The 2017 UN Climate Change Conference kicked off in Bonn on Monday, November 6 with strong, unified calls to hold to the path of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, making a presentation during the opening ceremony of the conference
The opening of the conference – the 23rd Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the UNFCCC – takes place against this year’s background of destructive hurricanes, fires, floods, droughts, melting ice and impacts on agriculture which threaten food security.
The conference will come to a close on Friday, November 17.
“All over the world, vast numbers of people are suffering – bewildered by the forces ranged against them. Our job as leaders is to respond to the suffering with all means available to us,” said newly elected COP23 President, Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. “This means to meet our commitments in full, not back away from them.”
Mr Bainimarama said that Fiji is working to build a “Grand Coalition” throughout the year between governments at every level, civil society, the private sector and faith-based organisations.
At COP23, the COP President intends to meet with as many non-state actors as he can who are part of this coalition.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, said: “Together with the Sustainable Development Agenda, we have a clear path forward to truly address climate change and sustainable development.”
Ms. Espinosa outlined the work governments will be looking to address in Bonn – above all to take the next essential steps to ensure that the Paris Agreement’s operating system is completed in time and ways and means to implement it are strengthened.
This is essential so that the ultimate goal of the Paris Agreement can be achieved – to hold the global average temperature rise from pre-industrial time to well below 2 degrees Celsius and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees.
Ms Espinosa underlined that immediate progress was urgent. “We need to move forward to fulfil the commitments that are due in 2020. In this regard, finance and pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions are key,” she said.
Whilst Fiji has the Presidency of COP23, the Government of Germany is providing the substantial and generous logistical resources.
German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks reiterated her countries support for the UN and pointed out that as the home of the UN Climate Change Secretariat, Bonn is evolving into a global center of climate action and an international hub for sustainable development.
The German Minister also had some good news with regard to finance for developing countries. She announced that Germany would support the UN’s Adaptation Fund with an additional 50 million Euros in 2017.
During COP23, the city of Bonn will not only host the conference, but many cultural events that will help bring climate action closer to people in the city.
Many Bonn citizens are engaged as volunteers. And Bonn schools are on board, including the school children who sang along with artist Bernadette La Hengst in the COP23 song “I’m an Island”, produced with the help of Germany’s Development Ministry.
As the 23rd round of climate change negotiations (COP23) kick off in Bonn, Germany, the chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) has called on negotiators to prioritise funding and support towards implementation of the deal agreed upon in Paris in December 2015.
Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group, Gebru Jember Endalew
“COP 23 is an important opportunity to bridge the widening finance gap, (which is) a serious barrier to ambitious climate action worldwide,” said Gebru Jember Endalew, Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group.
The Paris Agreement set a vision for an ambitious global response to climate change that will keep warming below 1.5°C, in a fair and equitable manner that promotes sustainable development.
“This COP is a vital step on our journey to setting out a clear rulebook that will fully implement the vision laid out at Paris,” he said, observing that COP 23 is the final round of negotiations before the work programme of the Paris Agreement is to be finalised. “We must (therefore) hope to leave Bonn with a draft negotiating text that can be fleshed out over the coming year.”
The United Nations climate change negotiations kicked off in Bonn on November 6 and will end in two weeks time. Hosted by Fiji, the negotiations are a key milestone towards finalisation of the rules that will govern implementation of the Paris Agreement.
The impacts of rising global temperatures continue to worsen. In the lead up to COP23, there was historic monsoon flooding, resulting in over a thousand lives lost and the displacement of over two million people in South Asia; the impact of consecutive seasons of drought in Africa; historic rainfall (with Hurricane Harvey setting a single-storm rainfall record in the United States, causing tens of billions of dollars in damage); and historic windspeeds laying waste to many Caribbean island territories (with Hurricane Irma recording the highest windspeed on record for the open Atlantic Ocean).
The catastrophic impacts of these extreme weather events, according to Endalew, underlie the urgency of substantive progress and action in Bonn.
“LDCs will be pushing to deliver a Paris rulebook that catalyses greater ambition to correct our current trajectory and put the world on track to keep warming below 1.5°C. This means robust frameworks for reporting, implementation and compliance, and gauging progress across all facets of the Paris Agreement and climate Convention,” said the LCD chair.
“As the 47 poorest countries in the world, the LDCs face the unique and unprecedented challenge of lifting our people out of poverty and achieving sustainable development without relying on fossil fuels,” he said.
Endalew observed that global solidarity and the support of the international community is essential for LDCs to achieve our ambitious climate plans, and protect the people from devastating impacts of climate change that are already taking their toll.
At COP23 the LDC Group is calling on developed countries to rapidly accelerate the delivery of climate finance, with a particular focus on public finance. Both the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Adaptation Fund need to be replenished continuously and as soon as possible.
Clear guidelines and adequate technological and capacity building support is also vital to enable the LDCs carry out actions to adapt to climate change and cope with losses and damages that threaten the survival of poor and vulnerable LDC communities.
Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, on Thursday, October 26, 2017, made a major pronouncement in support of safe biotechnology in Nigeria, during a visit to one of the Bt. Cotton Multi-locational Field Trial (MFT) farms located within the premises of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Umar Musa Yar’adua Way, Lugbe, FCT Abuja, where he affirmed that ‘’there is no substitute to scientific research’’.
Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe (right), with Director General, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof Lucy Ogbadu, during the visit
The minister’s statement, made after listening to explanations from researchers from the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) Zaria, NABDA and Monsanto, who are jointly managing this field trial which is one of the 17 MFTs locations in Nigeria, represents a major Federal Government key policy position in support of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in Nigeria.
In an expression of satisfaction of what he saw and was told at the research centre, Ogbe said, ‘’We cannot change anything without serious work.’ When asked for his personal opinion on the project by Prof Lucy Ogbadu DG NABDA, the minister replied: “I am so happy seeing this now because there has been large talk on Bt. Cotton risk and people’s yearning’’. He thanked the IAR, Monsanto and NABDA for all their efforts and promised that he will be more involved in the monitoring of developments with the trial project.
Ogbe was told about how resistant materials are being assessed for adaptation to different ecologies of the country. Among those who gave explanations to the Minister was Prof. Onu, a scientist from IAR Zaria, who explained that recourse to biotechnology was necessary for the improvement of local varieties which are vulnerable to insect infestation. He regretted that Nigeria has been witnessing a significant production drop in the cotton sector which used to be a major contributor to GDP and national growth in the past. He recalled that the sector used to be the greatest employer of labour more than any other sector in the country but, ‘’for various reasons ranging from socio-economic to biotic and abiotic factors, it is now as good as dead’’.
Onu stated that the biotic factors which has contributed to the unavailability of seeds that are resistant to the major vagaries affecting cotton production is the area that the field trials are trying to address. He pointed out that the main objective of the project is to carry out field trials to check: the field performance assessment; growth performance; reaction to pests, challenges and problems and their adaptability to various ecologies of Nigeria. After putting together sufficient data from these assessments, recommendations can then be made to the National Variety Release Committee, presenting the most suitable variety for release for commercial production and use in the cotton system in Nigeria, he concluded.
In his contribution, the Principal Investigator, Dr. Sadiq, from IAR, explained that there are six seed varieties of cotton on the NABDA trial farm; four of which are supposed to contain some resistant material for resistance to certain insects, specifically the cotton bollworm and the other two are the local varieties that do not contain resistant gene for bollworms. ‘’Bollworms,” he noted, “are the insects that devastate cotton in the farm if proper care is not taken by the spraying of certain chemicals to deliver harvest.”
Dr. Sadiq also explained that the two varieties are planted side by side and that the two sets are exposed to two treatments; one set for controlled bollworm and other insects and the second set; for uncontrolled bollworm and control for other insects to assess the viability of these resistant materials in the Nigerian ecology.
He asserted that, despite the control, observations will show that the local variety looks haggard, due to insect infestations and dissipation of nutrients that was supposed to be transferred to the fruiting points leading to reduced size and in some cases outright dropping of balls which amounts to huge loses to the farmer and impacts very negatively on the national economy.
Another significant difference in the varieties, he noted, was that there were more sympodia (that is fruitful branches) which can give yield of about 80 to 120 balls per plant. This suggests the reason for their high adoption rate globally due to their high yield, which makes the transgenic, that is modified varieties, more prolific as compared to the local hybrid. He explained to the Minister that the attack of the insect on the local materials implies that the farmer needs to spray at two weeks interval for a reasonable harvest. He explained that this would mean that the farmer will have to use more chemicals which are more costly and unhealthy to the farmer, the crop and the environment as the chemical targets all insects; thus very high farming input.
The truth is that the Bolgard, which is the transgenic variety, is resistant to the Lepidopteran insects. Therefore the hybrid cotton variety that has assumed resistance to insects would have reduced the amount of chemicals that would have been applied, thereby protecting the farmer, the farm and the environment and leads to reasonable harvest from the farm and facilitate industrialisation towards a sustainable economy and development.
Dr. Rose Gidado, Country Representative of Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), in her contribution emphasised the cost and health benefits due to the reduction in the pesticide use. She stated that farmers were losing about 80-90% yield to insect infestation before the technology of modification of transgenic varieties. She maintained that science is a driver of change and there is no way you can move various sectors like agriculture, health and economy forward without science. She applauded the Minister’s visit, stating: ‘’The Minister has seen that science is practical and evidence-based.”
After these explanations, the Minister wanted to know whether these resistant materials are for short staples or long fibre. Prof. Onu again clarified this by stating that the long staples are more suitable for ecologies with longer rainy seasons which are typical of the southern part of the country and cited the field trial at Abeokuta as one of locations for long staples.
The Minster in his response thanked the researchers for their efforts which he described as being in line especially with some of the interventions Nigeria is looking for now to cut down import and increase export.
‘’I am happy with what I have seen today because this is the issue. The farmers keep asking for the seeds, and the cotton growing is literally varnished. The textile industry is as good as dead in Nigeria and it is very disturbing. In fact the President is extremely concerned about this. If this can continue and result in the revival of the textile industry, then we have a major achievement. We appreciate what you are doing because the ministry alone cannot do so much. It is what is going on here that matters to really develop the agric sector as Nigeria consumes more textile than any other. As we are slowly coming out of recession, there are still serious challenges ahead. The population is still galloping at 3.2%. So, the economy still need to perform at 6-7% to be able to talk about growth otherwise there is no growth. If we are heading to 200 million population in the next three to four years and 450 million by 2050, that is so scary. Whatever we are doing now is very little compared to what we need to do,” he concluded.
Prof. Ogbadu thanked the Minister for the visit and reassured him that the visit shall encourage the scientists in their various research activities for the safe application of modern biotechnology in agricultural practice for growth and development in Nigeria.
By Edel-Quinn Agbaegbu (Secretary, National Biosafety Biotechnology Consortium; Executive Director, Every Woman Hope Centre)
It is very likely that 2017 will be one of the three hottest years on record, with many high-impact events including catastrophic hurricanes and floods, debilitating heatwaves and drought. Long-term indicators of climate change such as increasing carbon dioxide concentrations, sea level rise and ocean acidification continue unabated. Arctic sea ice coverage remains below average and previously stable Antarctic sea ice extent was at or near a record low.
Hurricane Harvey: Vehicles are stranded as road network is flooded
The WMO statement – which covers January to September – was released on the opening day of the United Nations climate change conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany. It includes information submitted by a wide range of UN agencies on human, socio-economic and environmental impacts as part of a drive to provide a more comprehensive, UN-wide policy brief for decision makers on the interplay between weather, climate and water and the UN global goals.
“The past three years have all been in the top three years in terms of temperature records. This is part of a long term warming trend,” said WMO Secretary-General, Petteri Taalas. “We have witnessed extraordinary weather, including temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius in Asia, record-breaking hurricanes in rapid succession in the Caribbean and Atlantic reaching as far as Ireland, devastating monsoon flooding affecting many millions of people and a relentless drought in East Africa.
“Many of these events – and detailed scientific studies will determine exactly how many – bear the tell-tale sign of climate change caused by increased greenhouse gas concentrations from human activities,” he said.
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, which is hosting the Bonn conference, said: “These findings underline the rising risks to people, economies and the very fabric of life on Earth if we fail to get on track with the aims and ambitions of the Paris Agreement”.
“There is unprecedented and very welcome momentum among governments, but also cities, states, territories, regions, business and civil society. Bonn 2017 needs to be the launch pad towards the next, higher level of ambition by all nations and all sectors of society as we look to de-risk the future and maximise the opportunities from a fresh, forward-looking and sustainable development path,” she added.
Extreme events affect the food security of millions of people, especially the most vulnerable. A review of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) found that, in developing countries, agriculture (crops, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and forestry) accounted for 26% of all the damage and loss associated with medium to large-scale storms, floods and drought.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the global health impacts of heatwaves depend not only on the overall warming trend, but on how heatwaves are distributed across where people live. Recent research shows that the overall risk of heat-related illness or death has climbed steadily since 1980, with around 30% of the world’s population now living in climatic conditions that deliver prolonged extreme heatwaves. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of vulnerable people exposed to heatwave events has increased by approximately 125 million.
In 2016, 23.5 million people were displaced during weather-related disasters. Consistent with previous years, the majority of these internal displacements were associated with floods or storms and occurred in the Asia-Pacific region. In Somalia, more than 760,000 internal displacements have been reported, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook indicates that adverse consequences are concentrated in countries with relatively hot climates and which are home to close to 60% of current global population.
Selected Highlights
Global temperatures in 2017
Global mean temperature for the period January to September 2017 was 0.47°±0.08°C warmer than the 1981-2010 average (estimated at 14.31°C). This represents an approximately 1.1°C increase in temperature since the pre-industrial period. Parts of southern Europe, including Italy, North Africa, parts of east and southern Africa and the Asian part of the Russian Federation were record warm and China was the equal warmest. The northwestern USA and western Canada were cooler than the 1981-2010 average.
Temperatures in 2016 and, to an extent, 2015, were boosted by an exceptionally strong El Niño. 2017 is set to be the warmest year on record without an El Niño influence. The five-year average 2013-2017 is provisionally 0.40°C warmer than the 1981-2010 average and approximately 1.03°C above the pre-industrial period and is likely to be the hottest on record.
The WMO statement is based on five independently maintained global temperature data sets. WMO now uses 1981-2010 instead of the previous 1961-1990 baseline as it is more representative of current climatic conditions and allows for more consistent reporting of information from satellite and reanalysis systems (some of which do not extend back to 1960) alongside more traditional data sets based on surface-observations. The change in the baselines has no influence on trend analysis.
Precipitation:
Southern South America (particularly in Argentina), western China, and parts of southeast Asia were wetter than average. January to September was the wettest on record for the contiguous United States. Rainfall was generally close to average in Brazil, and near to above average in northwest South America and Central America, easing droughts associated with the 2015-16 El Niño. The 2017 rainy season saw above-average rainfall over many parts of the Sahel, with flooding in some regions (especially in Niger).
All-India rainfall for the 2017 monsoon season (June to September) was 5% below average. However, above-average rainfall in the northeast, and adjacent countries led to significant flooding.
The Canadian Prairies, the Mediterranean region, Somalia, Mongolia, Gabon and southwestern South Africa all received lower rainfall than average. Italy had its driest January to September on record.
Ice and snow:
Arctic sea-ice extent was well below average throughout 2017 and was at record-low levels for the first four months of the year, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The Arctic annual maximum extent in early March was among the five lowest in the 1979-2017 satellite record, and according to the NSIDC’s data was record low. The five lowest maximum extents have occurred since 2006.
A strong and persistent low pressure system over the central Arctic helped to inhibit ice loss during the summer months. The Arctic sea ice extent minimum in mid-September was 25- 31% below the 1981-2010 average, and among the eight smallest minimum extents on record. The ten smallest minimum extents have all occurred since 2007.
Antarctic sea ice extent was also well below average. The annual minimum extent in early March was record low, and the annual maximum extent in mid-October was at or near record low levels. Sea ice conditions in the Antarctic have been highly variable over the past several years with the record large sea ice extents occurring as recently as 2015.
Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent was 10.54 million square km, near the median value in the 1967-2017 satellite record.
The Greenland ice sheet saw an increase of more than 40 billion tons of ice due to above-average snowfall and a short melt season. Despite the gain in overall ice mass this year, it is only a small departure from the declining trend, with the Greenland ice sheet having lost approximately 3,600 billion tons of ice mass since 2002.
Sea level:
The global mean sea level (GMSL) is one of the best climate change indicators. Global mean sea level has been relatively stable in 2017 to date, similar to levels first reached in late 2015. This is because the temporary influence of the 2015-16 El Niño (during which GMSL peaked in early 2016 at around 10 millimeters above the 2004-2015 trend) continues to unwind and GMSL is reverting to values closer to the long-term trend. Preliminary data indicate that a rise in GMSL may have started to resume from July-August 2017 onwards.
Ocean Heat:
Global sea surface temperatures are on track to be among the three highest on record. Global ocean heat content in 2017 to date has been at or near record high levels. Elevated tropical sea surface temperatures which contribute to coral bleaching were not as widespread as during the 2015-16 El Niño. But some significant coral bleaching did still occur, including the Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. UNESCO reported in June that all but three of the 29 coral reefs with World Heritage listing had experienced temperatures consistent with bleaching at some point in the 2014-2017 period.
Ocean Acidification:
According to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO the ocean absorbs up to 30% of the annual emissions of anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere, helping to alleviate the impacts of climate change on the planet. However, this comes at a steep ecological cost, as the absorbed CO2 changes acidity levels in the ocean. Since records at Aloha station (north of Hawaii) began in the late 1980s, seawater pH has progressively fallen, from values above 8.10 in the early 1980s to between 8.04 and 8.09 in the last five years.
Ocean acidification is directly influencing the health of coral reefs and the survival and calcification of several key organisms. These have cascading effects within the food web and impact aquaculture and coastal economies.
Greenhouse gases:
The rate of increase in CO2 from 2015 to 2016 was the highest on record, 3.3 parts per million/year, reaching 403.3 parts per million. Global average figures for 2017 will not be available until late 2018. Real-time data from a number of specific locations indicate that levels of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide continued to increase in 2017.
Extreme Events and Impacts
Tropical cyclones
The North Atlantic had a very active season. The Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index, a measure of the aggregate intensity and duration of cyclones, had its highest monthly value on record in September.
Three major and high-impact hurricanes occurred in the North Atlantic in rapid succession, with Harvey in August followed by Irma and Maria in September. Harvey made landfall in Texas as a category 4 system and remained near the coast for several days, producing extreme rainfall and flooding. Provisional seven-day rainfall totals reached as high as 1,539 mm at a gauge near Nederland, Texas, the largest ever recorded for a single event in the mainland United States.
It was the first time two Category 4 hurricanes (Harvey and Irma) made landfall in the same year in the USA. Irma had winds of 300 km/h for 37 hours – the longest on the satellite record at that intensity and spent three consecutive days as a Category 5 hurricane, also the longest on record. Like Irma, Maria also reached category 5 intensity and caused major destruction on a number of Caribbean islands. In mid-October, Ophelia reached major hurricane (category 3) status more than 1,000 kilometers further northeast than any previous North Atlantic hurricane. It caused substantial damage in Ireland, whilst winds associated with its circulation contributed to severe wildfires in Portugal and northwest Spain.
The WMO Expert Team on Climate Impacts on Tropical Cyclones found that, whilst there is no clear evidence that climate change is making the occurrence of slow-moving, land-falling hurricanes such as Harvey more or less frequent, it is likely that human-induced climate change makes rainfall rates more intense, and that ongoing sea-level rise exacerbates storm surge impacts.
Flooding
Exceptionally heavy rain triggered a landslide in Freetown, Sierra Leone in August, killing more than 500 people. Freetown received 1459.2 mm of rain in two weeks, about four times higher than average. Heavy rainfall contributed to a landslide in Mocoa, southern Colombia, in April, with at least 273 deaths reported.
Many parts of the Indian subcontinent were affected by monsoonal flooding, despite overall seasonal rainfall being near average. The most serious flooding occurred in mid-August in eastern Nepal, northern Bangladesh and nearby northern India. Mawsynram (India) received more than 1,400 mm from August 9 to 12. Rangpur (Bangladesh) received a month’s worth of rain (360 mm) on August 11 to 12. More than 1,200 deaths were reported in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, whilst more than 40 million people were displaced or otherwise affected. The WHO indicated that in Bangladesh alone, more than 13 000 cases of waterborne diseases and respiratory infections were reported during three weeks in August, whilst extensive damage was reported to public health facilities in Nepal.
Flooding affected many parts of Peru in March, killing 75 people and making 70,000 homeless. The FAO reported that there were significant crop production losses, particularly maize. Flooding of this type typically affects Peru during the late phase of El Niño events. Whilst there was no Pacific-wide El Niño during 2017, sea surface temperatures near the Peruvian coast in March were 2°C or more above average and similar to El Niño values.
Major flooding occurred mid-year in parts of southern China, especially within the Yangtze River basin. Peak totals from 29 June to 2 July topped 250 mm. Fifty-six deaths were reported and economic losses were estimated at more than $5 billion.
Heavy rain affected the western United States in January and February caused substantial flooding, numerous landslides and the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. It was the wettest winter on record for Nevada, and the second-wettest for California.
Drought
Parts of east Africa continued to be seriously affected by drought. Following well-below-average rainfall in 2016, the 2017 “long rains” season (March to May) was also dry in many parts of Somalia, the northern half of Kenya, and southeastern Ethiopia.
FAO reported that in Somalia, as of June 2017, more than half of the cropland was affected by drought, with herds reduced by 40-60% since December 2016. WFP estimates that the number of people on the brink of famine in Somalia has doubled to 800,000 since February 2017, with half the country needing assistance. WFP has confirmed that more than 11 million people are experiencing severe food insecurity in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.
From November 2016 to mid-June 2017, more than 760,000 drought-related internal displacements in Somalia were recorded by the Protection and Return Monitoring Network (PRMN), a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) led project.
Kenya declared the 2017 drought a national disaster. Nairobi faced water shortages that compelled city authorities to ration water, whilst cereal prices rose and GDP figures were hit.
An above-average wet summer season eased drought conditions in southern Africa. But localised drought intensified in the Cape Province.
Heavy winter rains in early 2017 eased long-term drought conditions in California, but resulted in some flooding, and contributed to vegetation growth which may have influenced the severity of wildfires later in the year.
Many parts of the Mediterranean experienced dry conditions. The most severe drought was in Italy, hitting agricultural production and causing a 62% drop in olive oil production compared to 2016. Rainfall averaged over Italy for January-August 2017 was 36% below average. It was also Italy’s hottest January-August on record, with temperatures 1.31°C above the 1981-2010 average. Other dry areas included many parts of Spain and Portugal.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was affected by below-average rains, impacting key staple crops such as paddy and maize. In the Republic of Korea, rainfall from January to June was 51% below average, the lowest since national records began in 1973.
Major heatwaves
An extreme heatwave affected parts of South America in January. In Chile, numerous locations had their highest temperature on record, including Santiago (37.4°C). In Argentina, the temperature reached 43.5°C on 27 January at Puerto Madryn, the highest ever recorded so far south (43°S) anywhere in the world.
Much of eastern Australia experienced extreme heat in January and February, peaking on from February 11 to 12 when temperatures reached 47°C.
Exceptional heat affected parts of southwest Asia in late May. On May 28, temperatures reached 54.0°C in Turbat, in the far west of Pakistan near the Iranian border, and also exceeded 50°C in Iran and Oman. A temperature of 53.7°C was recorded at Ahwaz, Iran on June 29, and Bahrain experienced its hottest August on record.
The Chinese city of Shanghai and the Hong Kong Observatory reported new records of 40.9°C and 36.6 °C during summer.
In the Mediterranean, Cordoba in southern Spain experienced 46.9°C on July 12 and Granada 45.7°C on July 13. An extensive heatwave in early August led to temperature records in northern and central Italy, Croatia and southern France.
California had its hottest summer on record and extreme heat affected other western states. This culminated in a major heatwave at the end of August and early September, which included a record high temperature (41.1°C) at San Francisco.
Wildfires
Extreme heat and drought contributed to many destructive wildfires.
Chile had the most significant forest fires in its history during the 2016-2017 summer, after exceptionally dry conditions during 2016 followed by extreme heat in December and January.
Eleven deaths were reported, and a total of 614,000 hectares of forest were burnt, easily the highest seasonal total on record and eight times the long-term average. There were also significant fires during the 2016-2017 Southern Hemisphere summer in various parts of eastern Australia and in the Christchurch region of New Zealand, whilst the southern South African town of Knysna was badly affected by fire in June.
It was a very active fire season in the Mediterranean. The worst single incident occurred in central Portugal in June, with 64 deaths. There were further major fire outbreaks in Portugal and northwestern Spain in mid-October, exacerbated by strong winds associated with Hurricane Ophelia.. Other significant fires affected countries including Croatia, Italy and France.
The area burned in the contiguous United States from January to 19 October was 46% above the 2007-2016 average. The area burned in the western provinces of Canada was about eight times the 2006-2015 seasonal average and contributed to heavy smoke pollution. A wet winter, which allowed the heavy growth of ground vegetation, followed by a dry and hot summer, provided ideal conditions for high-intensity fires in northern California in early October. At least 41 deaths were reported, the worst loss of life in a wildfire in the United States since 1918.
Other noteworthy events
Severe cold and snow affected parts of Argentina in July. After heavy snow had fallen the previous day, the temperature reached −25.4°C in Bariloche on July 16, 4.3°C below the previous lowest temperature on record there. Other regions where record low temperatures occurred in 2017 included some locations in inland southeastern Australia in early July, where Canberra had its lowest temperature (−8.7°C) since 1971, and the Gulf region in the Middle East in early February.
The United States had its most active tornado season since 2011, with a preliminary total of 1,321 tornadoes in the January to August period, including the second-most active January on record.
Eighteen bio-fortified varieties comprising six vitamin A cassava, eight vitamin A maize, two orange sweet potato and two iron and zinc sorghum, which are bred conventionally, have been released officially in Nigeria.
Bio-fortified crops in Africa
Dr Paul Ilona, the Country Manager of Harvestplus, an international agricultural organisation, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, November 5, 2017 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
“Over two million farmers are estimated to be growing them now,” he said.
According to him, nutritious foods are of immense importance for good health.
“We must connect the dots among nutritious foods, health, income, women empowerment and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth,” he said.
He told NAN that the aim of the organisation was to tackle hidden hunger on a global scale by ensuring vitamins and minerals in food crops.
The country manager said that Harvestplus was working with partners to build sustainable food systems and bridge the gap between agriculture and nutrition.
He also said that an estimated 3,000 participants and 10,000 attendees would converge on the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, for the 2017 Nutritious Food Fair (NFF) aimed at improving the livelihood of Nigerians.
The country representative said that the fair would take place from Nov. 28 to 30.
Ilona said that mega livelihood and income generating opportunities would be facilitated for participants at the fair.
He hoped that the fair would result in success for new generation of micro, small and medium-scale businesses and investors in nutritious food.
“The event will be hosted by Harvestplus in partnership with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), National Root Crop Research Institute (NRCRI), etc; we expect at least 10, 000 attendees across the world.
“At the event funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID and DFID, the model of the largest nutritious cassava dish will be unveiled,” he said.
NAN reports that IlonaHarvestplus and its partners developed new varieties of staple food crops with higher amounts of vitamin A, iron or zinc to consumers in an effort to tackle malnutrition.
Harvestplus improves nutrition and public health by developing and promoting bio-fortified food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals.
It provides global leadership on bio-fortification evidence and technology.
The staple crops are naturally bio-fortified and not genetically modified.
Zenith Bank Plc has adopted the Triple R Principle of “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” in the bid to effectively manage the wastes it generates.
The Zenith Bank Plc head offices building on Victoria Island in Lagos. Solid waste produced at the head office has dropped from an estimated 24 tonnes in 2015 to 20 tonnes in 2016
The bank, which made the disclosure in its recently released 2106 Sustainabilty Report, noted that the initiative had helped it to lessen total solid waste produced at its head office on Victoria Island in Lagos from an estimated 24 tonnes in 2015 to 20 tonnes in 2016, representing a 16.7% reduction.
Similarly, it adds, solid waste generated per employee dropped from 0.0225 in the preceding year to 0.0196 tonnes in 2016, indicating a 12.9% reduction.
The project, according to the bank, involves wastes differentiation and segmentation into paper wastes, glass wastes, liquid (bio-degradable) wastes and plastic wastes.
The 2106 Sustainabilty Report has “Creating Wealth Sustainably” as its theme.
“As an environmentally friendly brand, we understand that we can significantly reduce the wastes we generate through more efficient use of assets and resources. We are also committed to sustainable waste management, and this entails, among other measures, reducing the amount of wastes sent to landfills, by adopting the principle of ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’,” the financial institution submitted in the report.
To improve efficiency in waste management bank-wide, the firm says it intends to invest in standard bins for both landfill and recyclable waste.
The firm stated in the report: “In Lagos State where we have our head office and the majority of our business offices, we use the services of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) for this purpose. This agency is currently responsible for the classification, measurement and disposal of wastes generated by the bank.
“LAWMA has adopted recycling as an effective, more environmentally friendly substitute for landfill and dumping. The agency’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) initiative is in accordance with the United nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
“Further, we monitor the and evaluate our contracted waste disposal agencies quarterly to ensure that our wastes, and especially electronic wastes, are disposed in line with standard recycling regulations.
“As a financial services institution, most of our waste type include fully depreciated and unserviceable items such as automobiles, computers, and accessories, generators, air conditioners, construction wastes, among others. Zenith Bank does not generate hazardous waste.”
Zenith Bank also disclosed that it had begun the process of fully integrating environmental and social risk considerations into credit and investment decisions, and that it had trained and built needed capacity within the workforce which enable the implementation of the process.
“This initiative will enable us manage the environmental risks posed by our third party business partners more effectively,” the bank stated.
The 2017 UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) opens in Bonn, Germany on Monday, November 6, 2017 with the aim of launching nations towards the next level of ambition needed to tackle global warming and put the world on a safer and more prosperous development path.
And aerial view of the construction site of the COP23 “Bonn Zone”
The Conference, coming just two years after the landmark adoption of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, will also further fuel momentum among cities, states, regions, territories, business and civil society in support of national climate action plans, the internationally-agreed temperature goal and the wider objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Extreme Weather Brings Fresh Urgency
Presided over by Frank Bainimarama, the Prime Minister of Fiji and the first small island developing state to hold this role, the conference comes against a backdrop of extreme weather events that have devastated the lives of millions of people in places like Asia, the Americas and the Caribbean.
“The human suffering caused by intensifying hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, floods and threats to food security caused by climate change means there is no time to waste,” said Mr Bainimarama, who takes over as President of the COP23 conference from Morocco during the opening.
“We must preserve the global consensus for decisive action enshrined in the Paris Agreement and aim for the most ambitious part of that target – to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees above that of the pre-industrial age,” he said.
“Wherever we live, we are all vulnerable and need to act. Fiji is helping build a Grand Coalition for decisive, coordinated action by governments at every level, by civil society, the private sector and all citizens on earth. That’s why we installed an ocean-going Fijian “drua” canoe in the entrance here to remind everyone of the need to fill its sail with collective determination to make COP23 a success and confront the biggest challenge humanity has faced,” he said.
COP23 in Bonn will respond to that call with new progress and initiatives in the two critical and inter-linked areas of action:
Governments working to increase climate action under the terms of the Paris Agreement and the UN Climate Change Convention
Showcasing, fostering and launching new and expanding global climate action initiatives by all actors with a view towards better coordination that aligns efforts in more efficient, effective and transformative ways.
Patricia Espinosa, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, said: “COP23 in Bonn will show to the world the two faces of climate change – firstly positive, resolute, inspiring momentum by so many governments and a growing array of cities and states to business, civil society leaders and UN agencies aligning to the Paris Agreement’s aims and goals”.
“Secondly, the reality check. The thermometer of risk is rising; the pulse of the planet is racing; people are hurting; the window of opportunity is closing and we must go Further and Faster Together to lift ambition and action to the next defining level,” she said.
Anticipated Highlights of COP23
The conference is itself a welcome mirror of international cooperation and coordination.
COP23 is organised by Bonn-based UN Climate Change, presided over by Fiji and organisationally and logistically supported by the Government of Germany, the region of North-Rhine-Westphalia and the City of Bonn.
Speakers reflect the broad spectrum of action. Those already confirmed include Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, Arnold Schwarzenegger, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, California Governor Jerry Brown, UN Special Envoy Michael Bloomberg, Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, Unilever CEO Paul Polman, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and Solar Impulse Explorer Bertrand Piccard.
Close to 20 country leaders are expected to attend, including President Emmanuel Macron of France and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Various transformative initiatives are anticipated including one from the UN on health and small islands; a platform to support engagement with Indigenous Peoples; a wide-ranging Gender Action Plan and the ramping up of a global risk transfer project that aims to deliver affordable insurance cover to an extra 400 million poor and vulnerable people.
The Paris Agreement is underpinned by national climate action plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) whose ambition needs to be collectively advanced over time to get on track to the Agreement’s temperature goal.
The Agreement’s goal is to keep the global temperature rise well below 2 degrees C and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees C.
Faster, immediate action is urgent because recorded pledges and efforts so far still have the world on track towards a 3C degree rise, maybe higher.
This risks the loss of the Greenland ice sheet, more sea level rise, significant damage to massive natural systems like the Amazon and the predictability of ocean circulation systems.
Currently temperatures have already risen by around one degree Celsius over pre-industrial times.
Government Negotiations
COP23 is structured according to the principle of one conference, two zones. The UN intergovernmental negotiations take place in Zone Bula, a Fijian word expressing warm welcome.
Countries in the negotiations plan to design and launch the Talanoa dialogue, named after the spirit of open exchange and constructive debate of Pacific island nations, to run during the course of 2018.
The dialogue will be underpinned by three fundamental questions – Where are we? Where do we want to go? How do we get there?
The dialogue will conclude at COP24 in Poland next year with the aim of setting the stage for a more ambitious response that better reflects the scientific state of climate change during the window 2019-2020.
Governments will also work on what can be called the Paris Agreement’s operating system – the detailed ways and means to assist all governments, supported by non-Party Stakeholders, better meet the goals of the Paris Agreement now and over the years and decades to come. The deadline for this is also scheduled for Poland in 2018.
The guidelines underpinning the operating system will need to ensure that the Agreement fosters transparency on action and support and that resilience-building and adaptation are boosted.
They also need to detail how governments will take stock of the evolving global situation and how mechanisms to facilitate implementation and promote compliance will operate.
COP23 negotiators will also be keen to move forward on other unfinished business under the Convention.
These include checking on the progress of the delivery of $100 billion of support for developing countries by 2020 and the bringing into force of the Doha Amendment of the first international emission reduction treaty, the Kyoto Protocol.
Global Climate Action and the Marrakech Partnership
Meanwhile, just along the river Rhine the German government is organising Zone Bonn, where governments, cities, states, business and civil society will be announcing achievements post-Paris and new initiatives.
“I look forward to great new initiatives. The economic and the public health and well-being benefits of a clean, green world are now utterly compelling for governments, companies, investors and consumers alike. But I look forward also to new breakthroughs in coordinating global expertise and resources to achieve faster concrete results,” said Barbara Hendricks, Germany’s Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
Known as the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (GCA), this is a five-day programme of well over 100 events demonstrating how cities, regions, businesses and investors are working with governments and the UN system to implement the Paris Agreement.
The first three GCA days (November 10 to 12) will showcase action in eight core thematic areas; namely Energy, Water, Agriculture, Oceans & Coastal Zones, Human Settlements, Transport, Industry and Forests. Daily morning press conferences will curtain raise these events.
The final two days (November 13 to 14) will pivot into the high-level segment, featuring the most prominent speakers spotlighting the crosscutting themes of finance, innovation, resilience, Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities & Communities) and Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).
These also demonstrate the depth, breadth and creativity of global climate action happening around the world, from the biggest corporations to local, small-scale initiatives with major
Former Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Turner Isoun, has commended the federal government on its directives to government agencies to patronise the Nigerian satellite.
The NigcomSat-1R
Recently, government issued Order 2 compelling its ministries, agencies and corporate bodies in the country to patronise Nigerian satellites.
Nigeria currently has satellites in orbit performing both observatory and communication functions, yet government agencies spend millions of dollars every year on the purchase of satellite imageries and internet data from other satellites across the world.
But Prof. Isoun said that the directive by government was a clear testimony that the investment in the satellite sector was not a waste as the sector is currently positioned to advance government efforts to create wealth and jobs for the teeming youth population.
“It is noteworthy that government investment in the space sector in the last few years has started paying off as the sector is now positioned to create wealth and jobs, and be in the first line of renewable resources of innovation,” he said.
“As the former minister who guided the nation in this direction, I must applaud this effort and urge government not to relent on its oars; government should continue to show leadership by monitoring and ensuring strict compliance with the implementation of the directive,” he added.
According to him, the satellite industry must be linked to other sectors of the economy especially agriculture, transportation and banking, adding that the acceptance of GSM, ATMs and other innovative facilities by Nigerians has demonstrated how technologically friendly we are as a country.
“Any nation averse to technology and innovation cannot compete globally. Nigerian universities must key into the current development especially in the space sector, they must play a significant role in efforts to create wealth and jobs for the population,” he said.
The former minister urged government to also step up action on the Nuclear Programme which was established to generate over 1000 megawatt of electricity. “Government must not shy away from the Nuclear for Peaceful Purpose Programme. We already have in place facilities such as the gamma irradiation that will add value to agricultural produce especially those for export.”
African Climate Reporters on Saturday, November 4, 2017 warned against indiscriminate bush burning, deforestation, and urged security agencies to arrest anybody caught burning bush.
Bush burning
The Assistant Director, African Climate Reporters in West Africa, Mr Mohammad Zakariyya, made the call in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.
He said setting bush on fire usually killed many plants, animals and destroyed natural vegetation thereby exposing human beings to many health hazards and diseases.
According to him, setting vegetation on fires, particularly in the tropics, are major sources of atmospheric pollution, affecting large areas of the globe.
“Most fires occur in the dry tropics, where large scale subsidence prevent deep convention associated with rainfall, and thus would not allow the vegetation to become dry enough to burn.
“Smoke has a range of health effects from eye and respiratory tract irritation to serious disorders, such as breathing problems, bronchitis, severe asthma, cancer and premature death.
“The very fine particles in smoke can go deep into the lungs and find particles, by themselves or in combination with other air pollutants, can make pre-existing diseases of the heart and lungs worse,” he said.
Mohammed pointed out that setting bush on fires had so many negative effects on human beings.
He said that it is glaring that particles, carbon monoxide, hydro-carbons, oxides of nitrogen a negligible percentage of oxides of sulphur are the major pollutants of bush burning and they all have various effects on man and his environment, like reduction of visibility and some respiratory diseases.
He added that oxides of sulphur and nitrogen are also hazardous as they cause respiratory disorders and irritants.
“Where there is short-term exposure to smoke, the particles are the most significant threat to public health.
“High levels of carbon monoxide are poisonous to humans.
He said, however, carbon monoxide arising from smoke events does not usually reach levels that pose a risk to the general population, although firefighters and people with heart disease can be at risk.
According to him, forests are greatly helping to reduce the amount of pollutants in the air, so, the depletion of these groups of trees is greatly increasing the risk that carbon monoxide would reach the atmosphere and result in the depletion of the ozone layer, which in turn results to global warming.”
Mohammad also said apart from the soil destruction and desert encroachment caused by bush burning, it also had a marked increase in global warming due to the emission of gases, which have tremendous effect on the ozone layer.
He called on all stakeholders in Nigeria, West Africa, to find means of educating the people of the region on the dangers of bush burning.
The focal person of UNICEF in Nasarawa State, Mr Adikwu Moses, made this known in an interview with newsmen after a two-day workshop held in Karu Local Government Area of the state.
The training was designed for various religious leaders from seven local government areas of the state on essential family practices.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that six religious leaders each representing Awe, Kokona, Doma, Keffi, Wamba, Nasarawa and Karu local government areas were drawn from Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’atul Nasir Islam (JNI).
Others are Women Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN) and Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN).
Moses said UNICEF’s concern about the welfare of children is because they were the most vulnerable in the society, hence the workshop to train and encourage them to sensitise their followers on prioritising the nutrition of children.
“UNICEF is about the children and the women who are vulnerable to certain situations. So how do we do promote these issues that are very key to their welfare especially issues that deal with essential family practices?
“These issues include promotion of infant and young child feeding because the child must be properly fed to get the required nutrition and nutrition is supreme to human life. This is what UNICEF is concerned about and the reason for this training,” he said.
He added that UNICEF in collaboration with National Orientation Agency (NOA) chose religious leaders because of the respect they command amongst their followers, their closeness to the people and their wide reach.
“That is why we brought in religious leaders. These religious leaders are close to the people and their words are authority because they have seen from the holy books areas that God in his own scriptures has given to man what it means to give nutrition. These things are there.
“As men of God, they can bring out research on nutrition from the holy books and talk to their followers so that they can have a change of attitude and knowledge. Once they talk to their followers, the society will be promoted and everybody will do what is expected for our children and mothers,” he said.
He said the expectation of UNICEF after the training is for the religious leaders to go back home to their various communities to ensure that their followers get the message of proper nutrition for Nigerian children.
“That is why they need to develop key messages that the people will understand. It is going to be a duty on them to continuously ensure that members of the society are informed on what they are supposed to do with regards to nutrition,” he said.
He also appealed to parents and followers to key into the messages the religious leaders would be disseminating on the nutrition of the children in the society as according to him, the effort is for the interest of the mother and child.
“The concern is to encourage parents to do all that is necessary so that children they give birth to will look healthy.
“A healthy child makes a healthy family. A healthy family makes a society to be healthy and a healthy society makes the country to be a healthy nation,” he said.
