All junior schools in New Delhi, India were closed on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 and health warnings were issued for the sick and elderly as pollution remained at hazardously high levels for the second day.
New Delhi is ranked as among the most polluted cities in the world
The air quality index that measures the concentration of poisonous particulate matter in the air was at a “severe” level of 471, where the maximum reading is 500.
Any air quality index above 400 is considered unhealthy by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Thick brown smog hung over the city with residents reporting smarting in the eyes and irritation in the nose and throat.
Following Delhi government orders, primary schools were closed and no outdoor activities including morning assemblies were permitted for older pupils.
As the Indian Medical Association declared a public health emergency, authorities issued an advisory for “high-risk” groups like the elderly, heart and asthma patients to take care and avoid morning or evening walks.
Domestic media reported the level of pollution was 25 times the international safe limits, in certain areas; equal to smoking 50 cigarettes a day.
Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, said the hazardous air pollution was due to crop stubble burning by farmers in neighbouring states and he had contacted authorities to address the situation.
Experts expect the next few days to be as bad since calm wind conditions and high humidity were leading to an accumulation of pollutants.
Delhi has been ranked among the top polluted cities in the world in recent years, but efforts to check the worsening air quality have not worked so far.
President of Nigerian Meteorological Society (NMetS), Prof. Clement Akosile, on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 said the intense heat being experienced after rainfall was caused by sun ray reaching the ground.
Above-danger heat stress: A man cools off amid searing heat wave
Akosile said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He gave the explanation following intense heat being experienced after downpour in Lagos.
He said “dust is already coming from the North and beyond and is still travelling South until it gets to the coast.
“It is still raining in the South because the South is by the ocean, unlike in the Middle Belt and the far North.
“When water is polarising, it comes more from the Ocean.
“The heat after rain is because air washes off the dust, allowing sun ray to reach ground.
“It then becomes intense after the rain has cooled the ground.
“For now, it is still raining in the South but far North is dry because of the ocean but very soon, the rain will stop in the South too.”
The NMetS president said the weather variations would have adverse effects on plants in the Middle Belt and far North of the country.
He added that while plants in the Middle Belt would be stressed, other plants with long roots and were able to tap water underground would survive in the far North.
He explained that plants in the South would still have water as the rate of evaporation was not high yet.
He said that the heavy rainfall causing flooding depended on whether the water was absorbed rapidly and if the water passages were blocked.
Akosile said the amount of rain that fell per unit time determine whether there would be flood or not.
He also said that water-borne diseases could increase because dirt that littered the streets solidify
and block the drains.
“And very soon, bush burning would increase in the Middle Belt which would further dry up the ground, while heat-related illnesses would be prevalent in the North,” he added.
An Energy and Environmental expert, Prof. Adeola Adenikiju, on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 lauded the Federal Government’s commitment to cleaning up Ogoni land.
Fishermen sort out their fishing net at the bank of a polluted river in Bidere community in Ogoni land in the Niger Delta region. Photo credit: REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye
Adenikiju, a former President of the Nigeria Association of Energy Economics, gave the thumbs up in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
“I commend the effort of the government to clean up the area.
“The Ogoni’s cleanup will give more credence to the government both locally and internationally,’’ he said.
Ogoni is reported to have almost 3,000 oil spills during a 15-year period from 1976 to 1991, bringing untold hardships on the people of the area.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday reaffirmed government commitment to the clean-up in an N8.612 trillion appropriation presented to a joint session of the National Assembly.
The president said the government had engaged eight international and local companies, proposing different technologies for the mandate.
To enable it chose the best technology for the remediation work, the companies were asked to perform demonstration clean up in four local government areas of Ogoni.
Buhari said although the cleanup would be funded by International Oil Companies, provision was made in the 2018 budget for costs of oversight and governance to ensure effective implementation.
Tagged Budget of Consolidation, the budget has an increase of 16 per cent compared to that of 2017 which was 7.298 trillion.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari has approved N5.567 billion for the 3rd Quarter Soil Erosion Control Accelerated Intervention in six states.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, disclosed this when he briefed State House correspondents on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 in Abuja.
Adesina conducted briefing alongside Minister of Agriculture, Mr Audu Ogbeh, as well as the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika.
He gave the names of the benefiting states as Kano, Bayelsa, Sokoto, Ondo, Osun and Enugu state.
Ogbeh revealed that the Council approved N165 million for the production of improved 30,000 tonnes of foundation seeds for maize by the Institute of Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Ogbeh also disclosed the council discussed the menace of food smuggling along unauthorised and illegal routes in the country, saying that five billion dollars was being lost to smugglers by the country, annually.
Sirika told the correspondents that the Council also approved the Bilateral Air Service Agreement between Nigeria and Canada.
In an effort to raise awareness of the importance of planning in their communities, settlement development practitioners on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 are engaging in numerous activities on the occasion of the World Town Planning Day.
Luka Achi, President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP)
Also known as World Urbanism Day, the World Town Planning Day is characterised by planning associations and academic institutions organising special educational sessions on topics relevant to planning in a local and global context.
According to David Olawale, Public Relations Secretary of the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Lagos NITP will join the rest of the world in celebrating the event.
He disclosed that, on Wednesday, November 8, State Chapter Chairman, Kunle Salami, would address a press conference at the Lagos NITP Secretariat at Alausa, and that, on Saturday, November 11, members of the State Chapter and students of urban and regional planning in Lagos State within the Ikeja area would embark on a City Walk.
“The purpose of the City Walk is to meet with the public to publicise and project the town planning profession through the distribution of colourful fliers on services of a registered and qualified town planner,” Olawale said.
In Osun State, Abiodun Olajide of Osun NITP stated that, on Wednesday, all NITP members and other stakeholders would converge on the Old Garage / Freedom Park in Osogbo for a City Walk that will traverse Olaiya, Abeere, Governors’ Office and the NITP Secretariat.
On the same day, the Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning in the company of members of Osun NITP will be on a live TV show at OSBC, Oke-Baale, Osogbo.
As part of the World Town Planning Day 2017, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) in the United Kingdom has launched a competition for school children, while the American Planning Association (APA) in the US will feature online multimedia resources focusing on this year’s theme.
The lectures and discussions will address the application of the SDGs and NUA across different geographic levels, sectors, and contexts, including planning for livable communities for all ages, environmental planning at the regional and territorial level, and cultural heritage planning for resilience.
The World Town Planning Day was initiated in 1949 by the late Professor Carlos Maria della Paolera of the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina to advance public and professional interest in planning, both locally and abroad. The event is celebrated in 30 countries on four continents each November 8.
It is considered a special day to give special recognition to the ideals of community planning which bring professional planners and the general public together. The World Town Planning Day, it was gathered, presents an opportunity to look at planning from a global perspective.
The Nigeria National Parks Service has cautioned members of the public against bush burning in and around parks across the country to protect wildlife and vegetation.
Alhaji Ibrahim Goni, Conservator-General of the National Park Service
Alhaji Ibrahim Goni, the Conservator-General of the Service, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, November 7, 2017.
Goni said it had become imperative to warn members of the public, following the onset of harmattan season.
To this end, he said that the service would embark on a nationwide campaign against bush burning in and around the parks during the dry season.
According to him, some people including herdsmen deliberately set fire around wild parks in a bid to get fresh fodder for their animals.
“They do this to enable them access Savannah land to influence early regeneration for their animals.
“We also have incidences where people embark on either individual hunting or communal hunting and set the bush on fire to drive out animals so they can capture or kill them.
“Each time you burn the bush or set vegetation on fire, even a standing rock will be weakened, so you are not only burning the grasses, you are destroying the soil nutrients.
“It also leads to air pollution and increases the carbon content in the atmosphere; and when this happens the ozone layer is destroyed, so you increase the intensity of the heat on the earth.’’
Goni, however, said that the National Parks Service had put some measures in place to guard against bush burning at its parks across the country.
The conservator-general listed some of the measures to include the clearing of boundaries around the parks.
“We ensure that immediately after the raining season, we embark on boundary clearing, and have graders run across the boundary to create ridges of about six metres wide.
“This we consider as a fire breaker so that when fire is set outside of our parks, the fire cannot penetrate our parks.’’
He said that as part of efforts to further protect wildlife and vegetation at the parks, the service would soon establish a fire fighting unit, adding that it would collaborate with the National Fire Service.
According to him, the unit will be adequately equipped to enable it respond swiftly to any fire incidents at the parks’’.
NAN reports that the concept of National Parks was first introduced in 1979 by Olusegun Obasanjo.
The objectives of the parks include the conservation of selective and representative samples of wildlife communities in Nigeria, and the establishment of an ecologically and geographically balanced network of protected areas under the jurisdiction and control of the Federal Government.
Others are the protection of endangered species of wild plants and animals and their habitats, and the conservation of wildlife throughout Nigeria so that the abundance and diversity of their species are maintained at the optimum level commensurate with other forms of land use, in order to ensure the continued existence of wildlife for the purpose of their sustainable utilisation for the benefit of the people among others.
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 acknowledged the need for energy efficiency, adding that it is continuously researching and adopting cleaner energy technologies in order to improve the environmental impact of oil production and use.
OPEC Secretary-General, Mohammad Barkindo. Photo credit: REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader
OPEC, in its annual oil outlook, said: “In terms of climate change…
“We recognise the need to use energy efficiently and to continually look to develop and adopt cleaner energy technologies in the future, such as carbon capture and storage, among many others.
“We are continually looking to advance the environmental credentials of oil, both in its production and use,” the organisation’s World Oil Outlook (WOO) 2040 report reads.
The organisation further drew attention to the fact that all 14 OPEC member countries have signed the Paris Agreement on climate change, and that eight already ratified it, including Nigeria.
The Paris climate deal, created within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has been ratified by 169 countries out of the 197 parties to the convention.
The agreement entered into force in November 2016.
The deal aims at keeping the increase in average global temperature at below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“It is vital, however, to remember that implementation of the Paris Agreement should continue to be guided by the principles and provisions provided for in the UNFCCC.
“In particular, the unique situation of developing countries, including those developing countries dependent on oil, should be given the priority it deserves,” OPEC urged.
OPEC also said that global oil demand is set to increase to 111.1 million barrels per day (mb/d) by 2040, while China and India will continue to contribute to the future energy demand as the main consumers.
According to OPEC, China and India are forecast as main drivers for the future oil demand growth.
“China is anticipated to continue to be the largest oil consumer over the forecast period, adding 6 mb/d to reach 17.8 mb/d by 2040.
“India will be the region with the second largest overall demand growth, adding 5.9 mb/d between 2016 and 2040. Indian demand growth is also set to witness the fastest average growth of 3.6% p.a. (per annum),” the oil outlook states.
In an effort to drive up oil demand and prices, as well as get rid of global crude stocks, OPEC and 10 other major oil producers agreed to limit its production by 1.8 mb/d starting January 2017.
The agreement was concluded for the first half of 2017, but in May was extended by another nine months until the end of March 2018.
Reaching the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of access to safely managed water and sanitation services by 2030 will require countries to spend $150 billion per year, says a new World Bank report.
Rachid Benmessaoud, World Bank Country Director in Nigeria
It suggests a drastic change is required in the way countries manage resources and provide key services, starting with better targeting to ensure they reach those most in need, and tackling inefficiencies to make sure public services are sustainable and effective.
Moreover, the report states that water, health, and nutrition interventions need to be coordinated to make substantive progress in the fight against childhood stunting and mortality. The World Bank says that while improving water and sanitation alone improves a child’s well being, the impacts on a child’s future are even greater when combined with health, and nutrition interventions.
“Millions are currently trapped in poverty by poor water supply and sanitation, which contributes to childhood stunting and debilitating diseases such as diarrhea,” said Guangzhe Chen, Senior Director of the Water Global Practice, World Bank. “To give everyone an equal chance at reaching their full potential, more resources, targeted to areas of high vulnerability and low access, are needed to close the gaps and improve poor water and sanitation services.”
The report, “Reducing Inequalities in Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene in the Era of the Sustainable Development Goals”, provides a roadmap for closing the gap. It includes a comprehensive analysis of water and sanitation indicators spanning 18 countries around the world and, for the first time, pinpoints specific geographic regions within countries that have inadequate WASH services. It sheds light on major disparities in water supply and sanitation services between rural and urban, poor and non-poor areas.
The report highlights that, in many countries, services do not reach the poor because of poor implementation, not poor policy – and that children are suffering as a result.
“Today, diarrhea is the second leading cause of death in children under five,” explained Rachid Benmessaoud, World Bank Country Director in Nigeria. “Poor children also suffer from intestinal diseases, which together with under-nutrition and infections contribute to stunting. We are risking the futures of our children: their potential is being stymied by unequal or uneven access to the services they require to thrive.”
On a day when a thick polluted haze enveloped the Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region) in India, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) has directed governments to impose all conditions under the severe category of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
As Delhi’s pollution levels rise to severe, the EPCA has directed governments to impose all conditions under the Graded Response Action Plan under severe category
“This plan is an emergency plan, which cannot become a substitute for long term and decisive action to cut air pollution,” said EPCA chairperson, Bhure Lal.
Under the plan, the task force led by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been monitoring air quality in NCR and also has forecasts for the coming days. A Sudhakar, Member Secretary, CPCB, explained the prevailing weather conditions as follows: “Currently, Delhi and its neighbouring region are seeing almost still conditions at the ground level, but in the upper atmosphere there are two wind masses – one from Punjab, which is bringing pollutants from crop burning and the other from eastern UP, which is bringing moisture. These are colliding at the higher altitude. This is leading to conditions where there is both moisture and pollution as well as no wind at the ground level.” He said that he expects conditions to remain severe over the next two days as per the forecast made available by IMD.
Given this advisory and the prevailing severe conditions, the EPCA has issued the following directions as listed under GRAP for measures to be put in place immediately. These directions are for governments of NCR, including Delhi.
Closure of all brick kiln, other than those that have been certified to have converted to zig zag. As of date, not a single brick kiln has been verified. All brick kilns in NCR will be shut.
Closure of all hot mix plants
Closure of all stone crushers
Immediately intensify public transport service, by ensuring there are more buses on road, which are run with reliable service.
Immediately increase frequency of service of Delhi Metro, including deploying more coaches and introduction of lower fares during off peak hours during this severe period.
All state pollution control boards to immediately impose fines on all road constructing agencies where there are inadequate dust control measures. Taking into account the provision of C&D rules, which allow for penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh for construction dust mismanagement, EPCA is directing for a fine of Rs 50,000 to be imposed as penalty per day per stretch for inadequate road dust control.
Intensification of mechanised road sweeping and sprinkling of water
Continuation of the ban on use of generator sets in Delhi, with exceptions only as defined by DPCC for essential services
Immediate enhancement of parking fee by four times and depositing additional funds in dedicated parking fund with municipalities
Immediately stop use of coal and firewood in hotels and eateries. Implement the Hon’ble Supreme Court order on pet coke and furnace oil.
Intensify traffic management in all hotspots and increase deployment of traffic police to avoid congestion.
Intensify the enforcement of non-destined goods traffic into Delhi by physically checking all vehicles and turning them back – also, putting out public announcements of the numbers that are turned back.
The EPCA is also monitoring the situation carefully in coordination with the CPCB task force. Given the prevailing conditions and the concern about the possible deterioration in weather conditions, it is possible that severe plus or emergency conditions would need to be imposed in the coming days. EPCA is, therefore, directing governments to ensure that all agencies are ready to implement tougher measures as laid down in GRAP.
In addition, the EPCA is also advising schools to stop all outdoor activities and to keep exposure to a minimum. This is also advice to all citizens of Delhi and NCR. Under severe conditions as prevailing today, the health advisory of MOEF&CC says that it may cause respiratory effects even on healthy people. Therefore, exposure and outdoor activities, including intense physical activities should be minimised.
It is clear that combatting air pollution requires drastic action, which is long term. Mr Lal said: “We have achieved some things – often in the face of enormous odds – and we have provided some solutions. So far, every solution that has been suggested has been contested and delayed. Today, weather conditions in Delhi-NCR are adverse, and the wind is bringing pollution from farm fires in Punjab and moisture from the east. In terms of air pollution, things are expected to get much worse in the coming days. We, therefore, need to act decisively.”
The EPCA has called for the following long-term actions, which are in the hands of government. Unless these steps are taken starting today, air pollution levels cannot be brought down:
Drastic action is needed to immediately ban pet coke and furnace oil in the entire NCR. We need stringent monitoring of emissions in industrial estates and as well as from illegal industries.
A massive switch-over to gas is needed in vehicles, power plants and industry. The region needs a second transition to natural gas and clean fuels. We must prioritise transition to electric vehicles, and ensure supply of reliable power to stop the use of gen-sets.
A massive augmentation of public transport within and inter-city is needed. Not a single bus has been procured in Delhi over the last three years. This will only add to the pollution crisis.
Cities need massive action to change garbage management system to stop the burning of garbage. In addition, strict enforcement is needed.
EPCA member and director general of Centre for Science and Environment Sunita Narain pointed out that unless this agenda is put in place, air quality cannot improve.
Community and grassroots leaders from the United States on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 in Bonn, Germany unveiled a platform at ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) called the “U.S. People’s Delegation” to counter the Trump Administration’s fossil fuel agenda and to hold US states, cities, businesses, and the public accountable to commitments to climate action.
Members of the U.S. People’s Delegation addressing a press conference at COP23
The platform includes youth, indigenous peoples, frontline communities, advocates, and policymakers who have come to Bonn with organisations from across the U.S. They have, according to them, come together to show what climate leadership should look like.
With the Trump Administration rolling back climate protections, expanding fossil fuel development, ramming through dirty infrastructure, and withdrawing the U.S. from its commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement, the People’s Delegation and the organisations involved are taking action to protect communities and isolate the Administration by demanding a fossil free future and real climate action on the local level.
Among the demands are:
A just and equitable transition to 100% renewable energy in all cities and states.
For U.S. elected officials to step up in meaningful ways to ensure bold climate action in the face of the current Administration’s rollback on climate protections, the persistence of ongoing climate disasters, and the impact of existing inequalities and governmental negligence on frontline and vulnerable communities.
A halt to all new fossil fuel projects, with the understanding that the fossil fuel industry continues to perpetuate the climate crisis and sow climate denial, creating a bleak future for generations to come.
A call for all nations to increase their ambition, not decrease it. The commitments countries put forward under the Paris Agreement were already too little, too late and would lead to at least 3.5 degrees of warming, not the 1.5° and 2° goals enshrined in the agreement. We can’t let the US be an excuse for other countries to dial back their action – especially since with cities and states doubling down, the US could be moving forward.
A demand to stop negotiating cap-and-trade, carbon offsets, carbon pricing, and other market schemes that avoid cutting pollution at the source.
At COP23, while the People’s Delegation is calling for meaningful climate action, the Trump Administration is pushing coal, natural gas and nuclear energy as an “answer” to climate change.
The organisations represented in the People’s Delegation include: SustainUS, Sunrise Movement, Indigenous Environmental Network, Global Grassroots Justice Alliance, and the Climate Justice Alliance as part of It Takes Roots, U.S Human Rights Network, Climate Generation, Our Children’s Trust, NextGen America, and 350.org.
Varshini Prakash of SustainUS and Sunrise Movement said, “I have seen climate change-fueled floods destroy lives and livelihoods where my family is from in India. In southern India, thousands of farmers have committed suicide because of drought. Within my lifetime, my home in the States could be underwater if we do nothing to stop climate change. No one should have to live in fear of losing the people that they love or the places that they come from. I’m going to COP23 as part of the People’s Delegation to show that the American people are still in, that we’re ready to fight back against Trump and his regressive policies, and that we refuse to let wealthy CEOs and oil barons lead us down the path of destruction.”
Dallas Goldtooth of Indigenous Environmental Network, part of the It Takes Roots delegation said,”We head to COP23 as part of Indigenous Environmental Network and with the U.S. People’s Delegation to continue the to rise up as Indigenous, Black, and Brown communities against extraction, colonialism and to call for real action from elected leaders who have pledged to address climate change.”
Kiran Ooman, a youth plaintiff with Our Children’s Trust, said, “Growing up in the Pacific Northwest of the United States I have witnessed the effects of climate change, from the steady increase in forest fire severity to unnaturally high pollen counts. However, my concern also includes the places where my family live, including India and Florida, where the fatal threat of storms are worsening each year.
“We are working to hold the Trump Administration accountable not only for their inaction but also for the actions they are taking, such as pushing through new fossil fuel infrastructure and cutting back on environmental regulations, which puts the climate and all people of the earth in danger. As young people, we face the consequences of these actions most acutely, and that’s why I’m I’m here at COP 23 with the U.S. People’s Delegation: To remind the international community that despite our youth we are fighting the unjust actions of the US Government, and we need your support in defending our futures.”
Katia R. Avilés Vázquez of Organización Boricuá, representing the It Takes Roots delegation said, “Puerto Rico has been the victim of a perfect storm of natural weather extremes, fiscal austerity measures, bad management and planning, combined with a colonial situation that prevents us from trading and learning from our sister islands in the Caribbean region. Along with the Caribbean, Puerto Rico was hit by two of the largest hurricanes in recorded history within two weeks of each other in the month of September. Organización Boricuá has been working on the frontlines under the most dire conditions of colonialism, corruption, and climate change. We demand a Just Transition.”
Dyanna Jaye, representing ICLEI U.S. Local Governments for Sustainability and Sunrise Movement, said, “Flooding is routine in my coastal Virginia home town; our lands are being slowly reclaimed by the Atlantic Ocean and communities have been forced to flee their homes. From monster hurricanes to the wildfires and deadly heatwaves in the American West, 2017 has shown that the threat of climate change is now. Yet, Trump has allied with fossil fuel CEOs who are dead set on profiting from pollution, including Exxon CEO turned Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. They have no right to represent the American people. Though Trump and his billionaire friends may try to pull us backwards, we, everyday Americans, will keep moving our country forward and make sure our cities, universities, and states take the action we need to stop climate change and create good jobs in our communities.”
Ellen Anderson of Energy Transition Lab, with the Climate Generation delegation said, “We are here to let the world know that most Americans support action on climate change, despite what you hear from Washington. In our state of Minnesota,we are leading the way for the Heartland of America, showing that you can cut carbon, build out renewable energy, create thousands of good-paying jobs, and save money by shifting to a clean energy economy. Our Lt. Governor said to our delegation last week that our state is completely committed to this clean energy transition, and feels the sense of urgency to move forward faster. Our delegation represents academia, educators, and students along with civil society, youth, and indigenous communities, all standing together with the other nations of the world to support and learn from each other how to tackle this existential challenge.”
Thanu Yakupitiyage, U.S. Communications Manager and coordination of the U.S. People’s Delegation, said, “The U.S. People’s Delegation is at COP23 to share loud and clear the message that communities back home demand a fast and fair transition to a world free of fossil fuels with 100% renewable energy for all. 350.org is proud to be supporting the work of organisations who were already bringing delegations to COP23. Our work collectively as part of the U.S. People’s Delegation is aimed at amplifying the urgency of climate action, holding accountable elected officials who have said they will step up against the Trump Administration to ensure they turn their words into action, and sharing our stories and solutions from diverse communities. We do not have time to waste, we need real climate action now.”
