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Tag: Climate

  • Paying for our climate In Nigeria

    Paying for our climate In Nigeria

    The Earth has a natural way of balancing its climate. The various components of the atmosphere have their function in ensuring this planet is not only habitable for living things but also conducive for their productivity.

    Over time, man has abused this great privilege by altering nature’s ability to maintain the climate due to his display of sophistication (industrialization) resulting to over-exploitation of natural resources. As this continues, the need has arisen for mitigation in order to restore the earth to its near original state of clemency, but this will not be without a cost or a price to pay.

    Paying for our climate can be described as financing our climate or climate finance which refers to the funding of activities and projects which aim to achieve progress against climate objectives (mitigation and Adaptation).

    Climate finance can come from a wide range of both private and public sources and can flow domestically or internationally. Developed countries have made concrete agreements to provide financial resources to assist developing countries in meeting climate objectives, recognizing that some countries have contributed to the causes of climate change more than others and that countries have different capacities to financially contribute towards climate objectives.

    Nigeria has always relied heavily on international climate financing and this has been very crucial to her significant progress towards achieving climate objectives, as this often requires large-scale infrastructure and the engagement of large portions of population, both of which can require high levels of investment. As at 2015, Nigeria has leveraged $63 million of multilateral funds for climate change projects.

    This is broadly equal to that of Rwanda, whose population is roughly 7 per cent of Nigeria’s, and is just over a tenth of the funding approved for South Africa. This figure is less than one might expect for Nigeria considering Nigeria’s level of GHG emissions, its vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and the amount of funding provided to developing countries as a whole.

    Additional factors, such as the withdrawal of the U.S. contribution to the Green Climate Fund, further curb the implementation of Nigeria’s and other CVF-members’ climate action strategies, leaving them vulnerable to the extreme effects of climate change.

    Hence Nigeria need to seek an alternative to financing its climate, all the tiers of government needs to meet, discuss and strategize ways to secure funds domestically from both private and public sources combined with funds provided by the government. Another strategy to secure climate funds locally is to create an awareness to public on the shortage of climate funds from the international climate finance and its implication on the nation, hence sensitizing the public (illiterate and literate) in various local languages about the consequences of their actions on the climate will go a long way in keeping the Sub-Saharan Africa alive.

    There is the need to effectively quantify the ecological footprints of individuals or organizations in terms of monetary cost and such should be compelled to pay. Also, efforts that contribute to mitigation of climate change should be rewarded as well. The government needs to be transparent on how the donated climate funds are spent with general public fully informed.

    This will help Nigeria not to totally depend on international financing but see it as a support to achieving the climate objective. This will be a great contribution to the international financing in combating the threat to our environment due to climate change.

     

  • U.S notifies UN of withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord

    U.S notifies UN of withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord

    The United States has submitted to the United Nations a formal notice  of withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement.

    The notification was made Friday, with the UN  Secretary-General António Guterres  appealing  to the U.S. to reconsider its action, in the interest of humanity.

    President Donald Trump had announced on June 1, 2017 that the U.S. would leave the agreement.

    The Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Mr Stéphane Dujarric, confirmed that Guterres received, “in his capacity as Depositary of the Paris Agreement, a communication from the Permanent Representative of the United States of America”.

    The Secretary General, however, welcomed  any effort to re-engage in the Paris Agreement by the United States.

    Dujarric said the communication expressed “the intention of the United States to exercise its right to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, as soon as it is eligible to do so under the Agreement, unless it identifies suitable terms for re-engagement”.

    Guterres stressed his statement on June 1, 2017 that the decision by the United States to withdraw from the Paris Agreement is a major disappointment for global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote global security.

    “It is crucial that the United States remains a leader on climate and sustainable development. Climate change is impacting now.

    “He looks forward to engaging with the American government and all other actors in the United States and around the world to build the sustainable future for our children and future generations,” Guterres said.

    Under article 28 of the Paris Agreement, a Party may withdraw at any time after three years from the date on which the Agreement has entered into force for that Party, and such withdrawal takes effect upon expiry of one year from the date of receipt by the Depositary of the notification of withdrawal.

    The United States accepted the Paris Agreement on Sept. 3, 2016 and the Agreement entered into force for the United States on Nov. 4, 2016.

    The Secretary-General would circulate the text of this communication as a depositary notification, in English and French, early next week.

    The U.S. Department of State, in a statement, confirmed “the United States submitted a communication to the United Nations, in its capacity as depositary for the Paris Agreement, regarding the U.S. intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement as soon as it is eligible to do so, consistent with the terms of the Agreement”.

    “As the President indicated in his June 1 announcement and subsequently, he is open to re-engaging in the Paris Agreement if the United States can identify terms that are more favorable to it, its businesses, its workers, its people, and its taxpayers.

    “The United States supports a balanced approach to climate policy that lowers emissions while promoting economic growth and ensuring energy security.

    “We will continue to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions through innovation and technology breakthroughs, and work with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently and deploy renewable and other clean energy sources, given the importance of energy access and security in many nationally determined contributions.

    “The United States will continue to participate in international climate change negotiations and meetings, including the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP-23) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, to protect U.S. interests and ensure all future policy options remain open to the administration.

    “Such participation will include ongoing negotiations related to guidance for implementing the Paris Agreement,” the department said.

  • Nigeria moves for climate change funding

    Unable to still access the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Nigeria has commenced moves to get the cash to battle the effects of climate change.

    The GCF is part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to assist developing countries to counter climate change.

    The Department of Climate Change (DCC) in the Federal Ministry of Environment, is the nation’s Designated National Authority (DNA) to the GCF, and is saddled with driving funding proposals to the GCF to source concessionary funds for implementing sustainable climate adaptation and mitigation projects in the country.

    Intended to be the centrepiece of efforts to raise Climate Finance of $100 billion yearly by 2020, the GCF is supporting projects, programmes, policies and related activities using thematic funding windows.

    With the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the DCC last week held a Stakeholders Forum in Abuja to iron out some notty areas.

    As part of the preparation for the future funding allocation, the DCC, it was gathered, has adopted an all-inclusive process for project identification across the length and breadth of the country to ensure optimal projects which fall into one or more of the three chosen sectors identified and targeted for funding.

    Managing Director of Messrs Kazona Maycroft, the consultants to the project, Mr. Olu Ajayi, wondered why Nigeria, despite being a leading economy on the continent and also one of the most vulnerable nations, has been unable to access the fund.

    Stakeholders said conditions to access the funding is very strigent. This is why the Prof Mobolaji Aluko and Bolade Soremekun, consultants on the project, want the nation’s priorities to be well identified and articulated.

    “We should look at our country’s vulnerable areas, and develop projects related to our vulnerability, with our national circumstances taken into consideration,” they stated.

    However, an erstwhile director of the DCC, Dr Samuel Adejuwon, cautioned that there should be a careful consideration of what has been done before in this regard, in relation to what is to be done.

    “Let us make it somewhat open-ended, such that other consultants can come in to implement, or take to a different level,” he said.

    The Forum comprised stakeholders from various interest groups who explored topics such as coastal resilience, renewable energy and energy efficiency, environmental, social and gender issues, legal and regulatory issues, as well as financial issues/barriers.

    The Africa Finance Corporation and African Development Bank are accredited entities to the GCF.

     

  • Climate change: Nigeria prepares TNC

    Preparing the Third National Communication (TNC) report presents enormous opportunity for the collection of relevant climate data that would help Nigeria to better plan its economy and also respond to global challenges of climate change and commitments.”

    This was the submission of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Shehu Ahmed, at the inception of a workshop for the preparation of the country’s TNC to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), recently concluded in Keffi, Nasarawa State.

    The TNC, according to Sheu, should present an opportunity to transform the process from merely reporting to development of a strategic and policy support tool.

    A national communication is a report submitted every four years by each party to the UNFCCC. It provides information on emissions and removals of greenhouse gases (GHGs), information about the status of climate change in the country, and details of the activities a Party (country) has undertaken to implement the Convention. Nigeria prepared and submitted its first and second National Communications to the UNFCCC Secretariat in November 2003 and June 2014 respectively.

    The Director, Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Peter Tarfa, noted that the purpose of preparing National Communications is to ascertain the level of GHG composition in the atmosphere, as well as the vulnerability, adaptation and abatement analysis of impacts of climate change. It also serves as a basis for reference on future auditing of GHG inventory in the country.

    “As we are now gearing up for the preparation of the 3rd National Communication, we need data,  especially primary and spatial data to understand the processes at play and build projections we can trust. These are essential for sustainable development planning and strengthening resilience in our communities. Also, we need to fill the knowledge gap observed in the Biennial Update Reports (BUR) and the previous National Communications,” he said.

    The Country Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mandisa Mashologu, submitted that the TNC takes on a whole new significant meaning. According to her, the TNC is coming on the heels of the country’s active participation in the negotiations, ongoing development of a Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and ratification of Paris Agreement by the President, with which Nigeria has clearly demonstrated political will and commitment to tackling climate change.

    “This is why a national institutional framework approach, which will ensure full participation of relevant MDAS in the identification of potential for options for GHG emissions reduction across all sectors, sourcing of the necessary data is being promoted to improve the quality and consistency of the data and ensure reliability,” Mashologu said.

    According to her, the UNDP, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment, has over the years invested in the preparation, collection and validation of data on GHG emissions which resulted in the successful preparation and submission of Nigeria’s First and Second National Communications to UNFCCC.

    “The Third National Communications (TNC) will therefore, be building on the strong national capacities developed with the support of UNDP and lessons learnt over the years,” she emphasised.

    Ahmed further reiterated the nation’s commitment to implementing the overall mandate of the climate change convention and its protocol, assuring that the country will continue to work towards the provision of adequate budgetary allocation for climate change activities. The present administration, he disclosed, acknowledges that inaction is even far more expensive as it will hinder the actualisation the Sustainable Development Goals.

    In September 2016, Nigeria signed the Paris Agreement, thereby committing the country to pursue efforts towards its implementation.  Also, it submitted a somewhat ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), now NDC, of a conditional commitment of 45 per cent, and an unconditional commitment to further reduce GHG emissions by 20 per cent by 2030.

  • Facing climate change

    •The recent Meningitis outbreak highlights why governments and citizens should be sensitive to climate and environment

    Climate change is an observable and undeniable fact. The evidence is plain, from the rapid melting of the polar ice cap, rising sea levels, shrinking lakes, expanding deserts, unpredictable weather patterns, to record-breaking summer temperatures, all of them posing subtle and not-so-subtle challenges to human habitation, as well as animal and plant life on the planet.

    In the past three months, meningitis, a heat-related disease that has become a yearly scourge in the Sahel, has killed more than 200 persons and sickened some 1, 500 others in Nigeria alone. Across the region, the casualties run into multiples of these figures. If climate change continues along the present path, it can only bring with it more dire consequences.

    According to new research published online March 27, 2017 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, deaths related to extreme heat are likely to keep rising even if most nations adhere to the international protocol on global warming. But such adherence seems unlikely, considering that the Donald Trump Administration has issued Executive Orders designed to eviscerate the Paris Agreement that his predecessor, President Barak Obama, had played a leading part in fashioning.

    Other countries may well follow the American example, especially if right-wing parties prevail in forthcoming elections in France and Germany. In whatever case, compliance is voluntary, and there are no sanctions for non-compliance. So, the agreement will be only as effective as the 120 nations which endorsed it permit.

    That would be unfortunate because, as reported in the research cited, more and more land surface areas are likely to be exposed to heat stress, and areas already experiencing heat stress would have more frequent and longer heat waves.

    The investigators, using climate models, examined the impact of global warming on human heat stress and looked at how global temperature change could affect heat stress projections in the world’s largest cities, which are particularly at risk. They concluded that, by 2050, more than 44 of the world’s most populated cities could face annual conditions similar to the heat waves that killed thousands in India and Pakistan in 2015. Previously, only 22 of the world’s largest cities faced that prospect.

    It is a sobering thought that, as a megacity, Lagos could face such a risk, and likewise Kano. The dangers are not as remote as they seem. Even if they were, the present generation has a duty to bequeath to the next a healthier, cleaner environment. And the time to begin taking practical steps is now.

    What is to be done?

    Exploring alternative, non-fossil fuels, especially solar power, which we have in great, inexhaustible abundance, would be a good start. Investment in mass transit systems that can move a large number of passengers rapidly and safely from point to point with the minimum of disruption to everyday life can no longer be delayed.

    The modernisation and expansion of the railways will have to be pursued vigorously, as well as the development of water transportation.

    It has been found that infrastructure upgrade cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions and drives economic growth. The ongoing country-wide infrastructure rehabilitation should be sustained.

    It might seem ironic to call for more efficient use of power when the power supply is at best epileptic. Yet, amidst the scarcity, there is a great deal of waste. Electrical appliance should be switched off when not in use. The regulatory authorities should insist on more efficient engines and appliances.

    Afforestation should be much more than ritual tree-planting to curb desert encroachment.  Reforestation rarely figures in public policy. This neglect cannot continue.

    Finally, family planning should be encouraged and even rewarded, to reduce population pressures on resources.

    These steps should be encapsulated in a sustained programme of mass education and public enlightenment conducted through traditional and social media.

  • ‘N8b isn’t enough to fight climate change’

    A member of the House of Representatives representing Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency, Chief Sam Onuigbo has said that the N8 billion voted to fight for climate change is not enough to the job.

    The sum was included in the 2017 budget which is before the National Assembly meant to contain the ravages of global warming in the country.

    Speaking with newsmen in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, Onuigbo said that the proposed sum will not be enough.

    Onuigbo, who also chairs the House Committee on Climate Change, said that Nigeria is particularly vulnerable due to such hostile developments as pollution, flood, coastal and gully erosions, desertification, drought, drying up of Lake Chad.

    He said that the challenges also include clashes between farmers and herdsmen, noting that they have combined to create food scarcity, poor access to energy, unemployment, poverty, insurgency and general insecurity in the land.

    The federal lawmaker said, “When these disasters caused by climate change occur, we have seen a pattern that sources of livelihoods are destroyed and women and children are usually disproportionately affected”.

    Onuigbo recognises, however, that the N8 billion is little compared to the $8 billion being put forward by Morocco and about $50 billion by Saudi Arabia, it represents a significant growth.

    He said that this reflects President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to addressing Climate Change issues, and ensuring that Nigeria adheres to her Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

    Onuigbo said, “One cannot over emphasis how impactful Climate Change has been on our society, and the need to take it seriously, more attention will be paid to Climate Change, as it has the power to affect other key areas of our lives”.

    He called on the executive and the legislature to synergise their efforts in a deliberate and coordinated way in taking actions aimed at protecting our environment and empowering the people.

    Onuigbo maintained that empowering the people will clear the path towards accelerating industrialisation in a way that supports a rapid and resilient economic growth, adding that there is need to work to achieve sustainable development in all facets of our economy.

    He noted that the numerous interactive sessions that his committee had held with the cross-cutting MDAs were primarily aimed at closing the obvious knowledge gap through creating awareness so as to earn public acceptance and behavioral change.

    Onuigbo then urged Federal Government to carry out public awareness campaigns on the effects of climate change so as to enable Nigerians especially the farmers to adapt to climate change in order to mitigate its effects, and also to adjust their farming programmes periodically in that regards.

  • N8b budget for climate change

    The Clerk of the House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change, Wali Baba Shehu, has revealed that the National Assembly made provision of N8 billion in the 2017 Appropriation Bill for the country to tackle issues on climate change.

    Sheu disclosed this at the Climate Change Knowledge Immersion workshop series, which held in Abuja last week. It was organised by the Federal Ministry of the Environment’s Department for Climate Change and the World Bank for members of the National Assembly.

    “The sum of N8 billion has been dedicated as a new budget line for issues on climate change in the 2017 budget, which will cut across all the MDAs that directly engage in issues of climate change. This is a committed action taken by the legislative arm of government to support Nigeria’s action towards achieving its set goals of reducing carbon emissions by 25 per cent by the year 2030,” Shehu said.

    It was gathered that this is the first time the National Assembly will be dedicating a lump sum to issues of climate change in the budget across the diverse sections of MDAs that work on climate change issues.

    The Director, Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, Dr Peter Tarfa, expressed delight and commended the lawmakers for coming up with the budgetary plans to assist in implementing the country’s plans of action on climate change.

    “This will immensely enhance the capacity of Nigeria to draw from the diverse climate change funds or green funds that are available in the international community, but required a stringent counterpart commitment. It will also enable the much desired collaboration amongst all the MDAs as against working in silos thereby limiting our ability to work collectively,” Tarfa said.

     

    A Director with the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr John Epkeyong, however enjoined the lawmakers to tie the appropriation to set targets.

    “I want to appeal to the National Assembly to make sure that whichever department or agency that will be receiving funds from this budget must ensure that their expenditure is based a set target of achieving carbon emissions in any way,” he said.

  • Nigeria and climate challenges

    Boko Haram, desertification and drought have combined to adversely decimate Nigeria’s North-east region.  Agricultural output has shrunken, falling below 25 percent of the regional capacity. Lake Chad is so desiccated that it can hardly support the eco-system around it. These latter challenges unlike Boko Haram are climate-related.  Addressing them requires a national buy-in, proactive policy options and international support.  Thus, the just concluded 22nd Session of the Conference of Parties (COP22) to the Kyoto Protocol in Marrakech, Morocco, was propitious.  The speed with which many nations acceded to the Paris Agreement proved that climate change concerns were real. COP22 provided an opportunity to develop an acceptable framework for implementing the Paris Agreement.

    Before COP22, discussions centered mainly on funding that would enable developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change. Contextually, the two weeks of negotiations in Marrakech was hardly fortuitous. One notable achievement of COP22 was the progress made on setting the timeliness and benchmarks for drafting a rules book for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The rules will guide the actions of parties to the Paris Agreement, with 2018 set as the target date.  Yet unchanged is the fact that since COP19 in Copenhagen, climate finance has remained contentious. The $100 billion Green Climate Fund (GCF) established in 2009 has received only $10 billion in contributions.  The fund targeted to last until 2020, is grossly underfunded and underestimated as experts forecast that climate change funding will run into trillion dollars for the Paris Agreement’s aims to be achieved. Developing countries confront a confounding paradox; the yet unrealized $100 billion will not suffice for addressing the ambitious Paris Agreement; yet the adaptation fund and streamlining the process from which developing nations can benefit, remains a challenge.

    The continued refusal of some developed countries to accept responsibility for their contributions to the climate crises is stalling progress on the Green Climate Fund. Global North countries are non-committal, preferring to contribute symbolic, if not derisory sums. Explicably, developed countries -the heavy polluters- confront the ire of developing countries -the lesser polluters- that consider verbalized commitments as platitudinous. The latter insist that the $100 billion Green Climate Fund is grossly insufficient for fulfilling global adaptation needs; thus compelling a few developed countries to point to the lack of enough bankable projects from the developing countries.  Core funding issues aside, the challenge of benchmarking requisite deadlines for most of the Paris Agreement targets subsists. Invariably, most countries worry that absence of delivery deadlines for most of the agreement targets; will translate to laxity, if not non-compliance.

    COP22 ended with nations hopeful of the delivery of the Paris Agreement. For the Global South nations, the present juncture is propitious for drawing on the now operational $3.1 billion South-South Cooperation Climate Fund launched by China in 2015 in Paris. China, remains constructively engaged, and underlined its commitment by hosting a South-South Cooperation Forum on margins of the COP22.  Possible concerns about accessing the GCF were removed with Liberia and Nepal receiving $2.2 million and $2.9 million dollars respectively from the fund.  Twenty other countries are in line to have their proposals approved with each getting up to $3 million.  For its part, the GCF will approve projects worth some $2.5 billion soon.

    Donald Trump’s rhetoric on climate change, prior to becoming the President-elect of the U.S. still elicits concerns. Fiji delegation’s emotional remarks at the closing plenary of COP22 encapsulated prevailing and shared fears of most countries over the fate of the Paris Agreement during the Trump presidency.  Such concerns were doused slightly by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who reassured the global community that the U.S. will not pull out of the Paris Agreement, and that Trump as President, will find it difficult to do so. Thankfully, Trump has admitted possible connectivity between human actions and climate change.

    Impact of climate on Nigeria is still being grossly underreported and underestimated; with Nigeria’s overall climate change response still marginal. Yet Nigeria had a fair outing at Marrakech. Minister for Environment, Mrs Amina Mohammed, brought along at least three members of the National Assembly and two colleagues, Minister of Mines and Power, Babatunde Fashola and Minister of Agriculture Chief Audu Ogbeh. Such composition of the country’s delegation and collaborative approach adds to policy synergy and complementarity. It guarantees that Nigerian policymakers will not just understand the issues, but augurs well for fast-tracking the domestication of agreed climate change policies in Nigeria. As the power and agricultural sectors are hugely affected by climate change, Nigeria’s multidisciplinary approach is commendable.

    Whereas Nigeria hosted two side events in Marrakech and the Akwa-Ibom State government hosted another, there were some inexplicable missed opportunities. Nigeria should have led the African intervention, but for most part of the closing plenary, Nigeria’s four seats were vacant, leaving Mali to spearhead African intervention. Given her needs, Nigeria should have proactively sought international support for the funds for recharging of Lake Chad – estimated at $16 billion. That didn’t happen.  Nigeria appeared not too keen on taking advantage of the South-South Cooperation on Climate Change, especially via funds made available by China. Finally, Nigeria missed out of being part of the V40 Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), a group of 40 countries considered to be most vulnerable to climate change.  That grouping, which at the close of COP21 in Paris, had just 20 countries have expanded to a 40-nation group, without Nigeria.

    Nigeria not to pursue remedial measures at its disposal in tackling climate change will amount to gross oversight.  There is need to adopt climate smart policies and engage much more assertively within the framework of the South-South Cooperation Forum.  Such approach should be a signature modality of the Buhari government, if it desires to attract international support for its work on climate change.  Nigeria’s power generation policy must shift towards promoting investments in renewable energy and reducing use of fossil energy. The federal government must continue to incentivize key players in this sector and spearhead investments in alternative energy.  Finally, Nigeria should organize a post-COP national conference on modalities and structures for domesticating international agreements immediately and communicate same to the 36 states to ensure broad compliance. Work should also start immediately to ensure that Nigeria is able to access the GCF within the next one year as she stands to receive close to $3 million. Nigeria must shift from her business-as-usual approach and show the urgency required in climate actions.

     

    • Obaze is MD/CEO, Selonnes Consult Ltd.; Udeh is a Research Associate at Selonnes Consult Ltd.
  • Roadmap on gender equality climate change coming

    Roadmap on gender equality climate change coming

    A roadmap to ensure that Nigeria addresses gender equality in climate change initiatives is  underway.

    The Minister for the Environment, Hajia Amina Mohammed, made this known at a two-day National Consultative Workshop by the Federal Ministry of Environment’s Department of Climate Change in collaboration with Women Environment Programme (WEP) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Office, Abuja.

    This is in line with the more than 50 decisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which  recognise and supports the integration of gender considerations.

    To this end, the country is to implement the Paris Accord and Nigeria’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), as the federal authorities have begun moves for the creation of a National Gender Roadmap on climate change, which will mainstream gender concerns into national policies, plans and programmes at all levels.

    The decision also includes programmes and reporting mechanisms designed to support and promote countries’ mitigation efforts like the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)- which offers developed countries an opportunity to earn credit by implementing emissions reduction projects in developing nations.

    The workshop is aimed at showcasing how gender dimension will support the implementation of the Paris Agreement, so as to build resilient and more sustainable societies.

    Besides, it is also expected to define a post COP21 agenda for the implementation of the Paris Agreement that will be supported by the creation of a Gender National Roadmap on climate change.

    Mohammed said the workshop would enable the ministry develop innovative ways of allowing gender take front stage in addressing climate change problems in the short, medium and long term.

    “We must also develop and implement specific plans to fill the gaps in adaptation, capacity building, education, access to safe, affordable, available and sustainable technologies, and decision making schemes for rural women,” Mohammed said.

    Women, she noted, are not only vulnerable to climate change, but are effective actors or agents of change in relation to both mitigation and adaptation.

    Said she: “Women’s responsibilities in households and communities, as stewards of natural and household resources, positions them well to contribute to livelihood strategies adapted to changing environmental realities.”

    UNDP Resident Representative, Opia Kumah noted that climate change will continue to expand the gap between men and women in most vulnerable communities due to the various roles and responsibilities they play in their communities.

    The UNDP representative said there was a need to identify gender -sensitive strategies that ensure that no one was left behind in the work towards implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and an African solution to a collective global challenges.

    Kumah said the consultative process would create an opportunity for a better understanding of the link between gender and climate change, and more importantly, Nigeria’s commitment for implementation of the INDC to focus on community based organisations and groups that implement and take action with a gender sensitive lens.

    “We have to work in a real spirit of partnership where stakeholders concerned – local women, communities, NGOs and private sector, collaborate and develop equitable climate change adaptation strategies and responses to ensure sustainable development for Nigeria,” he said.

    The acting Director, Department of Climate Change, Dr. Yerima Tarfa said that the programme aims to bring together key stakeholders from MDA’s, CSO’s, NGO’s and gender experts to develop ways to increase gender participation in climate negotiations and other related issues.

  • Akwa Ibom holds summit on climate change

    Akwa Ibom holds summit on climate change

    The Akwa Ibom State Government is set to hold a mega summit on climate change and clean energy. The proposed meeting will take place in the state capital, Uyo, from July 26 to 28.

    During a media chat in Lagos, the State Government announced that the summit, with the theme, ‘Charting a roadmap for sustainable environment and creation of green jobs,’ aimed at seeking solutions to myriads of challenges of climate change and sustainable environment facing the oil-rich state.

    Commissioner for environment, Dr. Iniobong Essien, said the geographical position of the state as well as human factor had opened up the state to various forms of environmental hazards that needed urgent attention to stem the ugly tide.

    Dr. Iniobong, who was represented by Samuel Bassey, a special representative of the Governor’s Office, added that many coastal and riverine communities in the state were reeling under the effects of excessive flooding and other devastating effects of climate change, forcing them to relocate.

    “The state is seriously facing various forms of environmental degradation, basically due to our geographical location and other natural and human-induced factors,” he said.

    Determined to stem the dangerous ride, the state government, in partnership with African Clean Energy Summit (ACES) and the Centre for Resaerch, Innovation and Discovery (CRID), Covenant University, Ogun State, has assembled a team of experts, intellectuals and stakeholders to proffer solutions to all salient issues. Among experts who spoke on the desirability of the summit were Professor Samuel Wara, director of CRID, and Dr Victor Fodeke, director general of ACES.