sometimes trees are felled for firewood for cooking. This is very sad for a country that is the largest burner and emission of natural gas that could have been piped into homes to replace wood and kerosene as sources of energy for cooking. Here we are wasting irreplaceable natural asset while polluting the atmosphere. Yet some of the technologies involved in converting natural gas to power urban transportation and domestic cooking have been around for a long time but because of the availability of petroleum products and hard wood we have taken the least line of resistance in our energy source and use. We need to clean our act. This is not only in our energy use but in the way we live. We are just too dirty the way we manage our wastes. We do not know we can separate our wastes into separate garbage bags, one for biodegradable wastes and the other for recyclable wastes; we simply lump everything together or even in extreme cases throw our wastes including human wastes unto the streets or into the gutters. This eventually contributes to flooding when the unseasonably heavy rains caused by global warming come. It can thus be seen that all our problems are bound together and if we think the problem of the environment does not concern us we shall learn our lessons in a very hard way.

    These enumerated problems are just a few that we can tackle at the local or national level and find beneficial solutions to. If we are unable to find solutions to them on our own, we can link up with international organizations such as the following UN bodies: The Earth System Governance Project (ESGP); Global Environment Facility (GEF); Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); World Nature  Organisation (WNO) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from which  assistance and funds can be sourced for all kinds of amelioration strategies to add our own quota to the struggle for environmental enhancement. Recently, Ethiopia planted one million trees in one day to reverse deforestation in their country. We used to have a program of tree planting particularly in the north of our country. One wonders what has become of it. This is an area in which we can deploy our millions of rural folk to participate in the greening of our country. In this way the rural population will go through a learning curve in environmental education and they would not likely cut trees again. In Germany it is illegal to cut trees. Trees are living things and their lives should not be summarily ended just because one has a saw or a cutlass. If one wants to build a house one can design it to avoid unnecessarily cutting down all the trees in the neighbourhood.

    The same mistake took place a decade or so ago during the military regime in our country when some young misguided military governors decided to cut down the neem trees in our cities. This happened in Kano, Ibadan and Maiduguri. The trees lining the avenues were felled and replaced with street lights many of which were so fragile that they were blown off by the first rain that fell after their installations. How on earth should anyone cut down trees in the desert of Kano and Maiduguri? Even in lush Ibadan this should not have happened.  No attempt has been made in Ibadan to lighten the arid and harsh urban environment by greening the city. Thanks to Raji Fashola, former governor of Lagos who during this civilian regime tried to green the environment of Lagos. Only the knowledgeable people gave kudos to him for his efforts. The hoi polloi Of Lagos were heard to deride him by saying “Na only tree we go chop?” I am sure history will be kind to him on the account of his environmental concern. I hope his effort can be copied by other state governors and even by the federal government. If there is need for urban expansion into the adjoining forest it must be supervised by a resuscitated forest rangers. We used to have them as forest guards in the old Western Region. Imagine if we had them, he criminal herders and other criminals inhabiting our forest would not have had an easy chance. We also need to watch the kind of fertilizers we use in order to prevent poisoning our soil. We must bring back sanitary inspectors and urban health people to radically supervise our uncontrolled public nuisance and wastes disposal. All these measures will not be easy and it will need considerable investment on public education for our people to buy into a program which at the end of the day will be in everybody’s interest and all these will need people to run and as the cliché goes, there are jobs in green policies and there is money to be made.

     

  • Climate change: The fire next time

    In the 1960s, the American black author James Baldwin wrote a book about the future of American race relations and entitled it “The Fire Next Time” which was an attempt to re-echo what God allegedly told Noah that He would not destroy the world by water as he did in Noah’s time but that He will destroy it by fire when man’s cup is full, to put it Biblically. Some people when they think about the possibility of nuclear war always feel that it is the way the old prophecy of destroying the world by fire would be fulfilled. It is of course clear to everybody that in the event of a nuclear war, nothing will be spared. The late President J.F. Kennedy said that in the event of nuclear war, “the living will envy the dead”, meaning those who survive the immediate incineration will die painfully of radioactive fallout. Perhaps man may avoid this if we play our politics right. That is , if the nuclear arms states can somehow manage universal nuclear disarmament. This is provided for by appropriate United Nations protocol. Whether this will happen remains a moot question.

    But there is the possibility of the world burning out through anthropomorphic activities by which human beings have sought to dominate the environment since time immemorial through agriculture and animal husbandry and the modern life styles of man such as industrialization and other appurtenances of modern existence. It is obvious that human activities of production and existence have led to unprecedented and unparalleled emission of greenhouse gasses into the environment causing global warming. Experts have now warned that the world must not only reverse global warming but that it cannot afford an increase of more than 1.5 Celsius in temperature.

    Read Also: Anambra students, others protest global warming

    I remember attending the climate change conference in Copenhagen some years ago and it was then decided that the world must not only reverse greenhouse emissions but should even go back to the level of 1970 or there about. The argument common among those of us from developing countries was that the polluters must pay for all abatement measures that needed to be taken to clean the global environment. Since most of the polluters were countries in the industrialized North of the world namely Europe, America and Japan, they should bear the brunt of the measures needed to be taken to reverse environmental abuse of the world. The developing world reasonably argued that they needed to be developed before joining those concerned with global warming. This meant huge polluters like China and India would continue to use dirty fuels like coal in their industries. Countries in OPEC like Nigeria are always very defensive when the consumption of hydrocarbons like oil and gas are flagged as polluters. This struck at national economies of many countries in Africa, the Middle East, Latin American countries like Mexico and Venezuela and even Russia that depends on its export of gas and oil to Europe. The campaign designed to save the environment has not been easy because there are many complex issues and interests involved, yet this is a task that must be done if man and his environment must survive.

    The vagaries of national and international politics have also not helped the campaign. The work of a UN experts group that toiled for years to establish the scientificity of global warming leading to the Paris protocol on global warming is being undermined by politicians like Donald Trump, the current American president joined by his Australian counterparts who have refused to accept the unarguable facts of global warming. The manifestations of global warming can be seen in the unseasonably high temperatures and other extremes of weather all over the world. This current year is regarded everywhere as the hottest in recorded history. Many people especially the aged, infirm and children have died as a result of extreme heat not only in Europe and America as the world press tend to publicize, but in Asia and Africa as well. Perhaps the most alarming effect of global warming is the regular forest fires in America in particular and now in the Arctic, Alaska, Canada’s northern territories, Norwegian and Swedish northern territories and Russian Siberia and the Arctic. The fires in the arctic circle has been burning since June and because of the inaccessible nature of the areas to mechanical fire fighters, they are being left to burn themselves out thus causing damage in terms of the spewing of carbon dioxide into the environment leading further to global warming. Added to this is the burning of the peat and bog in the Arctic and releasing even greater carbon dioxide into the air. On top of this is the melting of the icecaps thus leading to eventual rise in sea rise and coastal flooding. The reduction of the trees which act as carbon sinks further reduces the ability of the global environment to recover. The huge emissions of carbon is also damaging global oceans whose ability to absorb more carbon has been reduced because there is only a limit to how much carbon the seas which are getting saturated can absorb. The emissions of automobiles and the entire industrial processes had primarily been responsible for greenhouse gasses but the problem has been compounded by our agricultural processes. For example, the rearing of millions of cows all over the world and their emission of green house gasses like the methane they belch into the air has led to calls for a change of diet away from consumption of beef and eating more grains. In this regard, Nigeria must begin to think about what we are going to do to the millions of cows whose methane emissions is adding to global warming. The world may be moving to a point where there might be international protocol about the number of cattle people and countries can hold.

    What is to be done? The automobile industry is at least doing something about automobiles’ emission by planning to replace cars and autos powered by hydrocarbons with those powered by electric batteries and liquefied hydrogen with zero emissions to the environment. Industrial processes are also receiving same attention of moving away from hydrocarbons as sources of fuel. The problem in some countries like China, India and some parts of the USA like West Virginia is that electricity is still being produced from coal instead of from renewables like tide, wind, thermal and at worst nuclear energy sources. Even though Trump and his co -travellers in some countries may not be environment friendly, sub national authorities like California, Colorado and several cities in the USA are taking measures to ensure that they are environment compliant. The same thing is being done in most of Western Europe and Japan where as in the case of Great Britain, the government hopes to have zero emission by 2050. Most of the European Union countries are even targeting earlier years for environment compliance. The rise of Green parties in these countries has put pressure on their governments to do the right thing. In order to make whatever measures being taken in all these countries to be effective, same measures have to be taken globally because the global environment is one. You cannot pollute somewhere and clean in another place and expect positive global results.

    The fight for saving the common global environment has become an imperative recently because of the Arctic circle fires and the gradual denudation of the Amazon forest in Brazil , the Guyanas ( Dutch and French) and the former British Guyana now an independent country. But the global eye is on Brazil where the new president, Jair Bolsonaro, the so-called Trump of Brazil who does not believe in the evidence of global warming, has opened the Amazon forest of Brazil to capitalists who are interested in logging, agricultural and animal husbandry to cut trees in the basin thus removing the forest providing carbon sink for substantial global carbon emissions. Not only that, the Amazon basin is responsible for substantial amount of the oxygen in our air and if the basin were to disappear, the world will be in trouble. The slash and burn agriculture in the Amazon basin and in places like the Congo basin and the tropical forests of Indonesia  as well as our own rain forest are inimical to global environmental wellbeing.

    What then must be done to avoid global calamity. This will require radical changes in the way we live and even what we eat. But to begin with, countries with vast rain forest like Brazil must be assisted to preserve the rain forest for the world and the indigenous people who live there. These countries would have to be compensated through the GEF (Global Environmental Fund) which will have to be substantially increased to take into account what the countries owning the tropical forests would be losing by not allowing whole sale exploitation of their forests. Where the forests have been already cut as in West Africa, efforts at afforestation must be assisted through financial transfers from the OECD counties that were responsible for global warming. All oil exploration in the Arctic would have to stop and what is causing fires to flare up there must be examined and an end must be put to it. The world cannot continue to dilly dally on the issue of climate change caused by global warming.

  • Activists push SA pension funds on climate change

    Shareholder activists Just Share and environmental law organisation ClientEarth have written to more than 50 funds in South Africa about their duty to savers.

    According to Bloomberg, the local industry oversees about R4.2trn in retirement investments, according to the two groups.

    Legal opinion commissioned by the campaigners shows that failing to meet the requirement on climate change “would likely amount to a breach of duty by the board of a pension fund,” they said in a joint statement.

    Oil companies and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund are responding to climate change through steps ranging from planting forests to divesting from fossil fuels. South Africa is dependent on coal for almost all of its power generation and unemployment of about 27 per cent complicates the debate around reducing this reliance, should it lead to closing mines and job losses.

    The ultimate effects of climate change and the cost of transitioning to a low-carbon economy should form part of money managers’ investment strategies, Tracey Davies, executive director for Just Share, said by phone. “The primary reason is the fiduciary responsibility for the funds to invest in the long term.’’

    South Africa’s 2030 energy plan sees coal-generated power dropping to less than 50 pension of the total, as investment increases in renewables such as wind and solar.

    But, South African companies have been highlighting some of the potential costs. Anglo American Platinum, the world’s biggest producer of the metal, said April 9 that a planned carbon tax in the country will add cost pressures for marginal and loss-making operations.

    Reaction from funds that responded to the campaigners’ questions ranged from interest in discussing the issue to asking whether they were being accused of doing something wrong, Davies said. The initial purpose of the letters was to raise awareness. “You’ve got to understand how exposed your portfolio is to climate policy.”

     

  • Climate change tops $0.1m NLNG Prize for Science contest

    Twenty-nine scientists are set to find solution to erosion, droughts and desertification plaguing various parts of the country in this year’s Nigeria Prize for Science sponsored by Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG).

    The science prize first awarded in 2004 is worth $100,000.

    Details of the contest were revealed during the handover of the  entries to the prize’s Advisory Board signifying the beginning of the contest that will culminate in the announcement of a winner.

    Handing over the entries to the Advisory Board chaired by Professor Alfred Akpoveta Susu, in Lagos, NLNG’s Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Andy Odeh said: “The business of scientific innovation and research is not an easy task anywhere in the world. In Nigeria, it is even more difficult because of the paucity of research funds and the resulting increasing lack of interest.’’

    He said NLNG will continue, through the Nigeria Prize for Science to find excellence even if it is to be found “in the darkest corner,” saying the gas giant is committed to changing the narrative of the nation through scientific prowess through which many nations have excelled.

    Odeh pointed out that though Climate Change remains a myth to  many people, its impact could be seen on the environment and agriculture.

    “We have all seen the growing rate of desertification in the northern part of our country,’’ he said.

    He continued: “Climate Change is real and that is why NLNG believes that solution to this threat can be engendered through a competition such as The Nigeria Prize for Science. The prize is another opportunity for NLNG to contribute to the development of the country.

    “The Nigeria Prize is open to all irrespective of nationality. What is common to all past and prospective winners, is the focus on solving Nigeria’s problems through scientific endeavours. It does not matter who finds solutions to the Nigerian problems.

    “All that counts is that it helps to build a better Nigeria, in line with the vision of Nigeria LNG.’’

    The entries, which came in response to a call for entries published in the national dailies in February 2019, would be examined on their merits of excellence in advancing the frontiers of knowledge in or providing innovative solution to the issue of climate change in Nigeria.

    Susu said regardless of how large or small the number of entries is, the judging must hold and assured Nigerians that the Advisory Board will deliver their mandate based on integrity and excellence.

    He urged the judges to understand that “judging the prize goes beyond the prize itself. It is contributing to nation building and we must never compromise on excellence.”

  • A sweet way to take care of the environment

    It is hard to resist the flavor of this Honduran ingredient that sweetens and seduces the most demanding of palates. Panela, or unrefined whole cane sugar, is a traditional ingredient in Honduran gastronomy and one of the main sources of income for dozens of families in the municipality of Cantarranas, south of the Francisco Morazán department.

    Its artisanal production is part of the local heritage, transmitted through generations. It is now in the hands of a group of families who make up an agroforestry cooperative called Chabosuji. They have been making the sweetener without cutting down a single tree, minimizing the release of carbon dioxide and fine particles into the air.

    Chabosuji operates with the support of the Climate Change Adaptation Programme in the Forest Sector (CLIFOR), with funding from the European Union and the German government. The program is run by the Institute of Forest Conservation (ICF) and the German Cooperation (GIZ), and supported by the Mayor of Cantarranas.

    The Cantarranas families make panela in a pilot center called trapiche ecológico (“ecological mill”), located in the micro-basin of La Nevada, in one of the municipality’s 20 villages. They have installed an innovative system that allows them to cook it using bagasse, or dry cane residue, for the fire rather than wood. This prevents deforestation, particularly in the micro-basin area, where the cooperative has also planted mahogany, cedar and pine trees donated by the ICF.

    “The trapiche ecológico initiative shows us how climate, agriculture and forestry can converge. We are extremely happy to see that Chabosuji is creating jobs and producing eco-friendly and sustainable products,” said CLIFOR’s national coordinator, Mario Martínez.

    The process of turning sugarcane into panela begins at harvest season, when the cane reaches maturity. The first step is to extract juice from the sugarcane. The liquid is poured into a container and cooked until all the water evaporates, for a thick honey. As it cools, the honey becomes liquid panela that, once condensed, is poured into a container and mixed to give it consistency and thickness.

    People with a preference for natural, chemical-free foods are the product’s target market. Hondurans consume panela mainly at Easter, Christmas and New Year, using it to make desserts such as pancakes, honey donuts, or fruit in honey.

    The panela production in Cantarranas is already beginning to bear fruit. A local chain of supermarkets selected the Chabosuji cooperative to be one of their suppliers, thanks to CLIFOR’s work, which ranges from organizational to technical assistance.

    By also producing granulated panela, the agroforestry cooperative is targeting a growing clientele that is not only looking for organic products, but also healthy ones. In contrast to refined sugar, or white sugar, panela retains all the nutrients of sugarcane.

    “Due to totally natural processing, this product includes elements such as carbohydrates, vitamins, protein, fat, water, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium and magnesium, so it is healthy and of high nutritional value,” said Carlos Ovidio Mejia, president of Chabosuji.

    Mejía explained that the CLIFOR program, the ICF and the Municipality of Cantarranas “gave us an opportunity and we decided to take advantage of it. And as an agroforestry cooperative we have demonstrated that we can work ecologically and adapt to climate change.”

    The ICF authorities are satisfied with the project. “With the trapiche ecológico, we are significantly reducing the amount of firewood normally used in traditional mills, and helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming,” said Manuel Alvarado, the ICF’s regional manager. The project is also helping to reducing air pollution, which causes cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

    The picturesque municipality, filled with murals painted by dozens of national artists, turned to sugarcane after years as an agricultural and cattle zone, according to the municipal councilman Marco Guzmán. Cantarranas receives more than 10,000 visitors a year, attracted by its scenic beauty, its native gastronomy and its sweet panelas.

    This article is being published as part of Earth Beats, an international and collaborative initiative gathering 18 news media outlets from around the world to focus on solutions to waste and pollution.

     

  • Climate change: Shell plans $300m investment to tackle Co2 emissions

    Oil giant, Royal Dutch Shell, has said it is investing $300 million over the next three years in natural ecosystems as part of its strategy to act on global climate change including addressing carbon dioxide (Co2) emissions generated by customers when using its products.

    The programme will contribute to Shell’s three-year target beginning in 2019, to reduce its Net Carbon Footprint by two per cent to three per cent, the company said.

    According to the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell, Ben van Beurden,”There is no single solution to tackling climate change. A transformation of the global energy system is needed, from electricity generation to industry and transport.

    “Shell will play its part. Our focus on natural ecosystems is one step we are taking today to support the transition towards a low-carbon future. This comes in addition to our existing efforts, from reducing the carbon intensity of oil and gas operations to investments in renewable sources of energy.”

    The Chief Executive Officer of The Nature Conservancy, Mark Tercek, said: “Last year’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was a wake-up call on climate: reducing emissions starts with fossil fuels. Shell’s announcement signals that one of the world’s biggest energy companies is pursuing a decarbonisation strategy with a broad set of solutions, including by investing in nature. By doing so, it is helping to curb global deforestation, restore vital ecosystems, and help communities develop sustainably. Shell is the first in the industry to set near-term targets for the emissions of both its operations and its products; this is clear progress, but it also illustrates how much work remains to achieve Paris climate targets. We look forward to seeing further investment from Shell in these areas.”

    On the road, Shell is making a wider range of transport solutions available to customers. The company is stepping up its investments in lower-carbon options, from battery electric vehicle charging to liquefied natural gas and hydrogen. For example, in Europe, customers can now access 100,000 electric vehicle charge points through New Motion, a Shell company. Shell announced that it is also investing in 200 new rapid electric vehicle charge-points, powered by renewable energy, on its forecourts in the Netherlands, on top of 500 ultra-fast chargers being installed on Shell forecourts across Europe, in partnership with IONITY.

    For customers who drive internal combustion engine vehicles, Shell is making it simpler for them to reduce their carbon footprint through low-carbon biofuels and carbon neutral driving.

    From April 17, customers who file up at a Shell service station in the Netherlands will be able to drive carbon neutral through the use of nature-based carbon credits. This will be done at no extra cost for customers who choose Shell V-Power petrol or diesel, while those who fill up with regular Shell petrol or diesel can participate for an additional 1 cent a litre.

    Shell will roll out similar choices to customers in other countries, starting with the UK later this year. This complements Shell’s existing programme to help business customers avoid or reduce emissions, including supplying lower emission fuels and electric vehicle charging. Shell also offers businesses the opportunity to drive carbon neutral by compensating the CO2 emitted from driving their fleet.

    CO2 emissions generated by participating motorists – as well as from the extraction, refining and distribution of the fuel – will be offset by carbon credits. As one of the most established traders of carbon credits in the world, Shell buys these credits from a global portfolio of nature-based projects, including Cordillera Azul National Park Project in Peru, Katingan Peatland Restoration and Conservation Project in Indonesia and GreenTrees Reforestation Project in the USA. Each carbon credit is subject to a third-party verification process and represents the avoidance or removal of 1 tonne of carbon dioxide.