Some of the biggest players in the oil and gas industry have launched an initiative to reduce methane emissions from natural gas, a major contributor to climate change. ExxonMobil, BP, Eni, Repsol, Shell, Statoil, Total and Wintershall have committed to both reduce methane and to improve the monitoring of methane emissions to measure progress and increase transparency.

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and is released into the atmosphere during the extraction and processing of natural gas. The latest initiative by major energy companies is part of wider global efforts of companies to respond to the climate challenge and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit the rise of global average temperature to well below two degrees Celsius and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees – the central goal of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

The new initiative has been welcomed by the United Nations. “Numerous studies have shown the importance of quickly reducing methane emissions if we’re to meet growing energy demand and multiple environmental goals,” said Mark Radka, Head of UN Environment’s Energy and Climate Branch. “The Guiding Principles provide an excellent framework for doing so across the entire natural gas value chain, particularly if they’re linked to reporting on the emissions reduction achieved.”

The Guiding Principles are focused on cutting methane emissions from the natural gas assets the companies operate around the world. Developed in collaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund, the International Energy Agency, the International Gas Union, the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, Climate Investments, the Rocky Mountain, the Sustainable Gas Institute, the Energy and Resources Institute, and United Nations Environment.

The main objective of the Guiding Principles is to:

• Continually reduce methane emissions
• Advance strong performance across gas value chains
• Improve accuracy of methane emissions data
• Advocate sound policy and regulations on methane emissions
• Increase transparency by providing information in external reports

The companies recognise that improved data and transparency as well as a significant reduction in methane emissions will be key to ensuring that natural gas continues to play a critical role in helping meet future energy demand, and at the same time address climate change.

To achieve structural transformation on the continent, Africa must look for homegrown solutions and learn from its own experience, participants at the 12th African Economic Conference (AEC) heard on Monday, December 4, 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This, according to high-level speakers from the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is key to unlocking Africa’s potential and advancing its prosperity.

The three agencies, therefore, pledged their readiness to support the continent’s pursuit of an African agenda for stronger democratic states and rapid structural transformation that positively impacts on human development.

In his official opening address, the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, advocated for strong democratic states with zero tolerance for corruption and mechanisms for wealth-sharing.

“Conferences such as this are important in order to learn from experience and adapt practices to each country’s socio-economic conditions. There are no specific policy templates that work everywhere,” he stressed.

Executive Secretary of ECA, Vera Songwe, called on leaders, economists and policy-makers to “look beyond the standard indicators of good governance.

“There is a growing consensus that African countries require a more conducive governance environment for them to be able to pursue better public policies and ultimately to achieve better outcomes, including structural transformation and inclusive development,” she said.

Célestin Monga, Vice-President, Economic Governance and Knowledge Management, at the African Development Bank, called for greater focus on addressing the economic loss caused by institutional inefficiencies and incompetence.

Monga stressed how corruption endangers economic growth, but pointed to the hidden loss due to lack of strong institutions, noting how difficult it is to address this when people are hungry.

“A lot of governance work has not been very helpful to Africa as it is often seen as a precondition,” Monga continued. “We cannot expect a country with US $300 GDP per capita to have the same governance system as a country with US $78,000. You cannot compare Burundi to Switzerland.”

This is why the AfDB is rethinking governance in Africa, Monga said, stressing that good governance is also about learning.

Experts agree that notwithstanding overall improvement in governance especially in human development and political participation, the African region’s performance still lags behind other regions and hampers the successful reorientation of its economic activities.

“Maintaining growth of 5% should be seen as a favourable development. There have been setbacks, but Africa is gradually getting governance right,” said Lamin M. Manneh, Director of the UNDP Regional Service Center for Africa, on behalf of Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa.

Co-organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) under the theme “Governance for structural transformation”, this year’s conference focuses on the achievement of structural transformation in Africa with an emphasis on developmental governance.

About 500 researchers, policy-makers and development practitioners attended Day 1 of the conference.

The AEC provides an opportunity for participants to assess the impact of current economic and political governance strategies on economic transformation, poverty, inequality and human development in Africa.

Delivering the keynote address, Richard Joseph, Professor at Northwestern University, underscored why bold policy interventions must emanate from Africa.

“In Africa, this is the time for relative autonomy in dealing with policy issues,” he said.

The AEC offers in-depth presentations of policy-oriented research by both established academics and emerging researchers from the continent and beyond, who debate and recommend policy options on how governance in Africa can better support the continent’s structural transformation.

A call to phase out mercury use in dentistry by 2022 in the European Union has been made by health and environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Mercury is currently used in dental amalgam in fillings and is said to be replaceable. Mercury is regarded as a dangerous neurotoxin that can damage the nervous, renal and cardiovascular systems.

Given that dental amalgam is 50 per cent mercury, the Minamata Convention on Mercury requires each participating nation to reduce its use.

In 2017, the European Union adopted an amalgam ban for children under the age of 15 and for pregnant and breastfeeding women from July 2018.  The new rule requires also each Member State to set out a national plan to phasing down amalgam use and requires the European Commission to make a recommendation in 2020 on whether to phase out amalgam entirely.

The call to set a date to end all use in dentistry in the European Union was made as part of the Berlin Declaration to End Amalgam Use in Europe by 2022  at a two-day civil society summit on November 21-22, 2017 in Berlin.

The two-day summit drew leadership from dental societies, academia, national, European and international environmental, health and women’s rights NGOs, as well as EU and German stakeholders and decision makers.

Stefan Eck, German MEP, who shepherded the partial amalgam ban through the European Parliament, praised the Berlin Declaration. “It was important to participate in this summit in Berlin. I will try my best to work with civil societies to accomplish the goal of an amalgam-free dentistry in Europe,” he said.

Charlie Brown of World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, who organised the summit, said: “The Berlin Declaration parallels similar civil society goals for Africa and Asia: the Abuja Declaration (2014) and the Dhaka Declaration (2015) respectively. The Abuja Declaration for Mercury-Free Dentistry for Africa (2014), has had major impact in Africa and serves as the prototype for the Dhaka Declaration for Mercury-Free Dentistry for Asia (2015) and, today, Berlin Declaration to End Amalgam Use in Europe by 2022.”

Elena Lymberidi-Settimo of the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), which hosted the first European conference to end amalgam a decade ago, said: “The Berlin Declaration highlights a 10-year campaign by the EEB to bring mercury-free dentistry to this entire continent. It’s now time Member States roll up their sleeves and pave the way.”

Florian Schulze of IG Umwelt Zahn Medizin, which hosted the Summit and launched a national campaign, said: “Germany can end amalgam sooner, in 2019. Amalgam use is now very low, and dentists are ready for the switch. All we must do is make changes in the insurance system that are fair to dentists and fair to consumers.”

Philippe Vandendaele of Health Care Without Harm-Europe, said: “We co-led the campaign to end mercury in the other two medical devices, thermometers and sphygmomanometers, and now Europe needs to tackle the job on the third one, dental amalgam.”

Dr Silvia Pleschka of Women Engage for a Common Future, said: “The protection enshrined for children, pregnant women and breastfeeding women needs to be extended across the board, in the EU and beyond.”

Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibril, has declared that Nigeria is unassailably dedicated to resourceful deliberations and amicable resolutions on globally acceptable framework for actions that will guide transition towards a pollution-free planet.

The Minister made the statement in a speech at the opening of the 3rd United Nations Environment Assembly which opened on Monday, December 4, 2017 in Nairobi, Kenya.

“Pollution affects the air, soil, rivers, seas and health of Nigerians in an adverse way even though the actual cost has not been determined because usable data is scattered in compartments in various Agencies. It has been identified that transboundary pollution accounts for 28% of disease burdens in Africa.

“Therefore Nigeria uses regulatory framework and policies approach to address potential environmental and social impacts that may be generated during developmental projects,” he said.

“The Nigerian Government aligns itself with the position of the African Ministerial Group and the efforts of the International Community to achieve pollution – free planet. In pursuit of a clean and healthy environment, the Nigerian Government has embarked on a number of programmes, activities and projects aimed at managing and preventing pollution,” Jibril added.

He listed some of these activities to include: solid waste management, remediation of polluted sites, chemicals and hazardous wastes management and air quality management.

According to him, Nigeria flagged off an action plan for the management of spent oil in September, 2017 and launched a customised storage tank for this purpose.

He pointed out that, after UNEA-2, the nation revised and updated the Environmental Impact Assessment Act to expand the legislative coverage in line with Principle 17 of Agenda 21. He added that additional guidelines were produced on strategic environmental assessment, decommissioning of facilities, waste management, urban development, pesticides, renewable energy, as well as social and health impacts, among others.

“This is to ensure that all development projects factor in environmental concerns, wastes management and mitigation measures into project planning and implementation in order not to exceed Environmental thresholds,” the minister added.

By Alex Abutu

Over 4,000 stakeholders on Monday, November 4, 2017 converged on the green terrains of the UN office in Nairobi, Kenya to witness the opening ceremony of the 3rd United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-3).

This year’s edition of the assembly, which is the highest level decision-making body on the environment, aspires to consider new policies, innovations and financing capable of steering the world “Towards a Pollution-Free Planet.”

The UNEA-3 brings together governments, entrepreneurs, and activists who will share ideas and commit to taking positive action against the menace of pollution.

UNEA-3 aims to deliver a number of tangible commitments to end the pollution of air, land, waterways, and oceans, and to safely manage chemicals and waste, including a negotiated long-term programme of action against pollution that is linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The High-Level Segment of UNEA-3, which will take place from 5-6 December, is also expected to endorse a political declaration on pollution, aimed at outlining policy measures for, inter alia: addressing pollution to protect human health while protecting the developmental aspirations of current and future generations.

The ministerial segment will debut the interactive ‘Leadership Dialogues,’ aimed at providing participants with an opportunity for high-level engagement and discussion on how to achieve a pollution-free planet.

Other UNEA-3 outcomes will include voluntary commitments by governments, private sector entities and civil society organizations to address pollution, and the ‘#BeatPollution Pledge,’ a collection of individual commitments to clean up the planet.

Discussions at UNEA-3 will draw on a background report by the UNEP Executive Director, titled ‘Towards a Pollution-Free Planet.

The Report explores the latest evidence, as well as responses and gaps in addressing pollution challenges, and outlines opportunities that the 2030 Agenda presents to accelerate action on tackling pollution.

Welcoming delegates to the assembly, Prof. Judy Wakhungu, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources, declared that the assembly’s focus on beating pollution is very timely as pollution increases with every effort to provide services to our citizens.

“It is time, the world addressed this challenge without delay and agree on a common goal as a pollution-free planet cannot be achieved without working together,” she said.

The environment is our responsibility; it is the source of our well-being. The fate of our world depends on the quality of the care we give it,” Prof Wakhungu added.

“Our collective goal must be to embrace ways to reduce pollution drastically,” said Dr. Edgar Gutiérrez, Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica and the President of the 2017 assembly.

“Only through stronger collective action, beginning in Nairobi this week, can we start cleaning up the planet globally and save countless lives.”

New report on the environment

According to a new UN Environment report, everyone on earth is affected by pollution.

The report, entitled “Executive Director’s Report: Towards a Pollution-Free Planet”, is the meeting’s basis for defining the problems and laying out new action areas.

The report’s recommendations – political leadership and partnerships at all levels, action on the worst pollution, lifestyle changes, low-carbon tech investments, and advocacy – are based on analysis of pollution in all its forms, including air, land, freshwater, marine, chemical and waste pollution.

Overall, environmental degradation causes nearly one in four of all deaths worldwide, or 12.6 million people a year, and the widespread destruction of key ecosystems.

Over a dozen resolutions are on the table at the assembly, including new approaches to tackle air pollution, which is the single biggest environmental killer, claiming 6.5 million lives each year. Over 80% of cities operate below UN health standards on air quality.

The report reveals that exposure to lead in paint, which causes brain damage to 600,000 children annually, and water and soil pollution are also key focus areas.

Also, over 80 percent of the world’s wastewater is released into the environment without treatment, poisoning the fields where we grow our food and the lakes and rivers that provide drinking water to 300 million people.

According to recently published report by the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, welfare losses due to pollution are estimated at over US$4.6 trillion each year, equivalent to 6.2 per cent of global economic output.

“Given the grim statistics on how we are poisoning ourselves and our planet, bold decisions from the UN Environment Assembly are critical,” said head of UN Environment, Erik Solheim. “That is as true for threats like pollution as it is for climate change and the many other environmental threats we face.”

Corroborating the report, Ibrahim Jibril, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Environment in his statement at the plenary averred that “pollution affects the air, soil, rivers, seas and health of Nigerians in an adverse way even though the actual cost has not been determined. Trans-boundary pollution, according to Jibril, “accounts for 28% of disease burdens in Africa.”

The UNEA-3 will run from December 4 to 6.

Courtesy: PAMACC News Agency

Over 4,000 heads of state, ministers, business leaders, UN officials and civil society representatives gathered on Monday, December 4, 2017 at the third UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi to tackle the global menace of pollution.

The assembly runs for three days from Monday at UN Environment headquarters in Kenyan capital city. As the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, it brings together governments, entrepreneurs, activists and others to share ideas and commit to action.

“Our collective goal must be to embrace ways to reduce pollution drastically,” said Dr. Edgar Gutiérrez, Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica and the President of the 2017 assembly. “Only through stronger collective action, beginning in Nairobi this week, can we start cleaning up the planet globally and save countless lives.”

Everyone on earth is affected by pollution, according to a new UN Environment report, “The Executive Director’s Report: Towards a Pollution-Free Planet”, which the meeting is using as the basis for defining the problems and laying out new action areas.

The report’s recommendations – political leadership and partnerships at all levels, action on the worst pollutions, lifestyle changes, low-carbon tech investments, and advocacy – are based on analysis of pollution in all its forms, including air, land, freshwater, marine, chemical and waste pollution.

Overall, environmental degradation causes nearly one in four of all deaths worldwide, or 12.6 million people a year, and the widespread destruction of key ecosystems.

Over a dozen resolutions are on the table at the assembly, including new approaches to tackle air pollution, which is the single biggest environmental killer, claiming 6.5 million lives each year. Over 80% of cities don’t meet UN health standards on air quality.

Exposure to lead in paint, which causes brain damage to 600,000 children annually, and water and soil pollution are also key focus areas. Our seas already contain 500 “dead zones” with too little oxygen to support marine life. Over 80 percent of the world’s wastewater is released into the environment without treatment, poisoning the fields where we grow our food and the lakes and rivers that provide drinking water to 300 million people.

There is also a huge economic cost. A just-published report by the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health says that welfare losses due to pollution are estimated at over US$4.6 trillion each year, equivalent to 6.2 per cent of global economic output.

“Given the grim statistics on how we are poisoning ourselves and our planet, bold decisions from the UN Environment Assembly are critical,” said head of UN Environment, Erik Solheim. “That is as true for threats like pollution as it is for climate change and the many other environmental threats we face.”

A broader UN Environment policy statement, released ahead of the meeting, highlights the links between events over the last 12 months – hurricanes in the Caribbean and United States, droughts in the Horn of Africa and Yemen, flooding in Bangladesh, India and Europe – and the decisions we take about our ecosystems, energy, natural resources, urban expansion, infrastructure, production, consumption and waste management.

Mr. Solheim makes it clear that all of the complex global processes linked to the environment, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement, boil down to one simple message: we must take care of people and planet.

Mr. Solheim also points to many solutions to the problem of pollution and other environmental concerns, such as decoupling economic growth from natural resource use.

For example, the policy statement says that technically and commercially viable solutions can improve water and energy efficiency by 60-80% in construction, agriculture, transport and other key sectors, while saving $2.9 – $3.7 trillion a year by 2030. With over 60% of the urban infrastructure anticipated in the coming decades to be built, the opportunities to shape a better future “are simply staggering”.

“Focussing on the quality of growth is key for improvements in quality of life,” said Ligia Noronha, Director of UN Environment’s Economy Division. “That requires a culture that supports responsible production and does not hold up unrestrained consumption as an aspirational way of life. We need to invest differently to transform our economies, also bringing in the private sector to back clean growth.”

The assembly will also see the participation of celebrity activists, such as UN Environment’s new Goodwill Ambassador Ellie Goulding, announcements relating to the #BreatheLife and #CleanSeas campaigns, on air and marine pollution respectively, and the release of new research – from reports on environmental sources of antimicrobial resistance to the state of South Sudan’s environment.