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COP23: Activists call on world leaders to inject political will into talks

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COP23: Activists call on world leaders to inject political will into talks

The political phase of COP23 began on Wednesday, November 15, 2017, as ministers and some heads of state arrived for the high-level talks. Negotiations at the technical level have reportedly been reasonably successful, but observers wondered if political leaders of wealthy nations will recognise the urgency of moving beyond the cautious limits their negotiators were working within.

Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron, President of France, is one of the leaders making an early appearance

“During the past 10 days, they have wasted too much time being unwilling to advance on key and legitimate issues,” said Lucille Dufour, International Policy Adviser, Reseau Action Climate France. “Now is the time to send a strong wake-up call to developed countries so that they come to terms with the urgent need to deliver more action before 2020 and provide sufficient support to the most vulnerable populations, especially for loss and damage.

“Developed countries should remind themselves that these questions are not only about negotiating text or negotiating spaces. This is a matter of people’s lives being affected on a daily basis by the growing impacts of climate change.”

French president, Emmanuel Macron, is one of the leaders making an early appearance.

Dufour set out clear expectations for the French government: that France pushes for greater ambition with the European Union, that at the summit Macron will host in Paris next month, France delivers on the $5 billion it has promised for adaptation and loss & damage, and that Macron’s government aligns its positive statements at the international level with bold domestic climate policy, including swifter action on a transition to renewable energy.

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, addressed the UN climate conference on Wednesday, and Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director, Greenpeace International, said Germany risks failing to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement.
“The key issue on the table is that ten years ago her government committed to a 40% reduction by 2020 and Germany is now missing that target. And the only way that we think that can be changed is if the coalition supports a coal phase-out by 2030. Our expectation is that she’s heard the voices of the vulnerable, she’s seen the candlelight vigils around the world at embassies that have been occurring and that she will signal that she supports a coal phase-out by 2030,” said Morgan.

Mere Nailatikau, Regional Communications Advsior, Oxfam Pacific Region, said, “Our Pacific civil society family is concerned that emissions still rise globally. Many countries are still investing in fossil fuels, while wealthy nations try to block discussions to address loss & damage incurred by their emissions.”

“Support for our affected communities has been at the forefront of our hopes at this Pacific COP. We are concerned that proposals on the table now are weak. Communities hit by climate-related disasters may have to wait longer for help since negotiations here are failing to make meaningful progress on loss & damage finance. We welcome commitments to show real progress towards $100 billion.”

Sven Hamerling, Climate Change Advocacy Coordinator, CARE International said, “There has also been a lot of resistance from developed countries, unfortunately, to even start looking into a process which is about generating additional finance. I think in the overall political setting of this debate, there was a conclusion that we can only get to a certain point and leave further conversations and further fights for more finance to the future.”

The Bonn climate talks are being presided over by Fiji, the first for a small island developing state and are expected to close on Friday.

Global Partnership to provide more financial protection against climate risks

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Global Partnership to provide more financial protection against climate risks

An international initiative aimed at providing insurance to 400 more million poor and vulnerable people by 2020 moved into a higher gear with the announcement of additional funding and many more partners.

Frank-Bainimarama
Frank Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji and COP23 President

The InsuResilience Global Partnership for Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance Solutions, launched on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 at the 2017 UN Climate Conference (COP23) in Bonn, now brings together G20 countries in partnership with the V20 nations.

The V20 is a group of 49 of the most vulnerable countries including small islands like Fiji which holds the Presidency of this year’s conference.

Germany has joined forces with its partners, the Ethiopian Chair of the V20, the United Kingdom and the World Bank, in order to launch this Global Partnership.

“The Global Partnership is a practical response to the needs of those who suffer loss because of climate change. And I am very proud that it has happened under Fiji’s Presidency of COP. At the same time, it is a means of preparing for a more resilient form of development for those who will have to adapt to the great challenge of climate change,” said the COP23 President and Fijian Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama.

Thomas Silberhorn, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, announced support for the new global partnership of $125 million as part of Tuesday’s launch.

This follows the £30 million commitment made by UK Government in July 2017 to the Partnership via its Centre for Global Disaster Protection.

The announcement comes in the wake of a year of damaging and devastating extreme weather events that have hit countries and communities in Asia, the Eastern Caribbean and the Americas with some of the events described by scientists as unprecedented.

The Global Partnership supports data and risk analysis, technical assistance and capacity building according to countries’ needs and priorities, solutions’ design of concrete risk finance and insurance solutions, smart support for the implementation for such schemes and monitoring and evaluation efforts. This will range from sovereign risk pools in the Pacific, Africa and the Caribbean. The insurance schemes focus on the meso and micro level benefitting smallholders, the urban poor and other vulnerable groups.

The next phase, announced under the Global Partnership, is aimed at meeting the pledge of providing cover and support to an extra 400 million vulnerable people by 2020 while the efforts of the Global Partnership go beyond that original G7 goal.

The InsuResilience Initiative was launched in 2015 by the G7 group of nations under the German Presidency.

Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Change secretariat, said: “People devastated by recent weather events and communities vulnerable to climatic impacts are looking to the nations meeting in Bonn for an answer, for support and hope for the future”.

“This new and higher ambition initiative represents one, shinning, example of what can be delivered when progressive governments, civil society and the private sector join hands with creativity and determination to provide solutions,” she said.

“This Global Partnership brings important groups like the V20 group made up of those countries most vulnerable to climate change and the G20 group of the world’s strongest economies together around one table so that they can join forces to increase the resilience of poor and vulnerable people to the impacts of climate change. Instead of only reacting to catastrophes we want to shift to planning, preparing and protecting,” said Thomas Silberhorn.

The new Global Partnership comes as the UN Climate Change secretariat has also launched this week an online platform or Clearing House for Risk Transfer under the Paris Climate Change Agreement that will use artificial intelligence to connect countries seeking innovative insurance solutions with countries needing them

In July 2017, at their Summit in Hamburg, the G20 welcomed the creation of a Global Partnership for Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance Solutions. It is therefore known as the “InsuResilience Global Partnership”.

The aim of the Global Partnership is to increase the resilience of developing countries and protect the lives and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable people against the impacts of climate change and against natural disasters.

Under the framework of the Global Partnership, key players from developing and industrialised countries, international organisations and development banks, the private sector, civil society and the scientific community will work together to develop concrete and practical solutions that will provide financial protection against climate risks and natural disasters.

Innovative finance and insurance solutions for individual countries, which are tailored to the specific needs and challenges of poor members of the population in particular, are to be developed and implemented through the Global Partnership.

The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), for example, is being supported with the help of InsuResilience.

The most recent example of support was in September 2017,when more than $55 million were paid out to 10 Caribbean countries within just 14 days after hurricanes Irma and Maria had wreaked disaster on the islands.

The money was used in various ways, for example to quickly buy urgently needed medicines and to build emergency shelters for the people affected by the storms.

In Zambia, InsuResilience supports the NWK Agri-Services cotton company, which offers direct weather and life insurance to small contract farmers.

In 2015, some 52,000 farmers decided to buy insurance. Following a major drought in 2016, more than 23,000 farmers received payments.

On the one hand, the Partnership is meant to enable governments to react faster and more specifically following a natural disaster.

On the other hand, the Partnership is meant to support and enhance the future efforts of governments to prepare to meet risks due to climate change and natural disasters, linking these preparations to the use of risk finance and insurance.

This combination of a fast, targeted response and acting with foresight can reduce the number of humanitarian emergencies, and help poor and vulnerable people get back on their feet more quickly after a disaster has occurred.

Why imported GM maize was repatriated, by biosafety agency

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Why imported GM maize was repatriated, by biosafety agency

The Director General/ CEO, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Rufus Ebegba, has said that the imported GM maize that was impounded at Apapa Wharf was repatriated back to its country of origin because the importers failed to comply with the NBMA 2015 act.

NBMA
Dr. Rufus Ebegba with National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) officials at the press conference

Dr. Ebegba, who stated this while addressing a press conference on Wednesday, November 14, 2017 in Abuja, noted that the Agency, after an intelligence report on the arrival of the shipment, alerted the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), and that both government agencies worked together to impound the cargo ship, while samples of the maize  was collected and analysed.

He noted that scientists from the Agency’s laboratory carried out the analysis while a private laboratory was also commissioned to conduct another analysis, and that results from both analyses confirmed that the imported maize seeds were genetically modified (GM).

The DG/CEO encouraged potential business individuals and retailers interested in importing GM products to seek proper approval and recommendation from the Agency before doing so, adding that NBMA has the mandate is to ensure the safety of GM products to both human health and the environment.

Dr Ebega said at the briefing: “The Agency wishes to make it clear that it is actively safeguarding the health of Nigerians and the environment by performing its biosafety regulatory functions.

“The Agency wants to sound a note of warning to Seed and grain companies that the GM status of their grain imports must be known, and that import Permits must be obtained from the NBMA for GM seeds without exception. Failure to obtain Permits will result in the immediate repatriation of import consignments.

“The Agency recently had to step in to avert the importation of a maize consignment due to the failure of the importing company to obtain a GM seed import Permit from the NBMA.

“In late October, the Agency was informed of a large Maize import consignment. Representatives of the company were invited to provide more information on the GM status of their import after which the NBMA proceeded to obtain samples and conduct laboratory tests to ascertain the GM status of the imported maize.

“The results of the NBMA’s analysis and the tests of an independent laboratory of six samples showed categorically that the maize imports were actually Genetically Modified. This goes against the Part VII, Section 24 of the NBMA ACT 2015 which states:  ‘No person, institution or body shall import, export, transit, or commercialize any GMO or a product intended for direct use as food or feed or for processing unless with the approval of the Agency’.

“The essence of ensuring that permit is granted before the release of any genetically modified seed, grains or organism is to ensure risk assessment is carried out to ascertain safety to the environment and human health.

“In view of this information, the Agency, in fulfillment of its mandate and in collaboration with Nigeria Customs Service, ordered the repatriation of the maize consignment with immediate effect.

“Seed and grain companies are warned to follow due process. The NBMA is proactive and will tolerate no illegalities or shortcuts in its effort to protect the lives of Nigerians and the integrity of our environment.

“To avoid costly consequences and other severe punitive actions on them and their companies, they are hereby advised to apply for permit for GM seeds and crops. They are also advised to know the GM status of their imports. They should know that ignorance is no defense.”

Spotlighting used lead acid batteries in Nigeria

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Spotlighting used lead acid batteries in Nigeria

No country has developed without access to reliable electricity. With a weak electricity infrastructure marred by insufficient capacity, poor reliability and with 625 million people un-electrified, sub-Saharan Africa’s electricity poverty has hugely inhibited its economic growth. Nigeria unfortunately leads the way with 93 million people lacking energy access and the country largely dependent on alternative energy sources primarily diesel/petrol generators, battery backup solutions, kerosene and biomass. With growing attention towards renewable energy and its potential to alleviate Nigeria’s electricity crisis, more battery backup systems have been deployed for renewable energy storage. Solar rooftops are gradually becoming a common sight in the country especially in the major cities such as Lagos and Abuja.  The large battery market is becoming much bigger and lucrative especially for lead-acid batteries. Currently, almost all backup solutions use lead-acid batteries primarily due to their lower cost and availability compared to other battery options.

Used lead acid batteries
Used lead acid batteries

Lead-acid batteries are the most common and popular battery type used for energy storage in Nigeria. While alternatives such as Lithium-ion batteries exist and are increasing popular in developed countries due to their better energy density and growing use in electric vehicles, lead acid batteries dominate Africa’s energy storage market primarily for their use in cars, Uninterrupted Power Solution (UPS) systems, and now increasingly for energy storage in the emerging renewable energy market.

Currently, it is estimated that nearly 99 million lead-acid batteries are generated annually in the country. With a growing renewable energy industry and positive developments in the sector including government’s 30,000MW renewable energy 2030 target, the signing of PPA with 14 solar companies, mini-grid development through the now approved Mini-Grid Policy, and other developed renewable energy policies, the inflow of lead acid batteries is expected to increase to a whole new level. While these are positive developments for the industry, there is a very critical but currently overlooked aspect which has the capacity to undermine and potentially ruin the reputation of the renewable energy industry – The Management of Used Lead Acid Batteries (ULAB). For every 6 kilowatts of installed solar PV system, about 16 units of lead-acid batteries are required (200Amp, 12V). Over the next decade should the renewable energy industry grow as predicted, millions of lead-acid batteries are expected to flow into the country for the renewable energy storage.

Used lead-acid batteries are potentially dangerous due to the toxicity of the lead which comprises a significant percentage of the battery weight and the sulphuric acid solution electrolyte. The acid is corrosive and environmentally polluting while exposure to excessive levels of lead can lead to brain and liver damage, respiratory issues, impaired hearing, amongst many other health issues, particularly in young children. Currently Nigeria serves as a regional hub for the transportation of ULAB across West Africa due to its large ULAB market.

But what does this really mean considering the high environmental and health risks associated with ULAB recycling and disposal? The Heinrich Boell Foundation, as part of its mission to encourage sustainable development, carried out a research on the ULAB market in Nigeria and discovering a huge level of environmental pollution and health risks from the activities of illegal ULAB smelters and recyclers in the country. It was discovered that over 106,000 tons of ULAB are generated in the country with 96,000 tons collected and sold annually. A separate study estimates that about 50,000 tonnes of lead are recovered from ULAB in the country. Most prominent was the fact that no form of safety or health measure was adopted from the transportation to the recycling and disposal of the ULAB. More worrisome is that some of these smelters were located in residential areas or close to institutions such as schools and hospitals with lead poisoning risks. With the huge inflow of lead-acid batteries into the country – most times sub-standard batteries – there are concerns that the booming renewable energy industry will lead to a wave of toxic battery waste in Africa due the lack of standard recycling facilities.

But there might be a ray of hope as shown by one private sector player in the ULAB market who has invested significant resources into making sure ULAB is recycled following international standards and assessed as one of the best ULAB facilities in Africa. In the heart of Nnewi, Anambra State, Union Battery ULAB Recycling facility boasts of a ULAB recycling capacity of 100,000 batteries with modern recycling equipment, a waste gas treatment system and proper safety standards. The facility recycles almost 100% of the ULAB component except the slag waste. With such a huge battery market in the country, its facilities do not only have the capacity to drive economic growth but generate huge job opportunities. Unfortunately, this facility operates below 10% of its capacity. The reason is simply a case of “dirty money”, with the informal recyclers who have not invested in any health, safety or environmental measures paying much more for the waste batteries from battery collectors than formal standards recyclers such as Union Batteries can afford in order to make profit. As such, a huge percentage of ULAB goes to the dirty informal recyclers, polluting our environment and causing health issues. With an increasing number of such informal recyclers, one should not be surprised should part of the smoke or air one inhales in the environment contain lead particles especially if residing close to any form of battery activity.

So what is the solution? One would think that, with such a huge market especially from the automobile industry, there should not only be specific policies and standards regulating the battery market, but also enforcement mechanisms. Unfortunately, such a policy is unavailable with the closest laws related to ULAB, according to the National Environmental Standards and Regulatory Enforcement Agency (NESREA) including the National Environmental (Sanitation and Waste Control) Regulations S.1 28 of 2009 and the National Environmental (Motor Vehicle & Miscellaneous Assembly Sector) Regulations. Following extensive stakeholder engagement, research and training workshop organised by the Heinrich Boell Foundation involving ULAB exporters, recyclers, renewable energy companies and organizations, research bodies, the Federal Ministry of Environment and NESREA, proposed key steps to ensure a well-regulated and sustainable ULAB market include:

  • Adopting the Basel Convention and Benchmarking Assessment Tool: The Basel Convention is an international treaty which Nigeria is a signatory to, designed to reduce the movement of hazardous waste between nations particularly from developed to developing nations. The Basel Convention has a set of standards and framework for regulating ULAB including the Technical Guidelines for the Environmentally Sound Management of Waste Lead-acid Batteries, and Standards and Best Practices for Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of Used Lead Acid Batteries Recycling. The Federal Ministry of Environment should implement the Basel Convention and adopt these tools following the Convention’s Training Manual for the Preparation of National Used Lead Acid Batteries: Environmentally Sound Management Plan in the Context of the Implementation of the Basel Convention.
  • While it is okay having general guidelines on hazardous waste, without an independent inspection, monitoring, evaluation and verification framework, there would most likely be no conformance with good practice or compliance with the adopted Basel Convention tools. The Federal Ministry of Environment should therefore also adopt and use the Benchmarking Assessment Tool, developed in accordance with the International Lead Association (ILA) Guidance Notes and the Basel Convention, to provide a consistent approach in assessing any phase of the ULAB life cycle particularly ULAB recyclers.
  • Develop a ULAB Policy and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Framework: The Federal Ministry of Environment should develop a national policy for ULAB management and regulation covering all aspects of the business from transportation to recycling and disposal, as well as an EPR system for the battery market especially in the renewable energy industry, similar to the developed EPR system for the Nigerian EEE Sector. The policy should have legal backing to ensure enforcement.
  • Create a level playing ground in the sector: The government through the development of this policy and its implementation of standards across the ULAB market will create a level playing field for ULAB recyclers forcing the informal smelters to adopt best environmental and safety businesses, and encouraging the standard formal recyclers to continue good business practices. The key element of this is not just the development and adoption of the proposed tools, but its enforcement. The government environmental MDAs in collaboration with organizations such as the Heinrich Boell Foundation can organize training for these informal recyclers highlighting the health risks as some of them might be ignorant, and help them adopt good practices.

There are significant economic opportunities in the ULAB market especially when properly regulated by the government. With the volume of ULAB generated daily in the country, massive opportunities exist for similar standard recycling facilities to be set up, serving not only the Nigerian market but the regional African market. With the potential to create massive job opportunities and a thriving battery market for the renewable energy industry, government and the private sector should work together in developing this market properly and reaping its economic benefits. However most importantly, our lives and environment should be protected through safe and environmentally friendly ULAB recycling practice.

By Kelechi Ekwegh (Freelance Writer, Lagos; Kelechi.writingpen@gmail.com)

Health experts to partner stakeholders towards implementation of tobacco law

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Health experts to partner stakeholders towards implementation of tobacco law

Public health experts, who converged on Abuja for a three-day Tobacco Control Implementation Strategy Workshop, have agreed to work more collaboratively in implementing the National Tobacco Control (NTC) Act 2015. The meeting, which commenced on Wednesday, November 14, 2017, will run till Thursday, November 16, focuses on review of provisions of the law and communication strategies to increase compliance.

Tobacco
Participants at the meeting

In her welcome words, Director of Public Health with the Federal Ministry of Health, Evelyn Ngige, said that the Nigerian government was very much committed to safeguarding the health of its citizens by implementing the NTC Act.

Ngige explained that rolling back the tobacco menace was no mean task as it required collaboration and synergy between public health experts and civil society.

She stressed that the dangers of tobacco includes it predisposition of smokers and secondhand smokers to non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and tuberculosis.

She noted, however, that the Federal Government was set to enforce some provisions of the law as announced by the Federal Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, at the commemoration of the World No Tobacco Day on May 31, 2017.

Some of the provisions include prohibition of sale of tobacco products to and by anyone below 18 years of age; ban of single stick sale of cigarettes, prohibition of tobacco advertising promotion and sponsorships; and compliance with specified standards for content as set out by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SN), among others.

Earlier, Bintou Camara, Africa Director of The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), said the journey to getting Nigeria’s NTC Act in place has been one long battle strewn with obstacles put in place by the tobacco industry.

Camara explained that, in the journey, the CTFK had partnered with the Ministry of Health, and that public health professionals and tobacco control advocates must now work harder to ensure the implementation of the Act commences in earnest. She cautioned that the flurry of exposes showing a desperate tobacco industry in recent time makes it imperative for advocates and implementing agencies of government.

Participants at the training include representatives of the Ministry of Health, civil society, Nigeria Customs Service, and Advertisers Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), among others.

Two Nigerians win Shell global entrepreneurship prize

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Two Nigerians win Shell global entrepreneurship prize

Two Nigerian business owners, Mr. Precious Adeho and Mrs.Ngozi Deborah Atalor, have emerged winners in the 2017 Shell LiveWIRE Top Ten Innovators competition, a global contest open to beneficiaries of Shell LiveWIRE, and aimed at rewarding shining cases of innovation in businesses supported by the programme.

Igo-Weli-Shell
Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli.He describes the academics research programme as key aspect of Shell’s effort to contribute to the development of higher education in the country

The two Nigerians won the Merit prize along with four others in the same category, while businesses from the United Kingdom and Pakistan took the top and runner-up awards. The winners were announced during the Global Entrepreneurship Week holding November 13 – 17 in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

“We congratulate the Nigerians on this feat,” said Mr Igo Weli, General Manager, External Relations, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC).  “Three Nigerians came up with creative ideas on energy efficiency and access to chemical and paint products, and were among 22 entrepreneurs from nine countries who vied for the prestigious prize. We are happy that young Nigerians have deployed the skills and funding assistance in our LiveWIRE training schemes and made a mark for themselves and our country.”

Adeho and Atalor won $5,000 each, the only Africans to clinch the prize. The overall winner received $15,000 while the three runners-up got $10,0000 each. Shortlisted businesses for the LiveWIRE Top Ten Innovators competition were judged by an international panel of business leaders, chaired by Mark Gainsborough, Executive Vice President of New Energies at Shell.

Trained by Shell LiveWIRE Nigeria, Adeho got a start-up grant to reposition his company, Emobella Engineering Nigeria Limited, which provides engineering services with a USP of 24-hour availability and high-quality customer service. The business model integrates a training programme for young people facing employment challenges in the region. Mr. Adeho said: “This is the best thing that has happened to me and my business. Shell LiveWIRE has taken our business to the global stage, and I want to thank Shell for the opportunity to showcase our vision.”

Atalor, a 2016 Shell LiveWIRE grant recipient, offers affordable solar energy solutions on a small scale to empower families and businesses in rural areas to adopt the technology. Her company, De-rahbs Energy Services, installs, services and repairs solar energy equipment, and provides a low-cost solar energy payment plan and training to future engineers and energy entrepreneurs. She said of the Merit prize: “I see the award as an encouragement to pursue my dream of taking solar energy to every home in Nigeria.”

Since its introduction in Nigeria in 2003, the LiveWIRE programme has trained 6,550 Niger Delta youths in enterprise development and management, and provided business start-up grants to 3,313.

Energy activism to go global in 2018

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Energy activism to go global in 2018

On the sidelines of the UN Climate Summit (COP23) in Bonn, Germany, an unprecedented global alliance of civil society groups warned on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 that 2018 would see an escalation of activism against polluting dirty energies.

Lidy Nacpil
Lidy Nacpil of the Asian People’s Movement on Debt & Development

The alliance, known as Reclaim Power, sports representatives from over 75 countries across every continent and has already coordinated on over 2000 protests and events calling for the transformation of energy systems as a key step in addressing climate change.

The groups now say they will be stepping up their efforts significantly in 2018.

“The time to flick the switch on the energy transformation is now. People in the Americas know it, in Africa they know it, we know it in Asia. With that knowledge we are going to step up our efforts and issue clear and specific demands to our governments,” said Lidy Nacpil of the Asian People’s Movement on Debt & Development.

The alliance is united around a set of demands focused on changing the energy system from its existing climate-polluting structure to one that addresses the energy needs of billions of people who do not currently have enough energy for basic needs without burning the planet.

“The extreme weather we’ve seen this year is planet earth flashing us a red warning sign. We are going to add human voices to sound the alarm,” said Joseph Zane Sikulu of the Pacific Warriors.

“We are issuing demands that will unify people everywhere who want to see action on climate change and an energy system that serves the many, not the few. These are the basic non-negotiables we need to see happen in order to urgently change our failing and unjust energy systems” said Nnimmo Bassey of Health of Mother Earth Foundation.

“We have to make sure that the goal of 100% renewable energy is backed up with real plans and with real money and real technology so that this goal becomes a reality for every single person on this planet,” said Sarah Strack of CAN-International.

“We will stop dirty energy projects by abandoning dangerous projects, banning harmful energy types like fracking, and closing the tap of public handouts to the causes of climate change like coal plants and oil pipelines,” said Dipti Bhatnagar of Friends of the Earth International.

“We will not be fooled by corporations that are lobbying to replace the fuels that cause climate change with other just as dangerous impacts like nuclear, mega-hydro dams, and biofuels,” said Asad Rehman of War on Want.

“Corporations who profit from polluting our planet, and the governments that enable them, will face pressure on all sides in 2018. They’re raising the heat of the planet and we’re going to raise the heat on them,” said Jesse Bragg of Corporate Accountability.

COP23: Activists walk out of US organised pro-coal event

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COP23: Activists walk out of US organised pro-coal event

The opposition to Donald Trump’s outburst against the Paris climate accord has gained momentum at the ongoing UN climate change conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany.

COP23
Participants kick against the US promoting coal at a side event, in Bonn

The agitations and outcry especially by civil society organisations led by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) is evident that the plan to withdraw to the climate agreement by the US has created genuine apprehension among those who know the process best.

The turning point of the anti-Trump campaign was the walk out by demonstrators at a US organised pro-coal event at the COP23 conference on Monday, November 13, 2017.

While hundreds of events and presentations were dedicated to the role of renewable energy in tackling climate change, the US government held its first press briefing and side event on “The Role of Cleaner and More Efficient Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Power in Climate Mitigation” – leading to a demonstration by protestors who interrupted the event and staged a walk out.

“This is unacceptable. While the world struggles to go green, the US is pulling it back to brown coal and fossil fuel. We must choose between saving humanity or backing Trump’s dirty energy for profit,” says Agustine Njamnshi of PACJA.

As the second highest emitter in the world after China and the highest historically, US will, ironically, be the only country in the world to be out of the agreement – as Nicaragua and Syria have already expressed their intent to join the treaty, experts say.

Nazhat Shameem Khan, the Fijian diplomat who is leading much of the ongoing talks, said the conference needed to rebut any notion that the vision of the agreement had dimmed because of Donald Trump’s pull out.

Following the walkout in Bonn, protestors continued the demonstrations outside the hall. Panelists, meanwhile, presented to a near empty hall. The speakers at the event argued that coal would be used for some time to come and the way to go was to explore clean coal, which includes a system of technologies to clean up the emissions from coal, including Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), and the potential of small nuclear plants.

The arguments were supported with reports published by energy think tanks, including the International Energy Agency (IEA).

But other stakeholders are against the idea of encouraging dirty energy. They are in complete support of innovative ideas towards green energy with global action towards renewable energy.

“This is the time to support the latest trends in the transformation of the energy industry, including cutting edge strategies by energy companies, burgeoning renewable energy players as well as investment community,” notes James Grabert, Director Sustainable Development Mechanism, UNFCCC.

Getting innovative ideas into action is a major solution pathway where representatives from business, government and civil society are delving into technological and policy innovation and new ways of collaborating to get the world on track to achieve the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement, he said.

Other development actors called on the private sector to play a major role in innovative solution drive.

“Faced with the growing problem of climate change, the instinct of companies is not to be passive but to take action and find solutions. Global climate policy must provide the framework necessary to encourage the private sector to increase investment and spur innovation to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement,” said John Danilovich, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce.

The central goal of the Paris Agreement is to keep the average global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees. About one degree of that rise has already happened, underlining the urgency to progress much further and faster with the global clean energy transformation.

Meeting the Paris goal is also inextricably linked to the success of the 2030 Agenda’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, in this case particularly Goal 9 – to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

Courtesy: PAMACC News Agency

EU, UNODC, NIS’ efforts to tackle irregular migration lauded

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EU, UNODC, NIS’ efforts to tackle irregular migration lauded

The joint efforts of the European Union (EU), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for funding, implementing and partnership towards addressing the worrisome irregular migration and trafficking in persons has been commended.

Seme border UNODC
Group photograph of participants at the meeting

Giving this commendation on Day One of the UNODC Sensitisation of Seme Border Community on Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) on Monday, November 13, 2017,

the Comptroller, NIS Seme Border Command, Ibrahim Liman, stated that the programme was vital in improving and facilitating smooth and regular movement of persons along the border.

The programme is titled: “Promoting Better Management of Migration in Nigeria by Combating and Reducing Irregular Migration” which occurs, inter alia, through Trafficking in Person (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM).

“Accordingly, the programme is not only relevant but also very timely when viewed against the backdrop of ease of doing business initiatives embarked upon by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially in the area of transparency, synergy and information sharing among the security agencies and other stakeholders,” Liman said.

He expressed belief in the aims and objectives of the programme, saying that it will be achieved. The programme’s objectives relate to repositioning and promoting better management of border and migration in Nigeria.

In his remarks, the Comptroller Nigeria Customs, Seme Area Command, Abdullahi Mohammed, while identifying porosity of the border as a challenge, sued for provision of logistics to the Command and sister agencies as well as a reward system for diligent officers to enhance their operations in combating not just the smuggling of goods across the border but also persons.

He commended the synergy between sister agencies at the Seme Border, stating that it has gone a long way in enhancing their tedious job of securing the nation’s border from smuggling of migrants, and even goods.

Also speaking, the Unit Commander, Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), Fatayi Bakare, maintained that enlightenment was ideal in the fight against smuggling of migrants, adding that it would greatly enhance the fight as it would help inform the public about the ills of the practice.

Earlier, the National Project Officer, UNODC, Mr Sylvester Atere, maintained that the objectives of the programme include encouraging Nigeria to maximise the potential of migration, considering that the country is opportuned to have a vibrant population with 70 percent within the range of 40 years.

According to Mr Atere, they desire to see people have informed knowledge to make informed decisions and choices that will deter irregular migration and rather encourage regular migration is the delight of UNODC and EU.

The Comptroller Immigration, Border Patrol, Adediji Abiodum, who in his remark lamented that they have been battling with SOM, said: “It is germane and there is no better time for this sensitisation than now but this is not enough; we need to act. Hence, when we get back to our various beats, we need to carry the torch and enlighten more persons because migration is a security issue which is a challenge for all of us.”

In another development, Oba Akran of Badagry Kingdom, HRM De Wheno Aholu Menu Toyi 1, while receiving the UNODC and NIS team who paid a courtesy visit on him, assured of his assistance in the sensitisation of his people on the dangers of SOM, adding that it is very important in educating them on being properly informed, in order to deter them from the irregular practice.

Also, the Agololo of Badagry, High Chief, Dr Hundogan Samuel reiterated the timeliness of the sensitisation on SOM, especially to the women as many Nigerian women have lost their lives on the journey of no return.

He called on the government to do more in developing the country and curtail the irregular migration of many Nigerians who go in search of greener pastures.

By Damian Daga, Seme

Bio-fortified crops are natural, different from GM crops – Expert

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Bio-fortified crops are natural, different from GM crops – Expert

The Country Manager of HarvestPlus Nigeria, Mr Paul Ilona, on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 said that bio-fortified crops were natural and different from genetically modified (GM) crops, which are basically synthetic.

bio-fortified
Bio-fortified crops in Africa

Ilona, who said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, pointed out that the crops were also different from foods that were fortified with vitamins and other trace minerals.

He said that, for instance, scientists had identified some genes in cassava and maize that were beneficial to human’s health.

“There are no health concerns with bio-fortified crops like it is the case with GM crops.

“‘Albinos’ have been identified in tuber crops like cassava and grains like maize.

“Some of the tubers and grains are carriers of Vitamin A and other trace minerals.

“So, whatever is being done in the crop bio-fortification process is to identify the carriers of micro-nutrients and naturally accentuate the genes.

“That is why straight from harvesting, we have grey, white and orange coloured cassava varieties which you fry and get the exact colour without adding oil or any colouring material,’’ he said.

Ilona said that there were over 3,000 varieties of cassava in the system with broad genetic forms.

He said that some of the varieties had high starch and increased level of nutrients in them.

Ilona said that HarvestPlus was introducing Vitamin A cassava stems to smallholder farmers and empowering them with machines to facilitate proper crop processing after harvest.

He said that the idea of crop bio-fortification was to curb malnutrition by fortifying basic staple foods with the necessary nutrients that could be obtained from the food which the people consumed.

Ilona, however, urged the federal and state government to earmark funds for crop bio-fortification projects.

He said that HarvestPlus was working with Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, to train farm managers, as part of efforts to attract investors in the agriculture sector.

He said that high-quality custard and snacks as well as grey, orange, dark coloured cassava were currently produced from the bio-fortified Vitamin A cassava.

Ilona said that HarvestPlus had also introduced automated cassava planters, automated cassava harvesters and mobile flash driers to dry cassava tubers when processed.

Ilona said that the agency invested heavily in women, while organising them into community organisations as a means of fighting malnutrition using bio-fortified crops.

By Chidinma Agu

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