The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Global warming

  • ADVERSE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING ON HEALTH, HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

    ADVERSE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING ON HEALTH, HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

    By Moji Alaiya

    Global warming occurred due to increased concentration of chemical substances known as greenhouses (GHG) in the atmosphere. The major gases attributed with global warming are the oxides of carbon (CO2 and CO). Greenhouse gases occur naturally and they help to maintain earth’s temperature at a level suitable to support life. However, human activities increased the concentration of GHG above natural level leading to global warming and climate change.

    EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

    Agriculture and Water Scarcity

    In Nigeria, evidence of global warming and climate change can be attested to by the late onset of rainfall in recent years. In addition, there is reduced precipitation in some parts of the country while some other parts have high torrential rainfall which affects agricultural yields. According to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), atmospheric temperature has increased by 1.40C -1.90C while annual rainfall and length of rainy season has decreased.

    Reduced precipitation and long periods of droughts has adversely impacted food production and food security worldwide. There is widespread agricultural loss leading to food shortage. Under developed and developing nations are the most affected. According to Greenpeace, an environmental NGO, 1.8m children in Somalia are facing acute malnutrition following four consecutive failed rainy seasons. Many households in Nigeria are malnourished because of food shortage making them susceptible to diseases.

    Long periods of drought result in water scarcity which not only affects farming but increases the susceptibility of people living in poor countries to sanitation and hygiene related health issues and diseases.

    Effects on Human Health

    Apart from malnutrition, the health outcomes of global warming include heat-related health issues such as heat stroke, heat syncope, heat cramps, cerebrospinal meningitis, heat-related respiratory diseases, dehydration and so on.

    While we are all somewhat affected by extreme heat, older adults are more vulnerable due to reduced ability to regulate body temperature in old age. This is made worse by chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

    According to National Institute on Aging, an organization based in USA, heat related deaths among people aged 65 and above have doubled in the past two decades. The New York Times reported that people age 65 and above accounted for 90% of heat related deaths in the heat wave that suffocated Europe in the summer of 2022.

    Effect on Commerce and Livelihood

    The means of livelihood of farmers, fishermen, transporters etc have been greatly affected by global warming and climate change. Fishing which is the main source of livelihood for riverside and coastal communities have been impacted negatively throwing many of these people into economic hardship. Floods have degraded road networks making many roads and highways unmotorable. This adversely impacts transportation of raw materials for manufacturing industries, transportation of agricultural produce and other goods.

    Flood Vulnerability

    Climate change due to global warming is reported to be one of the causes of floods and it has been postulated that the rise in global temperatures will continue to result in severe floods in several regions of the world. Increasing atmospheric temperature results in melting of glaciers and polar icebergs. This consequently leads to rise in sea level causing the waters to engulf low level areas resulting in flooding.

    The United Nations stated that the number of people at risk of flood hazard has been growing each year and majority of these people are in developing countries. According to Drogue et al., 2004, the frequency of flood is rising every year resulting in loss of human lives, damage to property and infrastructure as well as destruction of the natural environment. The World Health Organization (WHO) also reported that it has been recording various events of flood disasters in various regions of the world.

    Wildfires

    Drying out of vegetation due to extreme temperatures and heat coupled with drought causes wildfires. According to the Centre for Climate Change and Solution, global warming creates drier conditions which make vegetation more flammable. USEPA stated that climate change has led to an increase in wildfire season length and wildfire frequency. Wildfires destroy properties, means of livelihood, human health and cause destruction of biodiversity.

    Damage to Infrastructures

    Climate change has caused an increase in displacement of people from their homes due to floods, wildfires and other effects of global warming. Damage to educational facilities has disrupted school attendance and learning.

    In the month of March 2025, rainstorm destroyed some buildings and facilities at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and Redeemers University, Ede, Nigeria. This disrupted educational activities at the Universities.

    Heavy storms and floods due to rising sea level cause destruction to electrical installations and infrastructures. This affects electricity generation which is a major source of energy. This affects the economy in addition to human health, livelihood and the environment.

    The adverse impact of global is inexhaustible. More adverse effects are unfolding every day globally. The onus is on the governments of the world to seek sustainable means of curbing this global threat to human existence.

  • Global warming, climate change and how it all began

    Global warming, climate change and how it all began

    By Moji Alaiya

    There have been changes in expected climatic or weather conditions all over the world in recent years due to global warming and this has had great impact on human health, other animals and the environment. The entire world is experiencing an upsurge in atmospheric temperature and of course its impact. Everyone is talking about climate change but it did not just occur suddenly. Human activities created this monster and now the entire world is grasping under the weight of the impacts this phenomenon has brought.
    Mankind has always been a problem to its own existence through its activities. The human (anthropological) activities that reportedly brought about global warming and consequently its twin climate change include use of fossil fuel, deforestation, bush burning etc.
    For years, it has been postulated that human activities have the ability to change the climatic conditions of a region. The link with human and environmental health was however not well defined.

    Global Warming: How It Started

    Swedish scientist, Svante Arrhenius was the first person to give quantitative prediction of global warming as a result of increasing atmospheric carbon-dioxide in 1896.
    Eunice Foote has earlier in 1856 theorized about the idea that the warming effect of the sun increased with the presence of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

    Read Also: ‘Why we’re engaging rural women on climate change, waste to wealth’

    However, Guy Callendar was the first scientist to link global warming with human activities in 1938. The industrial revolution between the 1700s and 1800s is attributed to be responsible for the beginning of global warming.
    In 1712, British Engineer, Thomas Newcomen, invented the steam engine which paved the way for the large scale use of coal (fossil fuel) in industries. The black gold (crude oil) was later discovered and this revolutionized industrial developments. The drawback is that combustion of these fossil fuels involves emission of atmospheric pollutants such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides etc. These were later called greenhouse gases (GHG)

    Climate scientists observed that the earth’s surface temperature increased by 1°C during the industrial revolution of the 1700s and 1800s.
    Burning of fossil for energy production results in release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere. These gases trap heat from the sun on the earth’s surface leading to gradual increase of the Earth’s temperature.
    The growing concern over the consequences of change in Earth’s climatic conditions and global warming resulted in the formation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. This led to the first United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992 and since then a Conference of Parties (COP) on global warming and climate change has been held annually.

    Impact of Global Warming
    Everything on planet earth is affected by global warming.
    • There have been severe heat-waves causing heat-strokes in man and animals. Heatstroke is presented by heavy sweating, exhaustion, dizziness and unconsciousness.
    • Changes in precipitation patterns resulting in droughts, floods, storms in different regions of the world.
    • Rise in sea level leading to erosion, loss of coastal land and loss of biodiversity.
    • Reduced agricultural productivity which impacts global food security and ultimately increased food prices and famine.
    • Global warming and its twin climate change resulted in loss of habitat/shelter for both humans and animals, disruption of the ecosystem.

    Crude oil is the major culprit responsible for global warming through the emission of greenhouse gases during combustion and energy generation.
    According to the Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC), there is a need to cut emission of greenhouse gases by 43% to limit temperature rise to 1.5oC and avoid the worst impacts of climate change still to come. Truly, the world is in need of climate change solution more than ever before.

  • Islam and Global Warming

    Monologue

    “Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day, in the change of the winds, and the clouds compelled between heaven and earth, are signs for a people who can reason.” (Quran 2:164).

    Preamble

    Today’s Today’s world is grabbling with two seemingly insuperable calamities. One is terrorism. The other is global warming. From all indications, the latter is a major vause of the former.

    It may not be an exaggeration, therefore, to conclude that a twin-headed pendulum must have ushered the contemporary mankind into the new millennium called 21st century.

    The twin-head of the referred vicious pendulum seems to have become a spectre haunting the continued existence of mankind and threatening to sweep the world of homo-sapient into a permanent oblivion.

     

     Reminiscence

    Sometime in March 2010, a rumour sprang from an unknown source and landed in Nigeria, as usual, flying around through the social media with invisible wings of a sphinx. The main gist of that rumour was a warning to the people against what was called an acid rain that could fall in the last week of March, that year. According to the rumour which sent panic to the spines of most Nigerian urban dwellers, anybody beaten by that rain would automatically become a victim of skin cancer. Although some people linked the rumour to a source in the US, that source eventually turned out to be a hoax as it could not be actually ascertained. The fact, however, was that the whole story around it had to do with global warming now called climate change and its effect on human life.

     

    Global Worry

    Worried by the signal which this spectre is currently sending across nations in the world today, most leaders of those nations have become so restive that besides that of terrorism, the only reverberating noice that rents the air globally today is that of Climate Change. Thus, most friendly as well as mutually antagonistic nations are forced to come together in meetings, conferences and seminars against the common enemy called climate change, to find solution to the threat which the environment poses to the existence of mankind.

     

     Islam’s Position

    From its very inception, Islam has been very explicit on the issue of environment and that was why the early Muslim scientists engineered and championed the study of meteorology and placed a premium on it. This further confirms the fact that the divine religion called Islam is neither a mere dogma nor a religion meant for a particular time, place or people. It is rather a religion of knowledge for all times and all races of homo sapient. At an international conference on global warming some years ago, a Muslim scientist  gave some Qur’anic insight into the causes and effects of global warming in a lecture that has since become an international template for nations that are concerned  about the effect of climate change in their environments agriculturally and healthwise. An excerpt from that lecture is as follows:

    “One of the issues that give the world a concern currently is global warming. Experts around the world have been warning peoples and  governments about this for decades and theyhave been urging governments to act faster in slowing down the rate of global warming. They warn that there is a 75% risk that global temperatures will rise a further two to three degrees in the next 50 years. The consequence of this would be dramatic. In fact a rise of just one degree would melt the Greenland ice sheet and drown the Maldives, but a three degree increase would kill the Amazon rainforest, wipe out nearly half of all species facing extinction and wreak havoc with crop yields due to weather changes”.

     

    Hot and Cold Cycles

    “Whilst the global climate goes through hot and cold cycles, what is worrying about the current phase is the pace of change that could send humanity first into a final spin. Although man has certainly benefited from technological advancements that have given us plastics, air travel and cheap food – what is important is to maintain a balance so that excessive consumerism does not ride roughshod over nature’s harmony”.

     

    Man’s Trusteeship on the Earth

    “In Islam man is given the role of trusteeship over the earth, which is a huge responsibility. In the past, man had to be careful how he treated his local environment since excessive grazing or agricultural activities could bring ruins to his livelihood. His knowledge about environment was though limited, nevertheless, in the event of a disaster either through ignorance or abuse, he knew that he could resort to moving elsewhere and start to live all over again. That was in the primordial time. Now we should have no excuse for ignorance as we must have learnt from our past to avoid misuse. But what is worrying is that the impacts of our behaviours are not just local anymore, they are global. If we fail to act in a responsible manner then we cannot simply relocate because there will be nowhere to go. It is therefore vital that as producers, manufacturers and consumers, we ensure that we give due consideration to the impact of our actions. Such a responsibility is not just that of the East or the West but a responsibility for all of us in the entire world”.

     

    Man’s Attitude to Environment

    “Islam teaches us that God has continued and will continue to provide us with ample resources for all times. But through man’s misuse, this balance may change. It is this personal greed of human beings that makes them squander these resources and deprive others who may need them more usefully”.

     

    Qur’anic Warming

    “The Glorious Qur’an warns mankind in Chapter 7, verse 32 thus: “O children of Adam! Eat and drink but exceed not the bounds; surely He (Allah) does not like those who exceed the bounds”. Islam’s overall message is promotion of harmony through moderation. The message accepts that we need to use resources for our progress but this should be done wisely and in a sustainable manner, so that a satisfactory medium is found. The Glorious Qur’an relates in Chapter 25, verse 68 thus: “Those who, in their spending, are  neither extravagant nor niggardly but moderate between the two…”.

    So, as individuals, we should act on the Qur’anic injunction that promotes balance and prohibits excess even as nations need to be more willing to share knowledge for the sake of the planet rather than for profit against collective action and collective responsibility. It is only by doing so we may be able to win the pleasure of God and honour our trusteeship of the earth for the benefit of the present and the future generations”.

     

     Raising the Stakes

    A few years ago, a top scientists’ conference held in Britain raised the stakes for the dangers of global warming, with concerned scientists outlining a timeframe for the massive horrors awaiting mankind unless swift actions were taken at the right time. The findings in that conference were not in any way different from the position of Islam on the subject over 1438 years ago.

    The three-day conference held in the south western British city of Exeter focused on scientists’ latest assessment of the global warming problem, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

    The conference frankly concluded that global warming would boost outbreaks of infectious diseases, worsen shortages of water and food in vulnerable countries and create an army of climate refugees fleeing uninhabitable regions.

    The conferees even gave a detailed timetable of the destruction and distress that global warming was likely to cause to the world, according to a British daily (The Independent).

    The scale of these impacts varies from time to time and from region to region depending on the speed and degree with which fossil fuel pollution is tackled as well as the growth rate of the world’s population and how well countries can adapt to climate shift. The whole species of animals from frogs to leopards, living in vulnerable areas and with nowhere else to go, is forcing them to face extinction due to global warming.

     

     Impact on Ecosystem

    The study, according to reports, pulls together, for the first time ever, the projected impacts on ecosystems and wildlife, food production, water resources and economies generally across the earth, for the rise in global temperature expected during the next hundred years”.

    “The resultant picture gives the most wide-ranging impression yet of the bewildering array of destructive effects that climate change is expected to exert on different regions, from the mountains of Europe and the rainforests of the Amazon to the coral reefs of the tropics.”

     

    Environmental refugees

    “Produced through a synthesis of a wide range of recent academic studies, the case of environmental refugees was presented as a paper to the international conference on climate change held at the UK Met Office headquarters in Exeter by the author Bill Hare, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany’s leading global warming research institute. According to a study quoted by Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the UN’s top scientific authority on climate change, by 2050 as many as 150 million environmental refugees may have fled coastlines areas vulnerable to rising sea levels, storms or floods, or agricultural land that may become too arid to cultivate.

    In India alone, there could be about 30 million people displaced by persistent flooding, while a sixth of Bangladesh could be permanently lost to sea level rise and land subsidence, according to the study.

    On this, the Independent Newspaper revealed that the conference was called personally by the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair as part of Britain’s attempts to move the climate change issue up the agenda during the UK presidency of the G8 group of rich nations, and the European Union.

    There were already disturbing warnings from the latest climate research, including the revelation from the British Antarctic Survey that the massive West Antarctic ice sheet might be disintegrating – an event which would raise sea levels around the world by 16ft (4.9 metres) per day if it really happened”.

     

    Impact of Climate Change

    “Hare’s timetable shows the impacts of climate change multiplying rapidly as average global temperature goes up, towards 1C above levels before the industrial revolution, then to 2C, and then 3C. It is when the temperature moves up to 2C above the pre-industrial level, expected in the middle of this century – within the lifetime of many people alive today – that serious effects will start to become thick and fast as studies suggest.”

     

    Movement of Temperature

    According to the paper, when the temperature moves up to the 3C level, as expected in the early part of the second half of the century, these effects will become critical. There is likely to be irreversible damage to the Amazon rainforest, leading to its collapse, and the complete destruction of coral reefs is likely to be widespread”.

    The conference, however, ended up on a positive note, with the forum showing how far the argument for carbon sequestration has come, with a series of experts insisting it could be transformed from fiction to fact”.

     

    Epilogue

    Of all the elements in the ecosystem that safeguards the existence of all living organisms, air gets the least attention of man. This is because of its unlimited abundance that makes it to be taken for granted. But, ironically, without the air, the entire ecosystem cannot be sustained for the existence of man and other living beings. “Since the atmosphere performs all biological and social functions of man, its conservation, pure and unpolluted, is an essential aspect of the conservation of life itself which is one of the fundamental objectives of Islamic law.  Again, whatever is indispensable to fulfill this imperative obligation is itself obligatory. Therefore, from Islamic point of view, any activity which pollutes it and ruins or impairs its function is an attempt to thwart and obstruct God’s wisdom toward His creation.  This must likewise be considered an obstruction of some aspects of the human role in the development of this world”.

  • Environmental changes and our health

    In the world today, we hear of global warming. There are illness and deaths from changes to our environment. Such changes do influence the health of human beings in an adverse way (such as pollution causing skin illnesses, respiratory illness such as asthma, food poisoning from industrial chemicals, and food poisoning from insecticides being used by farmers). Floods, earthquakes and mudslides may spread diseases such as cholera and typhoid when the sewage systems are affected.

    Take the impact of the Sun on the skin for example. Excessive Sunrays may cause human illness such as dehydration in the short term and melanoma in the long term. By virtue of excessive sun, fibroid and some cancers and diseases may worsen in our environment. To reduce the risk, take good care and protection against Sun radiation via sun shades and do minimal exposure to sunlight. Watch carefully if there are any changes taking place in your birthmarks (such as colour changes, or if getting bigger).

    On the other hands, chemicals from industrial pollution, chemicals to aid manufacturing and farming as well as products from vehicles, aircrafts, ships and home/domestic  wastes are all discharged unto our environment. Some, if not all, pollute our foods and water. In turn, we eat food or drink that are from polluted water with some dire consequences. People could get poisoned if water and food are not properly treated. Skin rashes, breathing problems such as asthma, bronchitis, cancers of bladder and of lungs are some of the results of chemical pollution to our bodies.

    Environmental pollution can also be from germs such as from viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites that are used industrially or from variety of sources that has not been property disposed.

    Impact of Bad Environment on our Health.

    Regardless of our perspectives, we are part of the ecosystem of our immediate world as well as the global environment. Wherever we may be in the world, we are part and parcel of where we live and the immediate air that we breathe. Polluted air in the environment such as burning of fuel and burning of wastes will generate fumes that may lead to irritation in our lungs and hence breathing difficulties such as asthma. Irritants on our skin may lead to allergic reaction and in children cause atopic allergic reactions. Seasonal rhinitis, perennial allergic reaction may be due to environmental pollution. Discharges from transport vehicles engines such as aeroplanes and cars causes particles to be discharged into the air. This particles may get lodged in our lungs, blood and skin. The results may be cancers in different parts of human body and respiratory difficulties. Adverse human reproduction, reduced fertility especially in women has been linked to particulates and pollutants in the air. Deformed babies can result from polluted environment as we have seen in countries where atomic bomb had been used or where nuclear radiation had leaked into the environment.

    Now, the world must deal with the seas and oceans that are filled with plastics. Our food chain, human and animal nutrition are in danger from plastics and oil pollution: fishes and other seas creatures may be seriously impacted. Our entire ecosystem will be affected and human survival seems perilous.

    Blocked drainages or improperly channelled water pose a serious risk to our individual and collective well-being.  Flood could cause serious damages to our properties apart from the risk of death of relatives that may result. The stress from all these adversities will often lead to anxieties and depression with consequential visits to the physician.

    Prevention:  Very often the prevention starts from exerting pressure on governments and intergovernmental organisations to enact effective laws and execute proper guidance for farmers, factory owners and related industries. At individual level, we will need to adequately dispose of our wastes in a secure place. Whatever can be recycled should be recycled. Whatever can be reused such as nylon bags, should be reused.  Also, there is no substitute for good air, properly prepared food and water and avoiding overcrowding as well as paying prompt attention to our health if affected. Our environment and the health of our ecosystem are our collective responsibilities.

  • Islam and global warming

    “We have not left anything untouched in the Book (Qur’an). Then unto their Lord shall all be reassembled”   Q. 6:38.   

    PREAMBLE

    The Allah’s last revelation to mankind called the Qur’an is the ultimate cornerstone which the ignorant ones continue to subject to undue controversy in the building of their ultimate homes. This Book is like the beaming Sun the existence of which some blind people continue to query. Whether they see it or not, the Sun remains scorching in its effect and magnanimous in its photosynthesis. Yet, the denial of its existence cannot stop the blindness in the blind. The Qur’an is the mother of all encyclopaedias without which the existence of humanity will be a mere anathema.

    Reviewing the esoteric connotation of the above quoted verse of the Qur’an with divine guidance any thoughtful and sincere human being will nod his/head in absolute agreement. Nothing is left untouched by Allah in the Glorious Qur’an.

    Meteorological explanation        

    From its very inception, Islam has been very explicit on the issue of environment and meteorology. This further confirms the fact that this divine religion is not for a particular time or people. It is a religion of knowledge for all times and all races. The meteorological explanation rendered by Islam is not meant for this column today. It will be brought in full in the very near future In sha’ Allah. But at a recent international conference on global warming an Islamic scholar gave some Qur’anic insight into the causes and effects of global warming thus:

    “One of the issues that give the world a concern currently is global warming. Experts around the world have been warning about this for decades and have been urging governments to act faster in slowing down the rate of global warming. They warn that there is a 75% risk that global temperatures will rise a further two to three degrees in the next 50 years. The consequence of this would be dramatic. In fact a rise of just one degree would melt the Greenland ice sheet and drown the Maldives, but a three degree increase would kill the Amazon rainforest, wipe out nearly half of all species facing extinction and wreak havoc with crop yields due to weather changes”.

    Whilst the global climate goes through hot and cold cycles, what is worrying about the current phase is the pace of change that could send humanity first into a final spin. Although man has certainly benefited from technological advancements that have given us plastics, air travel and cheap food – what is important is to maintain a balance so that excessive consumerism does not ride roughshod over nature’s harmony.

    The role of man

    In Islam man is given the role of trusteeship over the earth, which is a huge responsibility. In the past, man had to be careful how he treated his local environment since excessive grazing or agriculture could bring ruin to his livelihood. His knowledge was also limited but in the event of a disaster either through ignorance or abuse, he could at least resort to moving elsewhere and start all over again. Now we should have no excuse for ignorance and we should have learnt from our past to avoid misuse. But what is worrying is that the impacts of our behaviour are not just local anymore, they are global. If we fail to act in a responsible manner then we cannot simply relocate because there will be nowhere to go. It is therefore vital that as producers, manufacturers and consumers, we ensure that we give due consideration to the impact of our actions. Such a responsibility is not just that of the east or the west but a responsibility for all across nations and continents.

    Qur’anic teaching

    Islam teaches us that God has continued and will continue to provide us with ample resources for all time. But through man’s misuse, this balance may change. It is this personal greed of man that makes them squander these resources and deprive others who may need those resources. The Holy Qur’an warns mankind in Chapter 7, verse 32 “O children of Adam! Eat and drink but exceed not the bounds; surely He (Allah) does not love those who exceed the bounds”

    The overall message of Islam is that it promotes harmony by advising moderation. It accepts that we need to use resources for our progress but this should be done wisely and in a sustainable manner, so that a satisfactory medium is found. Allah alluded to this in Chapter 25, verse 68 where He made reference to: “those who, when they spend are neither extravagant nor niggardly but moderate between the two”.

    Thus, as individuals, we should act on the Qur’anic injunction that promotes balance and prohibits excess even as nations need to be more willing to share knowledge for the sake of the planet rather than for profit and take collective action in line with their collective responsibility. By doing so we shall be able to win the pleasure of God and honour our trusteeship of the earth for the benefit of the present and the future generations”.

    Conference of world scientists

    A few years ago, a top scientist conference in Britain raised the stakes for the dangers of global warming, with concerned scientists outlining a timeframe for the massive horrors awaiting the globe unless swift actions were taken at the right time. The findings in that conference were not in any way different from the position of Islam on the subject over 1430 years ago.

    The three-day conference held in the south western British city of Exeter focused on scientists’ latest assessment of the global warming problem, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

    The conference was bluntly told that global warming would boost outbreaks of infectious diseases, worsen shortages of water and food in vulnerable countries and create an army of climate refugees fleeing uninhabitable regions.

    Scientists even gave a detailed timetable of the destruction and distress that global warming was likely to cause to the world, according to the British daily ‘The Independent’.

    Impacts of Environmental Degradation

    The scale of these impacts varies according to the speed and degree with which fossil fuel pollution is tackled as well the growth rate of the world’s population and how well countries can adapt to climate shift.

    Whole species of animals from frogs to leopards, living in vulnerable areas and with nowhere else to go, face extinction due to global warming, they said, according to the daily.

    “The study pulls together for the first time the projected impacts on ecosystems and wildlife, food production, water resources and economies across the earth, for given rises in global temperature expected during the next hundred years.

    “The resultant picture gives the most wide-ranging impression yet of the bewildering array of destructive effects that climate change is expected to exert on different regions, from the mountains of Europe and the rainforests of the Amazon to the coral reefs of the tropics.”

    What out for Year 2050

    According to a study quoted by Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the UN’s top scientific authority on climate change, by 2050 as many as 150 million “environmental refugees” may have fled coastlines vulnerable to rising sea levels, storms or floods, or agricultural land that may become too arid to cultivate, AFP said.

    In India alone, there could be 30 million people displaced by persistent flooding, while a sixth of Bangladesh could be permanently lost to sea level rise and land subsidence, according to the study.

    The Independent newspaper revealed that the conference was called personally by the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair as part of Britain’s attempts to move the climate change issue up the agenda during the UK presidency of the G8 group of rich nations, and the European Union.

    Disturbing warnings

    There were already disturbing warnings from the latest climate research, including the revelation from the British Antarctic Survey that the massive West Antarctic ice sheet might be disintegrating – an event which would raise sea levels around the world by 16ft (4.9 metres) per daily if it really happened.

    “Hare’s timetable shows the impacts of climate change multiplying rapidly as average global temperature goes up, towards 1C above levels before the industrial revolution, then to 2C, and then 3C.

    “It is when the temperature moves up to 2C above the pre-industrial level, expected in the middle of this century – within the lifetime of many people alive today – that serious effects start to come thick and fast, studies suggest.”

    In the second half of the century

    According to the paper, when the temperature moves up to the 3C level, expected in the early part of the second half of the century, these effects will become critical. There is likely to be irreversible damage to the Amazon rainforest, leading to its collapse, and the complete destruction of coral reefs is likely to be widespread.

    The conference, however, ended up on a positive note, with the forum showing how far the argument for carbon sequestration has come, with a series of experts insisting it could be transformed from fiction to fact. Whole species of animals from frogs to leopards, living in vulnerable areas and with nowhere else to go, face extinction due to global warming, they said, according to the daily.

    “The study pulled together for the first time the projected impacts on ecosystems and wildlife, food production, water resources and economies across the earth, for possible rises in global temperature expected during the next hundred years.

    Historical evidence of global warming

    “The resultant picture gave the most wide-ranging impression yet of the bewildering array of destructive effects that climate change was expected to exert on different regions, from the mountains of Europe and the rainforests of the Amazon to the coral reefs of the tropics.”

    The Earth’s climate has changed throughout history. Just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era – and of human civilization. Most of these climate changes are attributed to very small variations in Earth’s orbit that change the amount of solar energy our planet receives.

    The current trend

    Through advanced researches, scientists have come to realize that the current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is very likely human-induced and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented in the past 1300 years.1

    Earth-orbiting satellites and other technological advances have enabled scientists to see the big picture, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. This body of data, collected over many years, reveals the signals of a changing climate.

    The heat-trapping nature of carbon dioxide and other gases was demonstrated in the mid-19th century.2 Their ability to affect the transfer of infrared energy through the atmosphere is the scientific basis of many instruments flown by NASA. There is no question that increased levels of greenhouse gases must cause the Earth to warm in response.

    Ice cores drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and Tropical Mountain glaciers show that the Earth’s climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels. They also show that in the past, large changes in climate have happened very quickly, geologically-speaking: in tens of years, not in millions or even thousands.

    The rise in global sea level

    Global sea level, according to scientific research rose by about 17 centimetres (6.7 inches) in the last century. The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century.

    All three major global surface temperature reconstructions show that Earth has warmed since 1880. Most of the warming occurred in the past 35 years, with 15 of the 16 warmest years on record occurring since 2001. The year 2015 was the first time the global average temperatures were 1 degree Celsius or more above the 1880-1899 average. Even though the 2000s witnessed a solar output decline resulting in an unusually deep solar minimum in 2007-2009, surface temperatures continue to increase.

    The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969.

    Shrinking ice sheets

    The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment have shown that the Greenland lost 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost about 152 cubic kilometres (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005.

    Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades. Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world – including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa. If by year 2050 nothing significant is done to save this situation what will become of human existence? That is a food for thought.

     

    New Chief Imam for Folawiyo Mosque

    all is set for the decoration of Alhaji Imam Alli Olukayode Atanda with the turban as the Chief Imam of Abdul Wahab Folawiyo, Surulere (New Lagos) Central Mosque.

    The event will hold today at the mosque’s premises in Surulere.

    Imam Atanda will succeed the late Sheikh Abdul Quadri Moyosore.

    He was until his appointment the Imam of Oluwatoyin Mosque, one of the twelve Ratibi Mosques that are registered owners of the Abdul Wahab Folawiyo, Surulere (New Lagos) Central Mosque.

     

    Muslim Media holds lecture on good governance

    Good governance, among others, will dominate the 11th annual lecture of Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN) Abuja chapter on Monday in Abuja.

    A statement by its chairman Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Balogun said the lecture, entitled “the Islamic position on good governance’’ will hold at National Mosque Conference Hall, Abuja.

    It would be delivered by the Chief Imam of the Nigerian Navy, Shaykh Taofiq Miqdad Gidado and chaired by Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA) Dr Garba Abari. Other guests expected include Voice of Nigeria (VON) former Director-General Alhaji Abubakar Jijiwa, FCT Minister Alhaji Muhammad Bello and Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) Secretary-General Prof. Is-haq Oloyede.

     

    10, 000 to attend Aqsa Day

    No fewer than 10,000 people are expected for this year’s Aqsa Day.

    The event, organised by the Muslim Awareness International (MAI), will hold on Monday at the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos.

    Federal Government yesterday declared Monday December 12 as public holiday.

    Alhaji AbdurRazaq AbdusSalam, a Deputy Director at Voice of Nigeria (VON) and Dr Odukoya Adelaja Odutola, a Senior Lecturer from the Department of Political Science, University of Lagos and institution’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Chairman are the guest speakers.

    MAI Director Luqman Balogun said the programme will also feature exhibitions as well as drama and ballad presentations which will centre on the unity of the Muslims as the panacea to Palestinian problems.

    He decried the occupation of Palestinian land by Israeli government.

    “The state of Israel was created on the basis of lies and deceit and has continued to struggle to sustain a half-century occupation over the land of the Palestinians in the face of universal opposition and condemnation,” he said.

    Balogun accused Israel and her allies of employing varying “ludicrous narratives and deplorable actions to defend their illegal activities in the occupied settlements.

  • Tree planting means to combat global warming – Ambode

    Tree planting means to combat global warming – Ambode

    …Targets 10m trees for Lagos by 2020

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday cautioned residents of the State to desist from indiscriminate and uncontrolled felling of trees, just as he harped on the benefits of tree planting to healthy environment.

    Speaking at the 2016 Annual Tree Planting Day organized by the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK) at Ikosi Senior Secondary School, Governor Ambode described tree planting as the most reliable and cheapest means of combating the effect of global warming, flooding and climate change, adding that such was the more reason why people must protect the trees and plant more to replace those removed.

    The Governor, who was represented at the event tagged: “Lend a Hand to Save Trees,” by his wife, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode said the importance of tree planting to the society cannot be overemphasized as trees provide oxygen, cool the atmosphere, help conserve energy, save water, prevent erosion, save children from ultra-violet Rays and provide food, among other benefits.

    Governor Ambode said the annual programme on tree planting was a veritable platform for Lagos to meet the target of 10 million trees by 2020, noting that the peculiarity of the State as a coastal city-state makes it prone to several environmental challenges, a situation which demands that the government and the people must carry out infrastructural development without jeopardizing the environment.

    He said: “The fast growing urban development areas across the State must curtail the uncontrolled felling of trees and ensure all developers adhere to all the Town Planning and Greening regulations.

    “We must plant trees to replace those removed from vast acres of land so that we reduce the rate of ocean surge and erosion with its attendant problem of displacement of homes and communities.”

    While alluding to the estimate of scientists that the world needs 30 billion trees annually, Governor Ambode said a world without trees is a world without life, and so as a people, Nigerians must resolve to ensure that trees are not only saved, but efforts must be geared towards planting more trees.

    According to the Governor, “Lagos has become a positive reference point in Nigeria about creating a Green environment. We remain committed to this cause and will vigorously pursue the State Greening Policy of total regeneration of degraded sites as part of our pact with Lagosians. We will do even more.

    “Already, the Security and Light Up Lagos initiatives of our administration are complementing our beautiful city at night and ensuring the parks and gardens that are safe for relational purposes.”

    Besides, Governor Ambode disclosed that work was at advanced stage at the parks being constructed by the State Government in Alimosho and Ikorodu, adding that the projects would soon be completed and opened for public use, promising that government would enforce tree planting along all new roads being constructed, maps well as create more gardens and ensure the upgrade of all open spaces in Lagos.

    The Governor, who said government alone cannot achieve the greening policy, advocated a collective action by all relevant agencies and organizations to achieve the vision of bequeathing a greener and healthier environment to generations yet unborn.

    He also urged the Federal Government to lead the campaign for each of the States of the federation to resolve to plant at least one million trees annually which will translate to 360 million trees across the country by the next decade, saying that such would go a long way to protect the nation.

  • Global warming and effects on Nigeria

    In the middle of the 20th Century, scientists warned about the increasing temperature of the earth and its possible effect on humanity. But for the capitalists, global warming was an idea conceived to reduce the expansion of business and industrialisation. To them, it was a myth. With global warming fast becoming a reality, given its negative effects on the ecosystem, agriculture, food production and water supply, many people have started to understand the need to care for the earth.

    Global warming has been responsible for climate change and the rise in sea level with unpalatable consequences, such as bad weather, flooding, hurricanes, wildfire, poverty, ill-health and socio- economic challenges. It also has effect on natural resources and the balance of nature.

    According to Olaniyi et al, environmental activities and day-to-day human activities are said to have contributed to an increase in average global temperatures, because of release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere.

    It has been said Africa would be in bad state as a result of the effect of climate change. Nigeria, like every other African country, is experiencing unfavourable climatic conditions, with negative impacts on the welfare of its citizens. As a result of oil companies’ activities, the nation is experiencing droughts and flooding because of increase in water level.

    Agriculture is one of the contributors to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but the population that engage in this is based in the rural area. The effects of activities of oil companies in the industrialised cities are felt in the rural agricultural areas, which compound the climatic condition and increase socio-economic challenges. This is the case in Niger Delta region, where oil exploration has caused irreversible environmental degradation. The fertile farmland has turned arid, while fishes have migrated away from the sea due to oil spillage.

    Also, gas flaring is another major contributor to global warming. In Nigeria for instance, about 75 per cent of gas being flared is emitted because there is no technical facilities to make use of it. However, following the Kyoto Protocol, World Bank in 2007 stated that, Nigeria was listed among the 15 other oil-producing countries that have progressively reduced gas flaring. This is probably a long term achievement on climate change, which is opposed to the negative short-term effects for the economic development.

    Reduction in crude oil production, which is seen as the mainstay of our economy, may have drastic effect on the economic development of the country as a result of the Kyoto Protocol, which tends to reduce the income of Oil Producing and Exploration Countries (OPEC) like Nigeria. This would be a blockage to the Nigeria development plan.

    In order to mitigate the effect of global warming, Nigeria must reduce further emissions and adapt to renewable energy to protect its environment and humanity habiting the space.

    By mitigation, it means that measures must be taken by the government to reduce rate and magnitude of the climate change caused by human activities. The mitigation options include reduction in burning of the fossil fuel and reduction of greenhouse gases; reduction of deforestation and increase in forestation and afforestation; modification of agricultural practices to reduce emissions greenhouse and build up soil carbon and so on.

    By adaptation, it means that we should take measures to reduce the adverse impact of global warming on human life and the environment. It means changing the cropping patterns, stopping further development on wetlands, developing crops that are resistant to drought, heat and salt and strengthening public health.

    It must be noted that we are not to choose adaptation as against mitigation or mitigation as against adaptation. The two options must be applied by the government in order to solve the challenge of climate change in the country.

    • Olajide, 200-Level Mass Comm., Land University.

  • Global warming and effects on Nigeria

    In the middle of the 20th Century, scientists warned about the increasing temperature of the earth and its possible effect on humanity. But for the capitalists, global warming was an idea conceived to reduce the expansion of business and industrialisation. To them, it was a myth. With global warming fast becoming a reality, given its negative effects on the ecosystem, agriculture, food production and water supply, many people have started to understand the need to care for the earth.

    Global warming has been responsible for climate change and the rise in sea level with unpalatable consequences, such as bad weather, flooding, hurricanes, wildfire, poverty, ill-health and socio- economic challenges. It also has effect on natural resources and the balance of nature.

    According to Olaniyi et al, environmental activities and day-to-day human activities are said to have contributed to an increase in average global temperatures, because of release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere.

    It has been said Africa would be in bad state as a result of the effect of climate change. Nigeria, like every other African country, is experiencing unfavourable climatic conditions, with negative impacts on the welfare of its citizens. As a result of oil companies’ activities, the nation is experiencing droughts and flooding because of increase in water level.

    Agriculture is one of the contributors to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but the population that engage in this is based in the rural area. The effects of activities of oil companies in the industrialised cities are felt in the rural agricultural areas, which compound the climatic condition and increase socio-economic challenges. This is the case in Niger Delta region, where oil exploration has caused irreversible environmental degradation. The fertile farmland has turned arid, while fishes have migrated away from the sea due to oil spillage.

    Also, gas flaring is another major contributor to global warming. In Nigeria for instance, about 75 per cent of gas being flared is emitted because there is no technical facilities to make use of it. However, following the Kyoto Protocol, World Bank in 2007 stated that, Nigeria was listed among the 15 other oil-producing countries that have progressively reduced gas flaring. This is probably a long term achievement on climate change, which is opposed to the negative short-term effects for the economic development.

    Reduction in crude oil production, which is seen as the mainstay of our economy, may have drastic effect on the economic development of the country as a result of the Kyoto Protocol, which tends to reduce the income of Oil Producing and Exploration Countries (OPEC) like Nigeria. This would be a blockage to the Nigeria development plan.

    In order to mitigate the effect of global warming, Nigeria must reduce further emissions and adapt to renewable energy to protect its environment and humanity habiting the space.

    By mitigation, it means that measures must be taken by the government to reduce rate and magnitude of the climate change caused by human activities. The mitigation options include reduction in burning of the fossil fuel and reduction of greenhouse gases; reduction of deforestation and increase in forestation and afforestation; modification of agricultural practices to reduce emissions greenhouse and build up soil carbon and so on.

    By adaptation, it means that we should take measures to reduce the adverse impact of global warming on human life and the environment. It means changing the cropping patterns, stopping further development on wetlands, developing crops that are resistant to drought, heat and salt and strengthening public health.

    It must be noted that we are not to choose adaptation as against mitigation or mitigation as against adaptation. The two options must be applied by the government in order to solve the challenge of climate change in the country.

     

    • Olajide, 200-Level Mass Comm., Land University.
  • Islam and global warming

    Islam and global warming

    In Retrospect

    This article is not new. It was first published in this column in March 2013 as a reaction to a fortuitous incident that required a fortuitous reaction. Sometime early in January 2010, a rumour flew around in Nigeria through the e-mail and mobile text messages. It warned people against what was called an acid rain expected to fall in March that year. According to the message, anybody beaten by the rain would automatically become a victim of skin cancer. Although some people linked the rumour to a source in the US, the real source of the rumour remains a mystery even today as it could not actually be traced to the US. But trust Nigerians, they believe as much in superstition as they fear anything that can link them to death. Yet, they do not care about any solution to global warming.

     

    Preamble

    Climate change in the life of humans can be likened to the causes of life and death. We live by the climate and virtually depend on climate for survival. What is true of humans in this case is equally true of all other living organisms including wildlife and plants. Without a clement weather, survival becomes threatened and the ecosystem becomes the principal cause of that threat. Global warming is a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and its oceans, a change that is believed to be permanently changing the Earth’s climate. It is a foremost factor of climate change.

    Yours sincerely was in London in January 1986 when the international symposium on global warming and its implications for human existence began. The prediction then was that with the prevailing climate trend at that time, Africa might assume the weather of Europe by the year 2050. That prediction was a matter of consensus among the most participating scientists in that symposium.

     

    International Summit on Global Warming

    Recently, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari travelled to South Africa to join his colleagues from other countries of the world in attending an international conference on global warming. While still there, some Nigerian arm-chair critics started to accuse him of gallivanting wastefully around the world saying he had no business in such a global conference. Their perception of global warming is as crude as their way of handling local politics. In no other participating country will citizens criticise their President for attending such a crucial summit because they know that besides the subject of the summit, there could be some other beneficial issues. Here in Nigeria, once the issue on the table does not entail money it cannot be worthy of discussion. We are our own problem.

     

    Islamic perspective

    From its inception, Islam has been very explicit on the issue of environment and meteorology. This further confirms the fact that this divine religion is not for a particular time or people. It is a religion of knowledge for all times and all races. The meteorological explanation rendered by Islam is not meant for this column today. It will be brought in full in the very near future In sha’ Allah. But at a recent international conference on global warming, an Islamic scholar gave some Qur’anic insight into the causes and effects of global warming thus:

    “One of the issues that give the world a concern currently is global warming. Experts around the world have been warning about this for decades and have been urging governments to act faster in slowing down the rate of global warming.

    They warn that there is a 75% risk that global temperatures will rise a further two to three degrees in the next 50 years.

    The consequence of this would be dramatic. In fact a rise of just one degree would melt the Greenland ice sheet and drown the Maldives, but a three degree increase would kill the Amazon rainforest, wipe out nearly half of all species facing extinction and wreak havoc with crop yields due to weather changes.

     

    Pace of change

    Whilst the global climate goes through hot and cold cycles, what is worrying about the current phase is the pace of change that could send humanity first into a final spin. Although man has certainly benefited from technological advancements that have given us plastics, air travel and cheap food – what is important is to maintain a balance so that excessive consumerism does not ride roughshod over nature’s harmony.

    In Islam, man is given the role of trusteeship over the earth, which is a huge responsibility. In the past, man had to be careful how he treated his local environment since excessive grazing or agriculture could bring ruin to his livelihood. His knowledge was also limited but in the event of a disaster either through ignorance or abuse at least he could resort to moving elsewhere and start again. Now we should have no excuse for ignorance and we should have learnt from our past to avoid misuse. But what is worrying is that the impacts of our behaviour are not just local anymore, they are global. If we fail to act in a responsible manner, then we cannot simply relocate because there will be nowhere to go. It is, therefore, vital that as producers, manufacturers and consumers, we ensure that we give due consideration to the impact of our actions. Such a responsibility is not just that of the east or the west but a responsibility for all of us.

     

    Moderation for harmony

    Islam teaches us that God has continued and will continue to provide us with ample resources for all times. But through man’s misuse, this balance may change. It is this personal greed of man that makes them squander these resources and deprive others who may need those resources. The Holy Qur’an warns mankind in Chapter 7, verse 32 thus: “O children of Adam! Eat and drink but exceed not the bounds; surely He (Allah) does not love those who exceed the bounds”

    The overall message of Islam is that it promotes harmony by advising moderation. It accepts that we need to use resources for our progress but this should be done wisely and in a sustainable manner, so that a satisfactory medium is found. The Holy Qur’an relates in Chapter 25, verse 68: “those who, when they spend are neither extravagant nor niggardly but moderate between the two.

    So, as individuals, we should act on the Qur’anic injunction that promotes balance and prohibits excess even as nations need to be more willing to share knowledge for the sake of the planet rather than for profit and take collective action in line with their collective responsibility. By doing so we shall be able to win the pleasure of God and honour our trusteeship of the earth for the benefit of the present and the future generations”.

     

    Stakes of danger in global warming

    A few years ago, a top scientist conference in Britain raised the stakes for the dangers of global warming, with concerned scientists outlining a timeframe for the massive horrors awaiting the globe unless swift actions were taken at the right time. The findings in that conference were not in any way different from the position of Islam on the subject 1430 years ago.

    The three-day conference held in the South Western British city of Exeter focused on scientists’ latest assessment of the global warming problem, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

    The conference was bluntly told that global warming would boost outbreaks of infectious disease, worsen shortages of water and food in vulnerable countries and create an army of climate refugees fleeing uninhabitable regions.

    Scientists even gave a detailed timetable of the destruction and distress that global warming was likely to cause to the world, according to the British daily ‘The Independent’.

     

    Scale of impacts

    The scale of these impacts varies according to the speed and degree with which fossil fuel pollution is tackled as well the growth rate of the world’s population and how well countries can adapt to climate shift.

    Whole species of animals from frogs to leopards, living in vulnerable areas and with nowhere else to go, face extinction due to global warming, they said, according to the daily.

    “The study pulls together for the first time the projected impacts on ecosystems and wildlife, food production, water resources and economies across the earth, for given rises in global temperature expected during the next hundred years.

    “The resultant picture gives the most wide-ranging impression yet of the bewildering array of destructive effects that climate change is expected to exert on different regions, from the mountains of Europe and the rainforests of the Amazon to the coral reefs of the tropics.”

     

    Environmental refugees

    Produced through a synthesis of a wide range of recent academic studies, it was presented as a paper to the international conference on climate change held at the UK Met Office headquarters in Exeter by the author Bill Hare, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany’s leading global warming research institute.

    According to a study quoted by Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the UN’s top scientific authority on climate change, by 2050 as many as 150 million “environmental refugees” may have fled coastlines vulnerable to rising sea levels, storms or floods, or agricultural land that may become too arid to cultivate, AFP said.

    In India alone, there could be 30 million people displaced by persistent flooding, while a sixth of Bangladesh could be permanently lost to sea level rise and land subsidence, according to the study.

    The Independent  revealed that the conference was called personally by the then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair as part of Britain’s attempts to move the climate change issue up the agenda during the UK presidency of the G8 group of rich nations, and the European Union.

     

    Manifest effects

    There were already disturbing warnings from the latest climate research, including the revelation from the British Antarctic Survey that the massive West Antarctic ice sheet might be disintegrating – an event which would raise sea levels around the world by 16ft (4.9 metres) daily if it really happened.

    “Hare’s timetable shows the impacts of climate change multiplying rapidly as average global temperature goes up, towards 1 C above levels before the industrial revolution, then to 2 C, and then 3 C.

    “It is when the temperature moves up to 2 C above the pre-industrial level, expected in the middle of this century – within the lifetime of many people alive today – that serious effects start to come thick and fast, studies suggest.”

     

    Collapse of Amazon Rainforest

    When the temperature, the paper added, moves up to the 3C level, expected in the early part of the second half of the century, these effects will become critical. There is likely to be irreversible damage to the Amazon rainforest, leading to its collapse, and the complete destruction of coral reefs is likely to be widespread.

    The conference, however, ended up on a positive note, with the forum showing how far the argument for carbon sequestration has come, with a series of experts insisting it could be transformed from fiction to fact. Whole species of animals from frogs to leopards, living in vulnerable areas and with nowhere else to go, face extinction due to global warming, they said, according to the daily.

     

    Conclusion

    “The study pulled together for the first time the projected impacts on ecosystems and wildlife, food production, water resources and economies across the earth, for possible rises in global temperature expected during the next hundred years.

    “The resultant picture gave the most wide-ranging impression yet of the bewildering array of destructive effects that climate change was expected to exert on different regions, from the mountains of Europe and the rainforests of the Amazon to the coral reefs of the tropics.” Should   Nigeria be indifferent to all these? That is a major question that requires a major answer.

  • Dickson bemoans environmental degradation in Bayelsa

    Dickson bemoans environmental degradation in Bayelsa

    Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa on Saturday bemoaned the deplorable level of environmental degradation in the state.

    He expressed the concern during the executive interactive session with editors on the sideline of the ongoing 11th All Nigerian Editors Conference of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Yenagoa.

    The governor identified three major challenges causing the environmental degradation in the state.

    According to him, the state recorded 636 spills in the last one year from the facilities of a particular oil company operating in the state.

    ”From our statistics, spills from Agip Oil alone, we recorded 636 spills in one year.

    ”In other words, this state is not just the headquarters of oil and gas, this state is also the headquarters of pollution,” Dickson said.

    The governor said another challenge is the activities of some youths, who often break pipelines to steal crude oil.

    ”Unfortunately, our young boys have also added to the environmental problems we are facing in this state.

    ”They break pipelines to steal crude oil; they sell it to their foreign collaborators while some security agents also collude with them.

    ”This state and the entire Niger Delta region, and few other states, are suffering from environmental damage arising from oil spillage, gas flaring and pipelines vandalism by our youths.

    ”We are, however, dealing with the problems in the best way we can and we hope that collectively, the governments of the littoral states will wake up to the challenges,” the governor said.

    In Bayelsa, he noted that his administration was passionate about environment because it ”is a common heritage of all mankind.

    ”An environment spoilt anywhere is a loss to humanity,” he added.

    Dickson lamented that since 1956 when oil was first struck, till date, oil companies have been flaring gas.

    ”They are still flaring gas; gas that should be bringing billions of dollars to us.

    ”We are still flaring between 80 per cent and 90 per cent of our gas, which is further degrading our environment,” he said.

    Also speaking on the efforts of his administration in the area of agriculture, the governor noted that despite the degraded environment, the state government was still make agriculture as one of its ”corner stone.”

    ”We have a big cassava plantation where we want to be producing starch for both local consumption and for export.

    ”We have planted the cassava and we are already installing the starch making machines.

    ”The state also has an ambition to become the headquarters of fishery and aqua culture.

    ”We want a situation where people will come to Bayelsa to be producing fish in commercial quantity,” the governor said.