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Tag: UNFCCC

  • World in ‘deep trouble’ over climate change, UN warns

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the world is in “deep trouble’’ due to climate change.

    Guterres gave the warning at the 24th Conference of Parties (COP24) Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland on Monday.

    He told parties to the UN Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) that the world could not afford to waste any more time before taking action on climate change.

    The UN chief asked decision makers to focus on four key things: stepping up climate action, according to a solid plan, with more funding, as a smart investment in future of the planet.

    The two-week conference marks the deadline for the 197 parties that signed the Convention to adopt guidelines for the implementation of the historic 2015 Paris Agreement.

    The 197 countries collectively agreed to keep global temperature rises to no more than two degrees centigrade above pre-industrial levels, and if possible, to limit the rise to 1.5 degrees centigrade.

    “Now in Poland, they have to agree on how they will achieve this collectively, we cannot fail in Katowice,” the UN chief said.

    He highlighted four key messages for the thousands of representatives of the world’s nations, non-profit organisations, UN agencies, and private sector companies gathered in Katowice.

    According to Guterres, climate change is already a matter of life and death for many people, nations and countries of the world, as the science is telling us we need to move faster.

    “Even as we witness devastating climate impacts causing havoc across the world, we are still not doing enough, nor moving fast enough to prevent irreversible and catastrophic climate disruption.

    “Last year, I visited Barbuda and Dominica, which were devastated by hurricanes. The destruction and suffering I saw was heart-breaking,” he said, noting “these emergencies are preventable.

    “If we fail, the Arctic and Antarctic will continue to melt, corals will bleach and then die, the oceans will rise, more people will die from air pollution, water scarcity will plague a significant proportion of humanity, and the cost of disasters will skyrocket”, he warned.

    He insisted on the need to operationalise the Paris Agreement, and reminded Member States that 2018 is the deadline that they set for themselves to finalise the guidelines for implementation.

    Read Also: 2019: INEC warns incumbents against using state resources

    “We need a unifying implementation vision that sets out clear rules, inspires action and promotes raised ambition, based on the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in light of different national circumstances.

    “We achieved success in Paris because negotiators were working toward a common goal,” and called for urgent collaboration to “ensure that the bonds of trust established in Paris will endure’’.

    “We need concerted resource mobilisation and investment to successfully combat climate change, we must start today building the tomorrow we want.’’

    In 2015, a total of 18 high-income nations committed to providing 100 billion dollars annually by 2020, to lower-income nations to support their climate action.

    Guterres urged developed nations to deliver on this commitment, while urging Member States “to swiftly implement the replenishment of the Green Climate Fund. It is an investment in a safer, less costly future”.

  • Our plan for 2018, by UNFCCC

    The year is poised to be full of important milestones where more detailed policy is to be put in place that can unleash higher ambition and stronger action now and in the future.

    These relate to catalysing increased climate action before 2020, coordinating an important international conversation to check progress and negotiations to unlock the full potential of the Paris Agreement.

    Given the importance of reaching these milestones, UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) began assisting countries and chairs of specific negotiating forums as early as January to plan their work and map out the year.

    “With countries clearly in the driving seat of the climate change process, we look forward to supporting nations towards the 2018 milestones throughout the year and at the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24), to be held in Katowizce, Poland, in December 2018,” said Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change.

    Following the adoption and early entry into force of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, many may understandably ask why there is yet again talk of milestones in the climate change negotiations. The short answer is that the negotiations need to enable the implementation of ever more decisive and defining climate action, including through policies. The long answer below will attempt to shed more light on this and to explain the milestones.

     

    Action before 2020

    Action before 2020 is critically important. This is mainly because countries want continuous action without any gaps given that their climate action plans (nationally determined contributions – NDCs) will likely be fully implemented from 2020 onwards. But it is equally important because strong action now lays the foundation for stronger action later. To this end, the climate change negotiations have put in place the extension of the Kyoto Protocol up to 2020, a process known as the Doha Amendment. The Doha Amendment is subject to ratification at the national level. In the run-up to 2020, the Protocol remains an essential vehicle for many developed countries to make more rapid and urgent cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions.

    The protocol, since its adoption at COP3 on December 11, 1997, has become a beacon of climate action and an inspiring precursor to the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement, because it demonstrated that international climate change agreements can bring the countries of the world together to address a global problem.

    As of March 1, 110 parties have deposited their instrument of acceptance. To enter Doha into force requires 144 of the 192 parties to the Kyoto Protocol.

    “Thanks to Kyoto, we have built a solid foundation, paving the way for even greater action in the context of the Paris Agreement,” said Ms Espinosa,. “I urge those countries which have not yet done so to deposit their instruments of acceptance as soon as possible,” she added.

    To further boost action before 2020, a special forum will take place at COP24 in Katowice in December. In preparation for this, countries may make submissions around strengthened action before 2020 by May 1, 2018. These submissions will serve as valuable input for the forum. Lastly, it is very important that developing countries receive assistance to act.

  • Climate and Health: Why Nigeria cannot afford any further inaction

    Climate and Health: Why Nigeria cannot afford any further inaction

    Climate change (i.e. steady rise in average global temperatures) poses tremendous danger to human health; and while it is a global phenomenon, scientists agree that its consequences will be unevenly distributed as developing countries such as Nigeria will be hardest hit.

    The WHO reports that warming of the planet will be gradual, the effects of extreme weather events – i.e. more storms, floods, droughts and heatwaves – will be abrupt and acutely felt. Further, both trends can affect some of the most fundamental determinants of health viz: air, water, food, shelter, and freedom from disease.

    Reviewing the situation in Nigeria, Dr. Oyinlola Oduyebo, a medical microbiologist at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, asserts that “there are some infections that occur in season, so naturally if there is a change in season or climate there will have to be changes in the type of infections and in the manner that there were originally known to occur.”

     

    Flood risks

    Of recent, incidences of flooding have become a regular feature in the country. The direst of these which occurred in Benue State led to the displacement of more than 100,000 for instance. Speaking to Al Jazeera on this particular development three weeks ago, Helen Teghtegh, head of a local NGO, said the region had been battered by heavy rains, with the level of the Benue River steadily rising.

    Nigeria, according to the 2015 WHO / UNFCCC Nigeria Climate and Health Country Profile, “…faces inland river flood risk; …[and] it is projected that by 2030, an additional 801,700 people may be at risk of river floods annually as a result of climate change – …above the estimated 621,100 annually affected population in 2010”.

     

    Key implications for health

    According to another WHO report on the country, some of the world’s most virulent infections are also highly sensitive to climate: temperature, precipitation and humidity have a strong influence on the life-cycles of the vectors and the infectious agents they carry and influence the transmission of water and food-borne diseases. “In addition to deaths from drowning, flooding causes extensive indirect health effects, including impacts on food production, water provision, ecosystem disruption, infectious disease outbreak and vector distribution,” the report states.

     

    Exposure to heat waves and key implications for health

    A member of the Civilian Joint Task Force stands guard at a food distribution centre at the Banki IDP camp in Borno, Nigeria April 26, 2017. Courtesy: REUTERS / Afolabi Sotunde.

     

    Human-induced climate change significantly amplifies the likelihood of heatwaves thus increasing the possibility of heat strokes, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders according to the WHO. Referring to northern Nigeria in particular, Director of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Joseph Alozie, asserts that “the negative impacts of climate change such as temperature rise, erratic rainfall, sand storms, desertification, low agricultural yield, drying up of water bodies and flooding are real in the desert prone 11 front states of Nigeria. This leads to increasing population pressure, intensive agricultural land use, overgrazing, bush burning, extraction of fuel wood and other biotic resources.”

    Also adding his voice, Professor Fuwape Agboola of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, said “there will be further dry spells especially in the northern part of Nigeria. Since November 2015 Nigerians have witnessed drier conditions, stronger Harmattan even in Abuja a lot of dust is in suspension…”

     

    Outdoor air pollution exposure and key implications for health

    Exposure to outdoor air pollution has significant implications for health. The WHO/UNFCCC Nigeria Climate and Health Country Profile 2015 notes that fine particles which penetrate deep into the respiratory tract subsequently increase mortality from respiratory infections as well as increase the risk of lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. “Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) such as black carbon, methane and tropospheric ozone are released through inefficient use and burning of biomass and fossil fuels for transport, housing, power production, industry, waste disposal (municipal and agricultural) and forest fires. SLCPs are responsible for a substantial fraction of global warming as well as air-pollution related deaths and diseases” the report highlights.

     

    Call to action

    While Nigeria has an approved National Health Adaptation Strategy, and is currently implementing projects on health adaptation to climate change, more needs to be done.

    Assessing the situation in Nigeria and according to the WHO 2015 Climate and Health Country Profile, “under a high emissions scenario, mean annual temperature is projected to rise by about 4.9°C on average from 1990 to 2100; and If emissions decrease rapidly, the temperature rise is limited to about 1.4°C”. The Report additionally finds that for instance “under a high emissions scenario, diarrhoeal deaths attributable to climate change in children under 15 years old are projected to be about 9.8% of the over 76,000 diarrhoeal deaths projected in 2030”.

    As such, government at the various levels should show commitment and political will by investing in adaptation and mitigation measures. This is especially expedient given that Nigeria has some of the highest prevalence rates of most vector-borne diseases, with the country accounting for the highest number of malaria casualties globally for instance.

    In addition, it is vital to include relevant stakeholders from relevant sectors, cost health-resilience measures and ensure that provisions are statutorily made for these costs in the budget for each fiscal year.

     

  • UK Envoy worried over carbon emissions in Nigeria

    UK Envoy worried over carbon emissions in Nigeria

    • Says Climate Change will drop Nigeria’s GDP to 30 per cent by 2050

    United Kingdom High Commission to Nigeria has expressed concerns over the influence of carbon emissions in Nigeria due to climate change impact.

    Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Harriet Thompson during the event to commemorate World Environment Day (WED), organised by the Federal Ministry of Environment in Abuja advised the country to strive and protect the environment to achieve sustainable development.

    The 2017 WED was themed, “Connecting with nature.” She noted that even though the country is endowed with good vegetation and human resources, “there are challenges about getting right-security, transport access, and facilities and protecting the nature will be key to sustaining it. As a tourist attraction -no one will want to come and see a decayed broken landscape.”

    While quoting the 2011 Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI), Thompson said the country could lose Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of between 6 per cent and 30 per cent by 2050 due to climate change. She further estimated the loss to an amount between $100 to 460 billion.

    “Agriculture and farming, which are the key focus for economic development in Nigeria, give daily opportunity to connect with nature. Nigeria’s focus on rebuilding its agricultural capacity growth would help to provide more employment and earning opportunities .“For 2017, theme could not have come to at a better time than this-

    “For 2017, the theme could not have come at a better time than this, time to rethink just how much time spend ‘in nature’, how much nature nourishes ‎us daily and throughout our lives.

    “Around the globe, billions are fed by nature itself, from the dependence on natural water to the fertile soils in the grounds in which our food are grown. Everyone and everything eat from the surplus of the ground.Unfortunately, those down the food chain are the first to suffer when ecosystems are threatened, from climate change, loss of biodiversity and policies,” Thompson added.

    “Unfortunately, those down the food chain are the first to suffer when ecosystems are threatened, from climate change, loss of biodiversity and policies,” Thompson added.

    She restated commitment of the UK government to tackling global climate change and the Paris Agreement ‘as strong as ever’.

    According to her, UK government would continue to play a leading role internationally and also in delivering her commitments to create a safer and more prosperous future for all.

    In his remark, the Environment Minister, Ibrahim Jibril admitted that the rural dweller that largely depends on nature for their livelihood are most hit by climate change impacts.

    He added that most times they are affected by pollution, and over-exploitation of the natural resources.“Even in the face of many environmental challenges that are confronting our dear country Nigeria; from desertification in the north to coastal erosion in the South East and

    “Even in the face of many environmental challenges that are confronting our dear country Nigeria; from desertification in the north, to coastal erosion in the South East and south- west and decades of Oil Pollution in the Niger Delta – We are reminded that when we come together as one people, collectively we can resolve to protect our environment and the resources we are blessed with,” he said.

    Earlier, Resident Coordinator, Mr. Edward Kallon‎, said the collaboration with Federal government had resulted into the signing of the Paris Agreement and its ratification by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said the UNDP Nigeria had commenced work with the ministry to develop the third National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

    According to him, this will assist in controlling emissions and the building of information and knowledge regarding national sources of the Green House Gasses (GHGs)‎, and the impacts of climate change on sustainable social and economic development.

  • Buhari approves INDC to tackle climate change

    Buhari approves INDC to tackle climate change

    President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the submission of the country’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) to address climate change to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

    Nigeria’s INDC was approved by the President on November 26 and submitted to the UNFCCC on November 28, ahead of Monday’s opening in Paris of the United Nations Climate Change conference, widely known as COP 21.

    The Federal Government’s policy in the INDC to address climate change, according to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, commits to 20 per cent unconditional and 45 per cent conditional Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emission reduction post 2020.

    The statement said: “The action plan announced by the Federal Government represents a fair and meaningful contribution to address climate change and equally reaffirms President Buhari’s commitment to an economic transformation which places inclusive, green growth as key priority for this administration.

    “President Buhari was fully aware of the acute threat that climate change poses to Nigeria’s development through flooding, desertification and insecurity, and many of these accrue from weather-related natural disasters.

    “In Paris, the issue of Lake Chad’s current depletion, which has become a cause of international concern, will be major focus of a meeting of the Lake Chad Basin Summit of Heads of State and Government, which President Buhari will attend with Nigeria’s delegation on Tuesday, December 1.

    “The Lake Chad is currently less than 10 per cent of its original size and little of the remaining waters is in Nigeria. Of an estimated 20 million people that lived on the Lake Chad Basin as at 2013, about 11.7 million were in the North Eastern region of Nigeria.

    “Also during the conference in Paris, President Buhari is scheduled to participate in the launching of International Solar Alliance by the Indian Prime Minister and the French President, where he will seek international partnerships to deliver Nigeria’s climate change response.”

  • Jona’s wonder stoves

    Jona’s wonder stoves

    Given the current tempo of politics, it is understandable that most Nigerians would have either missed out or could not be bothered with one of the more curious outcomes of the Federal Executive Council meeting of last week. I refer here to the approval by the council for the procurement of 750,000 units of clean cooking stoves and 18,000 ‘wonder bags’ under the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves initiative at a princely cost of N9.2 billion to the treasury. The contract, with a completion period of 12 weeks, is said to have been awarded to Messrs Integra Renewable Energy Services Limited, a South African firm. The stoves and wonder bags are said to be meant for women in the rural areas, to be distributed under the National Clean Cooking Scheme.

    A fortnight ago on this page, I had argued in the context of our current economic travails that the problems facing the nation, is essentially a thinking one. I sought to push the point that our problems have merely been exacerbated by the current, though predictable, cycle of sliding oil prices. That interjection was supposed to be one long shot effort to draw attention to the lack of depth ruling at the highest echelon of our government on the one hand, and the atrocious choices being foisted on the citizens by the unfeeling, greedy and rapacious governing elite on the other.

    In the light of the latest matter of stoves, I find it necesary to pursue the matter further, given what is now an emerging pattern of cynical conversion of the misery of the people in furtherance of less than altruistic goals. If the leadership has lost the capacity to suffer shame, Nigerians ought to be embarrassed that their government has gone shopping for something as ordinary as cooking stoves in the guise of appearing to be doing something about a global problem. That it is just one of those brain-waves to enrich some powerful and connected fellows makes it terrible.

    Without any doubt, it seems to me one other instance when a well intended project has been hijacked by powerful forces. As a matter of fact, I discovered that the initiative actually belongs to the Federal Ministry of Environment under its  Renewable Energy Programme. The programme is said to be in fulfilment of the country’s obligation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and as part of African strategy on voluntary emission reduction. The big idea behind it, again I am further told, is to get citizens to move from extant practices of tree-felling for firewood and the use of other fossil fuels known to contribute to greenhouses gases in favour of cleaner and more efficient energy – laudable initiative  by any standards. In the hand of a contracto-crazy government, it has since been reduced to a grotesque scheme to fleece the treasury and/or to perpetrate capital flight!

    Part of the debauchery that governance has been reduced under the Jonathan administration is the current situation in which the weekly meetings of the Federal Executive Council have been reduced to mere clearing house for contracts. I recall Obiageli Ezekwesili, former education minister warning of the trend not too long ago when she noted: “The leaders of other nations spend their times thinking about vision, strategy and policy, the others spend their time haggling over contracts. It is time for FEC to let go of spending its time on mundane things.” If it seems any unflatering that our own FEC does pretty little else than dispense contracts these days, it is even worse than the matter is about a local household item that our local metal workers have long mastered the art of their production!

    I couldn’t agree more with the chairperson of Edo State Market Women Association, Blackie Omoregie as reported by the online medium, Premium Times, when she described the plan as a misplaced priority. Her words:  “what we need now most is uninterrupted electricity to ensure that women selling pure water, grinding pepper and others, using electricity are not forced into incurring extra expenses of purchasing fuel before they can transact their businesses, not cooking stove…I will also want to remind the Federal Government to stop importing what we can produce in Nigeria here, such as this cooking stove they are talking of. We can produce cooking stove in Nigeria, we don’t need to import it and N9.2 billion is a lot of money that can create jobs for our local manufacturers. So, if the Federal Government is bent on giving cooking stove to the rural women because election is coming, let it be produced here in Nigeria”.

    I have deliberately quote the Edo market women leader in great length if only to highlight the simple but elementary economics often lost on the leaders in their decision-making process.

    To get back to my earlier point about what makes the business stink. If it seems convinient for our government to go shopping abroad for solutions that can be found locally, we must constantly remind them that nothing in the global drive for clean cooking remotely suggests that home-grown solutions cannot be found. So, what’s PRODA and other research and development agencies doing if they cannot develop simple, affordable but wholly home-grown technologies for our rural folks? Of course, the choice of a foreign firm to execute the contract would appear deliberate; whoever thinks it is not does not understand how the minds of our officials work. That’s the way things are; precisely the way they are designed to work in our clime!

    By the way, where lies the urgency?  Surely, the debate about global warming did not start yesterday. It certainly would not end tomorrow – or in the next 12 weeks during which the contract is supposed to have been delivered. As if we do not know that the only thing urgent in the messy business is the elections barely 10 weeks away!