The Director-General (DG) of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, on Friday, November 2, 2018 said that the agency would enforce strict compliance on sulphur pollution.

Peterside said the measure would be in line with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulation which put a maximum of 0.5 per cent sulphur cap on all fuel used by vessels by the year 2020.

According to a document signed by Isichei Osamgbi, NIMASA Head, Corporate Communications, the D-G made the statement during an interactive session with newsmen at the ongoing maritime week in Dubai.

“That part of the requirements adopted at the 73rd meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the United Nations maritime organ is to reduce the sulphur content permitted in ships’ fuel oil globally to 0.5% with effect from 1st January 2020.

“The 2020 fuel challenge is geared towards energy efficiency, environmental pollution control, health as well as core regulatory enforcement issues.

“As a maritime nation, we cannot afford not to comply with the IMO standard which will also do a lot in mitigating global warming and other related environmental issues”, Peterside said.

He said that the IMO ban which related to fuel intended for combustion, propulsion and operation purposes on board ships will enter into force on March 1, 2020.

Peterside said that all member states were expected to comply with the stated standard by this date.

He said that it would in the best interest of Africa to ensure compliance because the continent did not have the technology to mitigate effects of sulphur fuel on the environment.

The maritime boss enumerated some of the steps the agency planned to take to manage the transition and ensure compliance to include embarking on massive enlightenment and stakeholder’s engagement.

The agency would collaborate with fuel refiners and suppliers and a schedule for pre-enforcement to engender the right approach.

“It is worthy of note that the IMO has been working to reduce harmful effects of shipping on environment since 1960.

“The Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) was adopted in 1997 to address air pollution from shipping.

“The regulation 14.1.3 of Annex VI of the convention seeks to control airborne emissions of compounds such as sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and other ozone depleting substances arising from shipping activities.

“All these is in order to mitigate its effects on health and the environment,” he said.

By Uchenna Eletuo

Villagers affected by three polluting coal mines in Muğla city, Turkey have joined together to demonstrate against plans to extend the mines. People had their photos taken and projected them in front of Yatağan coal power plant.

“After years of suffering from the deadly impacts of lignite mines and coal burning in their lands, the villagers of Muğla came together to remind us all that coal pollution affects everyone – no matter where it is burned, we all pay its environmental and health impacts,” says Efe Baysal, Turkey Campaigner, 350.org.

A new report released on Friday, November 2, 2018 shows the “The Real Costs of Coal: Muğla” in Turkey by CAN Europe. The research places a spotlight on plans to expand three coal-fired power stations in Muğla city and demonstrates the huge price those living nearby and those in countries further afield face from air pollution.

The Real Costs of Coal: Muğla shows that since the plants became operational in 1983, the three coal plants are responsible for the release of: 9.5 million tons of sulphur dioxide, 890,000 tons of nitrogen oxides, 65,000 tons of dust, and 28,000 kg of mercury.

According to health impact modelling carried out by the study, the pollution has caused more than 45,000 premature deaths, hospitalisation of around 46,000 people due to respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses and the loss of 12 million working days, a price too high to pay. The testimonies of the villagers living in Muğla support these findings, according to 350.org.

Dr. Haluk, a resident of Karacahisar Village, said: “In the last decade, the cause of death in our village has changed significantly, it’s mostly cancer. We also see more and more young children, and non-smokers with acute respiratory diseases.”

The findings of the report come at a moment when health experts around the world have met in Geneva for the first WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health. The Conference is expected to deliver a “Call for Urgent Action” on air pollution, an issue caused primarily by burning of coal.

Due to the transboundary nature of pollutants, Muğla’s coal plants’ costs to health are being felt in Europe and East and North Africa, with the largest transboundary impact taking place in Egypt, followed by Israel, Greece and Palestine.

Since coming online in 1984 the three plants have released 360 million tons of CO2, an expansion will mean spewing another 328 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

“The expansion of any new coal power plant is inconceivable given the findings of the IPCC report released this October.  Every ton of coal burned makes an immediate contribution to the quantity of CO2 in the atmosphere causing long term and irreversible climate change. We need to keep fossil fuels in the ground now to ensure that we stay below 1.5 degrees to avoid catastrophic climate change,” says Hoda Baraka, Global Communications Director, 350.org

India’s environment minister blamed the Delhi government and its neighboring states for failing in their efforts to check air pollution which was six times above the recommended limit on Thursday, November 1, 2018 posing severe health risks.

The minister, Harsh Vardhan, said in a statement that efforts by state governments, including Punjab and Haryana, to bring down incidents of widespread crop burning were “far from satisfactory”.

“In Punjab only, daily cases of stubble burning were still running into thousands,” the minister said, adding the overall incidents of crop burning were down 30 per cent from the previous year.

India has aimed to reduce stubble burning that is a major source of pollution during the winter months by 70 per cent in its top two farm states this year, a top government official said on Oct. 26, but experts questioned whether the target was credible.

The minister also blamed the Delhi city government for falling short of meeting its targets to rein in pollution from construction activities, open dumping or the burning of waste, including industrial waste, traffic congestion and road dust.

Delhi was also headed for a “deadly cocktail” of pollution in the coming weeks as a major Hindu festival of Diwali on Nov. 7 – during which many fireworks are usually let off – would coincide with crop burning.