President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration will continue to keep the issue of reviving the Lake Chad on the front burner and exert more commitment from the developed countries to do the needful.

Buhari gave the assurance when he received the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and his investiture as Patron of the Foundation, at the State House, Abuja, on Friday, November 9, 2018.

The president said it was regrettable that the issue of the receding Lake Chad had not been addressed till recent times.

He said: ‘‘The problem of climate change is real. The desert encroachment is aggravating it. The population explosion in Nigeria is another big challenge.

‘‘The drying up of Lake Chad is a serious thing for Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin countries. Nigeria is much more affected because fishing, animal husbandry and farming are affected very seriously.

‘‘We are trying to prick the conscience of the developed countries that have the resources and the technology to quickly execute the inter-basin transfer from Congo Basin to Chad Basin.’’

President Buhari also welcomed the advocacy by the Foundation on the need to protect endangered plants and animals in the country.

To this end, the President directed the Federal Ministry of Environment to reflect this in its budgetary requirements in the next fiscal year.

He added that ‘‘the rate at which animals are being hunted and eliminated around the country, we must seriously give the forest reserves our support and attention as much as we can’’.

Earlier in his remarks, Alhaji Ahmed Joda, Member, Board of Trustees of the NCF, told the President that the nation’s wildlife was fast becoming extinct.

He added that, for more than 10 years, the rate of deforestation in Nigeria had been one of the highest in the world with the country losing close to 95 per cent of its original forest cover.

Joda thanked the President for placing great emphasis on environmental issues, especially the aspect of climate change, and invited him to take charge of “Greening Nigeria”.

He said: ‘‘We are all proud of the role that the Nigerian delegation headed by Mr President played during the climate change agreement in Paris and your single-minded determination to keep the issue in the front burner both at home and abroad.

‘‘Your Government has also recorded remarkable achievements in addressing soil erosion with about 60 projects executed by the Ecological Funds all over Nigeria.

‘‘This is not surprising when we remember that it was you, in your first coming as Head of State, that signed the first comprehensive law that addressed the protection of endangered plants and animals in Nigeria through the ‘Endangered Species Decree of 1985’.’’

By Ismaila Chafe

Switzerland has ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. It is the 60th Party to the Amendment.

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol aims to bring about a global phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are powerful greenhouse gases.

HFCs, used mainly in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment, are thousands of times more harmful to the climate than CO2. In response to the rapid growth of HFC emissions, the 197 parties to the Montreal Protocol adopted the Kigali Amendment in 2016 to reduce gradually their global production and consumption.

The Kigali Amendment was adopted by 197 parties meeting in the Rwandan capital on October 15, 2016. The amendment sees developed countries take the lead on phasing down HFCs, starting with a 10% reduction in 2019 and delivering an 85% cut in 2036 (compared to a 2011-2013 baseline).

Kigali has already reached the threshold to enter into force, having been ratified by the required 20 parties at the end of 2017.

“We encourage all Parties to the Montreal Protocol to take action on HFCs as soon as possible,” said Miguel Arias Cañete, the EU commissioner for climate action and energy. “Delivering on the Kigali commitments will play a vital role in our global efforts to tackle climate change, as well as driving innovation and creating new economic opportunities in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector.”

Global implementation of the Kigali Amendment would prevent up to 80 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent of emissions by 2050. This would make a significant contribution to the Paris Agreement objective of limiting the global temperature rise to well below 2°C.

Head of UN Environment, Erik Solheim, described the development as “absolutely critical to addressing climate change and rising temperatures around the world”.

“The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol can bring critical benefits to our planet by fighting global warming. The Kigali Amendment could avoid up to 0.50C of global warming by the end of the century while continuing to protect the ozone layer,” said the UN body.

The Kigali Amendment will enter into force on January 1, 2019.

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), a civil society organisation (CSO), has called for repair or removal of non-producing oil installations in the Niger Delta region.

Executive Director of CISLAC, Malam Auwal Ibrahim, made the call during a courtesy visit to Mr Peter Idabor, the Director-General, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), in Abuja on Friday, November 9, 2018.

Represented by Mr Salaudeen Hashim, the Senior Programme Officer of the centre, Ibrahim said the repair or removal of idle oil facilities was key in any environmental remediation.

The appeal comes ahead of the commencement of the much-awaited cleanup of Ogoni land in December.

‘‘Oil assets in the area still have the tendency of repoluting the environment when they are not serviced or decommissioned.

‘‘So, we believe that we need to strengthen collaboration and coordination, among agencies of government, toward the realisation of a successful remediation, restoration and rehabilitation of Ogoni land,’’ he said.

Ibrahim also said that getting multinational oil companies to properly handle their facilities in the region was part of an advocacy partnership deal that CISLAC was seeking with NOSDRA.

The proposed partnership is aimed primarily to support implementation of the United Nations Environment Prgramme (UNEP) report on the Niger Delta.

Under the proposed collaboration, the group is asking NOSDRA to institutionalise regular interface between the oil corporations operating in the region and CSOs.

‘‘The objective is to strengthen collaboration and coordination among agencies of government toward the realisation of a successful remediation, restoration and rehabilitation of Ogoni.

‘‘Such forum would enable stakeholders to further review remediation techniques, where necessary, and appraise the performance of the emergency measures to see where gaps exist and the available alternatives.

‘‘It would also support regular and objective feedback on what is happening and what needs to be done toward creating a safe and healthy Ogoni in particular and the Niger Delta in general.

‘‘NOSDRA can do this under its mandate of striking partnership with internal and external stakeholders, including multinational oil companies, private interest, communities and civil society groups,’’ he said.

Responding, Idabor lauded CISLAC for the idea which he said was a commendable departure from the antagonistic disposition of most CSOs to government.

Idabor said NOSDRA was willing to partner with CISLAC, noting however that the agency’s role in the Ogoni cleanup was mainly regulatory.

He immediately directed his officials to raise a three-man team to liase with CISLAC to work out the proposed partnership deal.

The NOSDRA boss sought the assistance of CSO in producing database of abandoned installations in the Niger Delta to guide the anticipated engagement with the companies concerned for necessary action.

By Harrison Arubu

African ministers of health and environment have agreed on a 10-year strategic plan to increase investment and accelerate joint health and environment priorities.

The “Strategic Action Plan to Scale Up Health and Environment Interventions in Africa 2019 – 2029 to the African Union” was adopted on Friday, November 9, 2018 at the closing of the Third Interministerial Conference on Health and Environment held in Libreville, the Gabonese capital, from November 6 to 9.

The Prime Minister of Gabon, Franck Emmanuel Issoze-Ngondet, said: “We must go further, particularly in terms of mobilising material and financial resources for the implementation of national plans, but also in terms of clarifying and sharing responsibilities.”

Nearly one in four premature deaths in Africa are linked to the environment and climate change threatens to increase the number of health emergencies and outbreaks in the coming years. African leaders have recognised the need for health and environment sectors to work together since the 2008 Libreville declaration and in 2010 the Luanda Declaration led to the creation of the Health and Environment Strategic Alliance, which is viewed as a pathmaker.

“The Health and Environment Strategic Alliance in Africa represents a powerful model of multisectoral partnership, which is exactly what we need to achieve the sustainable development goals,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General in a video message.

Ministers agreed to strengthen policy frameworks and institutional mechanisms for more integrated interventions as well as develop innovative platforms for funding, including more domestic resources allocated to joint actions on health and environment.

Rapid and unplanned urbanisation and industrialisation in Africa is increasing the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and stroke.

“We must act on air pollution, the biggest killer of humans that causes 7 million deaths annually on our planet. Governments, businesses and citizens are stepping up responses to pollution and environment degradation, but we need to do far more,” said Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

“There are inspiring examples across Africa. We must take the opportunity to share best practices and learn from each other. We need urgent, large scale and coordinated actions. We need to scale-up government and private sector investments. Together we can beat pollution and improve the health of our citizens,” he added.

Supported by the WHO, UNEP and development partners, the action plan can positively change the course of sustainable development in Africa, it was gathered.

“A penny saved today in avoiding the prevention of ill health, is a pound spent tomorrow on rising hospital bills, lost work days, and cleanup costs,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa. “We need a new business model based on an integrated approach to programming and service delivery.”

The economic cost of premature deaths from air pollution is estimated at $450 billion. The economic loss due to the lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation is estimated to be 5% of the region’s gross domestic product.

The return on investment in health and environment will have significant social and economic impact for Africa. For instance, the benefits from eliminating lead in gasoline on a global scale have been estimated at $2.45 trillion per year, saving an estimated one million premature deaths per year.

The Ministers at the conference called on the President of Gabon as host country to present the strategic action plan for endorsement by the African Union and the outcomes will provide invaluable inputs to the fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly to be held from March 11 to 15, 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya.