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Intensifying campaign against plastic pollution

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Intensifying campaign against plastic pollution

Environmentalists claim that million metric tonnes of plastic pollute the environment annually with little effort at making the world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on humans, animals, waterways, oceans and the environment.

Plastic pollution
Plastic pollution

An environmentalist, Mr Richard Inyamkume, therefore, calls on the government and other stakeholders to intensify campaign against plastic pollution in the country.

Inyamkume, Senior Programme Officer, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Initiative, a non-governmental organisation, said that government and other stakeholders needed to intensify campaign to change public attitude and behaviour towards the use and disposal of plastics.

He said that government and citizens should evolve practical strategies that would reduce the menace of plastic waste in communities.

“There are many ways of addressing environmental issues of this nature; one way is to raise advocacy that will change public attitudes and behaviour towards the use and disposal of plastics’’, he said.

Inyamkume said that other methods of tackling the environmental issue involved public activism and legislation.

“I believe in change of attitude as it can increase public consciousness about the impact of plastics on the environment, while prompting alternative considerations for the use of plastics in the country.

“A campaign against improper plastic waste disposal can begin in the home-setting before going into the streets; it should make high impact and encourage plastics re-use, re-cycling and substitution,’’ he said.

He, however, underscored the need for the citizens to understand their specific roles in the campaign for a plastics-free environment.

He noted that citizens should also be encouraged to organise regular community clean-up activities to clear plastic waste.

“Besides, government and policymakers ought to review national legislation and policies so as to discourage the production of single-use disposable plastic materials while encouraging the production and importation of environment-friendly products.

“The World Environmental Day is set to address plastic pollution which has been a serious environmental concern among other issues.

“Plastic pollution occurs where plastic materials are indiscriminately dumped in an area in such a way that it begins to impact negatively on the ecosystem,” he said.

He said that the global community was planning to achieve clean, sustainable and pollution-free cities by 2030 and as such, efforts were underway to address plastic pollution.

Inyamkume observed that plastic pollution in Nigeria was increasing due to the proliferation of plastics producing factories and a corresponding increase in the demand for plastic materials by the public.

“There ought to be enough public awareness or sensitisation on the proper methods of disposing of plastics to prevent its consequences such as plastic pollution mostly in urban and commercial areas.

“Dumped plastic bags, water bottles, straws, cups, utensils, dry cleaning bags, take-away containers and disposable plastic materials constitute.

“If not properly managed, plastic waste could affect life on land and in oceans or rivers; and as a concerned environmentalist, I think there is need for concerted efforts to address plastic pollution globally,’’ he said.

In his view, Mr David Michael, the Executive Director, Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation, a non-governmental organisation, called for a total ban on single-use plastics if they could not be re-used or re-cycled.

He said that because plastic pollution had been a serious environmental menace all over the world, the organisation decided to organise the neighbourhood clean-up, in collaboration with the students of Government Secondary School, Jabi, Abuja, to sensitise the students to the importance of managing used plastic materials.

“Plastics here in the Jabi community run off to Jabi Lake. If you see the quantity of plastics in Jabi Lake, you will never believe it.

“That is why we chose this community that is very close to Jabi Lake because all the wastes of the residents flow to the lake; we want the students to understand that it is important to dispose of waste efficiently.

“We are also saying that you can re-use any plastic materials because single-use plastic materials are contaminating the environment.

“We are advocating for a total ban of single use of plastic materials in Nigeria because plastics do not decay; they remain in the soil, river and ocean for years,’’ he said.

Michael also urged producers of plastic packages to use bio-degradable materials such as paper bags and leaf to package consumables.

He said that the production of paper bags would boost people’s interest in tree planting, while creating jobs for chemical engineers and other Nigerians.

Miss Clara Okpala, a student of Government Secondary School, Jabi, underscored the need to ban the production and utilisation of single-use plastics because whenever plastic waste got into rivers, it harmed and killed the fish and other marine creatures.

Martins Obi, another student of the school, said that plastic waste, because of its inability to decompose, often blocked water channels, thereby causing floods which displaced people from their homes.

In the same vein, Oyedepo Joshua, a student of Government Science and Technical College, Garki, said that the re-use of plastics would assist in the efforts to address plastic pollution in the country.

Similarly, Master Vincent Davies, a student of Model Secondary School, Maitama, called for the erection of waste bin stands to promote healthy environment.

Davies said that indiscriminate dumping of used nylon and plastics had been rampant on the school premises.

Expressing concern about plastic pollution, Mr Sunday Agbontaen, the Head of Reservoir and Production Department, FCT Water Board Lower Usuma Dam, said that the dam was spending additional cost to evacuate the pollutants embedded by the side of the dam.

Agbontaen, nonetheless, said that a new plant would be designed to address the emerging pollutants such as plastics, steels and other pollutant substances.

According to him, pollutants coming from Mpape community of Abuja have increased the cost of water treatment.

“But all the same, that is why we have the treatment plant to eliminate the pollutants in the water.

“That is why when the water comes in, even at the catchment area up the Mpape zone, we monitor the water quality.

“When it comes to the plant, we also monitor non-water quality. That will now give us the standard of what type of treatment the water will go through.

“So, in the treatment process, we will be able to understand that this amount of pollutant is higher in the water.

“We need the number of chemicals to treat it in accordance to World Health Organisation and Nigeria Standard Organisation,’’ he said.

Giving an insight to government’s commitment to ridding Nigeria of plastic wastes, Alhaji Ibrahim Jibril, the immediate past Minister of State for Environment, said that the Federal Government was working on a national policy on plastic waste management.

Jibril said that the policy was to regulate use and disposal of plastic waste in the country, noting that the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with critical stakeholders had also developed a national strategy for the phase-out of non-bio-gradable plastics.

According to him, the ministry is also developing a national plastic waste recycling programme, to establish plastic waste recycling plants across the country in partnership with state governments.

“At present, a total of eight plants have already been completed and handed over to the states while 18 others are at various stages of completion.

“In addition, the Federal Government is also collaborating with state governments to establish plastic waste recycling plants on the platform of community-based waste management programme in the ministry.

“Two plants have been completed in Ilorin, one in Lokoja, while work on another is ongoing in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Bola Jari in Gombe State and Leda Jari in Kano State,’’ Jibril said.

He also said that the establishment of the plants would assist to turn waste to wealth and ensure the sustainability of the environment.

The minister, therefore, solicited the support of the media to educate Nigerians on the effects of plastic pollution and the need to reduce, reuse and recycle plastics.

By Deji Abdulwahab

Adopting ‘Clean India’ strategy in Nigeria’s anti-open defecation campaign

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Adopting ‘Clean India’ strategy in Nigeria’s anti-open defecation campaign

As part of efforts to boost India’s campaign against open defecation and its sanitation coverage, Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the “Swachh Bharat’’ Mission on Oct. 2, 2014.

suleiman adamu kazaure
Suleiman Adamu Kazaure, Water Resources Minister

The five-year “Swachh Bharat’’ (Clean India) project was conceived and executed as a fitting tribute to India’s founding father, Mahatma Gandhi, on his 150th birth anniversary.

Since the inception of the “Swachh Bharat’’ project, over 9,13,74,190 household toilets have been constructed across the Asian country.

Current statistics indicate that 27, out of the 29 states of India, are now Open Defecation-Free (ODF), with no fewer than 540,860 ODF communities.

Stakeholders in the environment sector, therefore, believe that Nigeria’s anti- open defecation campaign will be more successful and purposeful if the country can adopt strategies that are akin to those of the “Clean India’’ mission.

A major feature of the Indian anti-open defecation campaign entails the construction of household and community toilets as well as the establishment of a good mechanism for monitoring toilet use.

With a population of 182 million, Nigeria is Africa’s largest country and one of the fastest-growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa. On the economic front, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has quadrupled between 2005 and 2015.

Experts, nonetheless, moan that the rapid economic growth of Nigeria has not translated into rapid poverty reduction, thereby making the nation to lag in the accumulation of physical and human capital, even as poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services remains a big challenge.

It is, however, true that the whole sub-Saharan Africa region has limited access to WASH services, but the experts insist that Nigeria’s levels of access lag far behind those of other peer countries.

According to them, this is because 57 million people in Nigeria continue to live without access to improved water supply, while 130 million people rely on unimproved sanitation facilities.

Alarmingly, a large body of evidence suggests that limited or no access to WASH services has several damaging effects on human development outcomes.

For instance, it adversely affects individuals’ health, limits their access to educational and economic opportunities, while hampering their work efficiency and productivity.

The situation has somewhat compelled stakeholders to declare that Nigeria’s sanitation sector is in a precarious state, as the country has failed to meet the sanitation targets of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), thus witnessing an overall decline in access to improved sanitation.

The National Action Plan for Revitalisation of Nigeria’s WASH Sector reveals that at the national level, there has been a decrease of 9 percentage points in access to improved sanitation.

The plan states that access to improved sanitation decreased from 38 per cent in 1990 to 29 percent in 2015, while the people’s access to improved sanitation in urban and rural neighbourhoods, which both stood at 38 percent in 1990, decreased to 33 percent in urban areas and 25 percent in rural areas in 2015.

“Approximately 46 million Nigerians — 25 percent of the country’s population — practise open defecation.

“At the national level, open defecation rates remained relatively stable, with an increase of 1 percentage point during the 25-year period.

“However, open defecation more than doubled in urban areas — from 7 per cent in 1990 to 15 percent in 2015,’’ the document said.

These alarming statistics, perhaps, compelled President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the WASH sector on Nov. 8, 2018, as part of calculated efforts to galvanise action and investments in the sector.

The declaration comes amid rising concerns that Nigeria has been falling behind, in terms of the citizens’ access to water and sanitation.

“The declaration means that there is political will, at the highest level, to commit more investment and encourage the states – the main targets of the initiative — to follow suit and prioritise WASH projects,” Buhari said at the launch of the action plan.

The Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, said that the state of emergency, which was expected to last for 18 months, signalled the onset of a 13-year National WASH Action Plan.

He warned that if India was able to exit from its number one position among countries practising open defecation by the middle of 2019, it would be a “national shame” for Nigeria to still remain on the list of those countries.

“I was in India recently and the country has been mobilised on the issues of sanitation and open defecation. It is a civil responsibility on all of us.

“Three years ago, only 40 per cent of Indians were using toilets; now, 95 per cent of Indians are practising full sanitation practices.

“They have not only stopped to defecate in the open, they are also re-cycling their waste products; they have undergone a lot of transformation within three years.

“In the last three years, they have built 80 million toilets; we need this kind of quantum leap in our country.

“By next year (2019), wherever you go in the world, you may hear that Nigeria is number one among open defecation countries, and that is a national shame which we must not allow to happen,’’ he said.

The minister, however, said that the Federal Government would soon enter technical cooperation with India to address the Nigerian situation.

He described the recent launch of the National Action Plan for Revitalisation of the WASH Sector by President Buhari as a new beginning in the country’s efforts to attain an open defecation-free status.

Adamu noted that the action plan would bring about purposeful collaboration in all activities aimed at boosting access to potable water, sanitation and hygiene for all Nigerians, with a renewed commitment towards achieving open defecation free nation by 2025.

“If this is not done, we stand the chance of taking the centre-stage of open defecation countries when India would have exited by mid-2019,” he said.

Besides, the minister said that the Federal Government was setting up a WASH Fund to pool and increase resources for the WASH sector and the funding of WASH projects.

He underscored the need for greater collaboration with the private sector so as to improve performance, insisting that the federal and state governments could not do it alone.

Nevertheless, Mr Zaid Jurji, Chief of WASH for UNICEF, said that 122,000 Nigerians, including 87,000 children below the age of five years, died from diarrhoea every year; blaming nearly 90 per cent of the deaths on the dearth of WASH facilities.

“Without toilets, the people are left with the option of defecating in the open, an act that leads to exposure to diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, viral hepatitis, typhoid, polio and dysentery,’’ he said.

He urged the Federal Government to accomplish the goals of its action plan on the WASH sector by increasing its budget for the water and sanitation sector.

Jurji pledged that UNICEF would continue to support those projects that were particularly targeted at reaching underserved communities across the country.

Similarly, Dr Priscilla Achakpa, the National Coordinator, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaboration Council (WSSCC) Nigeria, said that the government at all levels should show pragmatic commitment to executing the action plan on the WASH sector.

According to her, Nigeria, being a signatory to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), must ensure that it demonstrates enough political will to change the current narratives on its WASH sector.

Sharing similar sentiments, Dr Aniagolu-Okoye, the Country Director of WaterAid, underscored the need for the government to demonstrate a strong political will in efforts to address the water and sanitation crises facing Nigerians.

“With one in three Nigerians without clean water, and two in three Nigerians without decent household sanitation, our expectation is that state governments will follow suit by developing action plans to address the water and sanitation crises in their respective states.”

She said that poor sanitation was estimated to have cost affected countries the equivalent of 0.9 per cent of their GDP and “in Nigeria, this amounts to $3.38 billion a year.’’

All in all, experts believe that Nigeria can improve the health, education and economic outcomes for its poor and vulnerable populations via a purposeful implementation of the National Action Plan for the Revitalisation of the WASH Sector.

They insist that several countries have demonstrated the fact that the adoption of pragmatic plans to expand the people’s access to improved WASH facilities would inevitably boost the living standards of the citizens.

They, therefore, urge the government to invest more resources in promoting the wellbeing of its citizens – the greatest asset of the country. 

By Tosin Kolade, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Environmentalist harps on carbon neutrality to mitigate climate change

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Environmentalist harps on carbon neutrality to mitigate climate change

An environmentalist, Miss Gloria Bulus, has harped on the need to practice carbon neutrality to mitigate climate change issues in the country.

Gloria Bulus
Gloria Bulus

Bulus, founder of Bridge-that-Gap Initiative, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday, January 3, 2019 in Lagos.

Carbon Neutrality is acting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero, and then offsetting an equivalent amount of any remaining emissions.

It is used in the context of carbon dioxide releasing processes associated with transportation, energy production, and industrial processes such as production of carbon neutral fuel.

The environmentalist said that carbon neutral environment required concerted effort of the government and all environmental stakeholders.

“Being carbon neutral allows individuals, groups, and organisation to be actively part of climate change solution.

“If we can see and understand the need to protect our environment by changing our lifestyles by reducing our carbon footprint, then we can achieve a carbon neutral environment.

“To achieve climate neutrality there must be an understanding of what it means, its impact and solutions.

“It requires cooperation from individuals, organisations, government and even political will,” she told NAN.

Bulus also harped on the role of sensitisation and advocacy to achieve a carbon neutral environment.

“Carbon neutrality can be achieved by individual conscious of the need to mitigate climate change.

“This can be built through sensitisation, awareness, and advocacy campaigns.

“The government can also help achieve this through implementation of relevant environmental laws and policies.

“Environmental regulatory bodies still have so much to do. We still have a lot to learn in terms of environmental protection.

“The impact of such bodies needs to be felt and seen at all levels, the mass media, civil societies and the government must build a coalition for the purpose of a carbon neutral country,” Bulus said.

The environmentalist also highlighted the benefits of a carbon neutral country, adding: “Zero carbon footprint helps mitigate climate change impacts and build environmental protection.’’

“Its contribution directly to water resources will improve its quality and promoting sustainable use.

“Carbon neutrality practice will promote environmentally responsible companies, sustainable agriculture, reduction of air and land pollution and biodiversity.

“These are some of the reasons that stir up our action against climate change,” she said.

By Mercy Omoike

WFP secures $7m from China for food aid in South Sudan

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WFP secures $7m from China for food aid in South Sudan

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said it has received $7 million contribution from China to bolster its food and nutrition assistance in South Sudan where some five million people are food insecure.

Adnan Khan
Adnan Khan, WFP country director in South Sudan

Adnan Khan, WFP country director in South Sudan, said in a statement on Thursday, January 3, 2019 that the contribution would enable UN food agency to purchase rice, pulses and other commodities.

Khan noted that it will also be used to provide school meals and general food rations to over 126,000 people in areas most affected by conflict and food insecurity.

He said the Chinese contribution came at a critical time when WFP is appealing for more resources to respond to increasing needs.

“In particular, the support to our school meals activity is an invaluable investment in the next generation and the country’s overall development,’’ he added.

WFP South Sudan said it urgently required $179 million to ensure continued assistance for the first six months of 2019 and allocate food in remote locations that are cut off during the rainy season.

“WFP notes with appreciation that China’s support to its operations has grown significantly in recent years.

“With Chinese contributions in 2015 and 2017, WFP in South Sudan was able to purchase about 4,600 metric tons of food that covered emergency food rations to about 290,000 people,’’ the UN agency said.

He Xiangdong, Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan, said Beijing would stand with the people of South Sudan at this time of food crisis.

“This new contribution is part of our commitment to support the efforts by the government of South Sudan and humanitarian agencies to provide adequate food to South Sudanese facing hunger,’’ He said.

The UN agency said it supported about five million crisis-affected and vulnerable people in South Sudan in 2018 with 259,000 metric tonnes of food and $24.5 million in cash transfers.

Mozambique launches contingency plan against water-borne diseases

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Mozambique launches contingency plan against water-borne diseases

Mozambican health authorities on Thursday, January 3, 2019 in Maputo launched a contingency plan to prevent water-borne diseases particularly cholera, by activating treatment centres and awareness campaigns as the second rainy season began in January.

Filipe Nyusi
Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique

Sheila Castro, the Chief Medical Officer of the Maputo City Health Directorate, made the disclosure.

“We have started with campaigns in different neighbourhoods, particularly those where cases of cholera are common, to inform community members about the need and importance to observe individual and collective hygiene practices to avoid the disease,” Castro said.

The sensitisation campaigns are a continuation of a process initiated in September 2018 before the first rainy season, and health authorities have currently activated eight health units ready to respond to water-borne diseases.

The medical officer said medical staff were fully on alert and there were enough medicines for three months in case of an outbreak.

The preventive methods are supported by international organisations such as UNICEF and WHO. 

U.S. Government shutdown closes portions of California National Parks

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U.S. Government shutdown closes portions of California National Parks

Officials have announced that they are closing sections of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks because of the partial shutdown of the Federal Government.

Sequoia National Park
The Sequoia National Park

The announcement, made earlier, follows a similar closure announced for Joshua Tree National Park.

In both cases, park officials said the government shutdown has prevented them from maintaining conditions that are safe for park visitors.

In Sequoia and Kings Canyon, about 250 miles North of Los Angeles, furloughed park employees have been unable to maintain the safety of roads and certain walking paths in winter conditions.

In Joshua Tree, 209 kilometres east of Los Angeles, workers have been unable to empty vault toilets, which are near capacity.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon officials said that they had closed the Generals Highway at Hospital Rock.

The closure extends through Giant Forest and Lodge pole, through to Lost Grove.

“Trash receptacles are overflowing, resulting in litter dispersal throughout the area and a threat to wildlife,’’ the park service said in a news release.

“Vehicular congestion, motor vehicle accidents, and icy roadways have led to up to three-hour delays on the Generals Highway.’’

Popular walking paths have also become more hazardous: “The Grant Tree Trail, normally minimally maintained by sanding, has become extraordinarily slick.

The ice and snow have become compressed, glazed because of heavy traffic, causing multiple falls and at least one injury.’’

The park service said some privately-operated facilities in these areas would also have to close.

“It is likely these closures will remain in effect for the duration of the government shutdown,’’ the agency said in a release.

To be sure, areas of the parks would be closed anyway because of winter weather conditions.

Cedar Grove Lodge and Bearpaw High Sierra Camp fall into this category, as does the mountain road linking the two parks.

The lodges that would normally remain open have tried to remain so.

Their employees are not directly affected by the government shutdown because they work for a private company.

But visitor centres are closed, and roadside facilities are not being maintained.

At the privately run Wuksachi Lodge, a manager of the off-site reservation centre said that the park service was allowing guests to stay at the lodge through Tuesday, January 1, 2019 but on Wednesday the lodge would close.

In the meantime, guests were not allowed to hike on nearby trails.

As of Tuesday, John Muir Lodge and some of the Grant Grove cabins in Kings Canyon were to remain open.

The status of all facilities would be reviewed on a day-to-day basis, said the manager, who requested anonymity because the person was not authorised to speak on behalf of the park or the private operator.

The partial shutdown is the result of a standoff between President Trump and Congress over the federal budget.

The bad political weather in Washington has wreaked havoc in the economy surrounding the parks, said Nicky French, owner of Buckaroo Diner and the Ol’ Buckaroo food truck in nearby Three Rivers. She called the situation “chaos.’’

“All of the services that go into maintaining public land are not being done,’’ French said.

Some tourists who were unaware of the shutdown have tried driving into the park on icy roads and quickly turned around.

Others are canceling Airbnb reservations and other accommodations.

“The town has lost thousands and thousands of dollars. “It’s a very small economy, and it’s an economy that relies on tourism,’’ French said.

To the south, in Joshua Tree, campgrounds will close at noon on Wednesday.

Officials say they are basing the closure on health and safety concerns.

The park’s vault toilets are near capacity. Also, park visitor centres, flush toilets, water-filling stations and dump stations are all closed because of the shutdown.

NEWMAP spends N100m to conserve forest reserve in Gombe

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NEWMAP spends N100m to conserve forest reserve in Gombe

Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) says it has spent N100 million to conserve the forest reserve in Kanawa Village of Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State.

Salisu Dahiru Newmap
Salisu Dahiru, National Project Coordinator of NEWMAP

Malam Mohammed Garba, Project Coordinator NEWMAP, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe, the state capital, on Wednesday, January 2, 2019.

He said the 64 hectares of the forest reserve was fenced and three solar power boreholes were constructed for the purpose of water supply into the plantation.

Garba said the forest which was gazetted by the defunct government of northern region Kaduna in 1953 was being encroached before NEWMAP came to conserve it.

“We have spent N100 million to fence the 64 hectares of the forest aimed at conserving the endangered species,” he said

He said they had also employed some people, paying them to look after the reserve.

He said higher institutions of learning in the country had started visiting the place to conduct researches on the diversities of the trees.

For example, he said NEWMAP had collaboration with University of Jos, with the university advising them on the kind of trees to plant.

The coordinator said NEWMAP would be monitoring the reserve for the next one year before handling it over to the Gombe State Ministry of Environment for proper use.

Mr Zebulon Wasa, state Commissioner Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said the state government had a plan of converting the forest into a resort.

NEWMAP is a World Bank-assisted project of the Federal Ministry of Environment.

By Hajara Leman

Group tags bamboo ‘the forgotten climate solution’

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Group tags bamboo ‘the forgotten climate solution’

The International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR) has said that bamboo has huge potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Bamboo house
Bamboo housing

Director general of INBAR, Hans Friederich, made the disclosure in December 2018 at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland, where the organisation promoted the use of bamboo and rattan as existing solutions to climate change, environmental degradation and poverty.

According to INBAR, natural climate solutions can deliver over 35% of cost-effective carbon dioxide mitigation needed by 2030, but that they are a critically overlooked part of most climate change discussions.

“There are over 30 million hectares of bamboo spread across the world – this plant is truly a source of ‘green gold’ for developing countries, and we are urging everyone at COP24 to ‘think bamboo; in their climate action plans,” says Friederich.

Referring to the product as “the forgotten climate solution”, he discloses that bamboo acts as a sustainable, low-carbon alternative to timber, PVC, aluminium and concrete. Fast growing and quick to mature, bamboo can be used to make an increasing number of heavy-duty materials such as pipes, scaffolding and housing.

“Bamboo plants and products can also store more carbon than certain species of tree: new research shows they can sequester up to 630 tonnes of carbon per hectare,” Friederich notes, adding that bamboo renewable energy is being used to reduce deforestation across parts of Asia and Africa.

According to him, bamboo provides a year-round, climate-resilient form of income for millions of people around the world, including almost 10 million people in China alone. Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Patricia Espinosa, had earlier in 2018 spoken about the importance of bamboo for low-carbon development, saying: “Bamboo can make an important difference to the fight against climate change.”

Because they are naturally occurring and used for a wide range of durable products, Espinosa added: “Nature-based solutions like bamboo do not just contribute to sustainable development, they also help build the kind of world we want.”

World Bank, Canada, UK to assist countries in transition from coal

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World Bank, Canada, UK to assist countries in transition from coal

The World Bank, Canada and the United Kingdom have announced financial, technical and advisory support for developing countries that have decided to transition away from coal and accelerate the uptake of cleaner sources of energy.

Jim Yong Kim
World Bank Group President, Jim Yong Kim

The disclosure was made in Katowice during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) that held in December 2018 in Poland.

The Canadian government pledged up to CAD $275 million to fund the Energy Transition and Coal Phase-Out Programme. The funding, it was gathered, will help developing countries in Asia to slow coal production while scaling up energy efficiency and low-carbon energy alternatives.

At the same time, the UK government pledges £20 milion to the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP), a global knowledge and technical assistance programme administered by the World Bank to help low- and middle-income countries implement environmentally sustainable energy solutions.

Both these programmes will support the deployment of solar and battery storage, geothermal and offshore wind development, coal plant closure, and improvement in energy efficiency, particularly in buildings and cooling.

With the new financial support from Canada and the UK, the World Bank will also expand its work to help countries that have made the decision to transition away from coal, close mines and address the resulting socio-economic impacts on workers and communities. This means taking steps to protect jobs and skills and preserve the environment, including through strong social safety nets for coal mine workers and the reclamation and repurposing of coal mine areas.

In conjunction with COP24 in Poland, the World Bank launched a new report titled: “Managing Coal Mine Closure: Achieving a Just Transition for All”, which outlines the lessons learned from coal mine closures to date, and key steps governments can take to minimise social conflict and economic distress.

The report shows that the socio-economic impacts of coalmine closures are significant, with some coal-dependent regions continuing to lag socially and economically. However, countries can achieve a “Just Transition for All” through early engagement and dialogue and strong social assistance programmes for workers, families and communities.

Governments, says the report, play a leading role in this transition, bearing the cost of physical closure of mines and labour transition programmes, even when coal mines are privately owned. It adds that while many coal mining areas are unable to create new job opportunities, governments can implement labour mobility schemes, enabling coal mining communities to move to areas with strong economies and new job prospects.

Because the coal mine industry has shifted from West to East, future coal mine closures and associated job losses will be concentrated in Asia, with the top three global coal producers – China, India and Indonesia – the most affected, projects the report.

Senior Director and head of the Energy and Extractives Global Practice of the World Bank, Riccardo Puliti, says: “Our focus is on human dimension and helping countries accelerate the energy transition. A Just Transition for All means people’s livelihoods and communities need to be protected and that requires a carefully managed, sustained, longterm approach. Governments must prepare well in advance of any coal mine closures, implementing strong safety nets for workers ahead of job losses.”

Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna: “Countries need to phase out coal if we are to meet our Paris Agreement targets. Pollution from coal has major repaercussions on climate change, on our health, and on people. People need to be at the heart of our policies to tackle climate change. We know we have to phase out coal in a way that supports coal workers and coal communities, because the transition is not always easy. By working together, we can cut emissions and make sure people have good job opportunities in the future clean economy.”

The UK’s Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, Claire Perry: “The UK and Canada have truly led the world in powering past coal, with the UK going more than 1,700 hours without coal this year. But climate change is a global problem, which requires a united response. This World bank fund, backed by £20 million from the UK Government, will allow world-leading expertise to be shared globally to encourage developing countries to move away from coal power and embrace renewable energy, helping them to save the planet while giving their economies a vital boost.”

NEWMAP plants 38,000 species of trees in Gombe

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NEWMAP plants 38,000 species of trees in Gombe

The Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) says it planted 38,000 different species of trees on 180 hectares of land in eight local government areas of Gombe State in 2018.

Tree-Planter
Tree planting

Malam Mohammed Garba, the Project Coordinator, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Wednesday, January 2, 2019 that the World Bank assisted project of the Federal Ministry of Environment planted woodlots and orchards in the eight LGAs.

Garba said that the objective of the project was to address the problem of environmental degradation in the LGAs.

The project coordinator listed the eight local government areas covered as Billiri, Kaltungo, Shongom, Kwami, Nafada, Funakaye, Dukku and Yamaltu-Deba.

According to him, NEWMAP started with the eight local government areas because they are the most vulnerable.

He said that the environmental degradation in the state were mostly due to human factors and could be controlled by free planting.

“This is because if the soil is too much exposed, other aspects of erosion can come thereby leading to environmental degradation,” Garba said.

He said that NEWMAP had also constructed boreholes across the local governments where the trees were planted to ensure that they thrived and achieved the purpose for their cultivation.

The coordinator said that the agency also undertook sensitisation of the people in the council areas on the need for appropriate waste disposal to avert the devastating effect of flooding.

Garba said that one of the major challenges NEWMAP encountered with execution of the project was acquisition of land in LGAs of the state.

He made an appeal to people and the authorities concerned to cooperate with the agency in its execution and implementation of the project.

The project coordinator said that in year 2018, NEWMAP supported Gombe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) with rescue materials and organised manpower training for officials of the state Ministry of Environment. 

By Hajara Leman

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