Out of the total 20.8 million children worldwide who have missed their first measles vaccine dose, 3.3 million are from Nigeria – the highest globally.
The WHO team carrying out measles vaccination campaign at internally displaced people’s camp in Nigeria
The revelation was made on Thursday, October 26, 2017 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) against the backdrop of the release of a report that stated that, in 2016, an estimated 90,000 people died from measles, a figure that represents an 84% drop from more than 550,000 deaths in 2,000. This is said to be the first time global measles deaths have fallen below 100,000 per year.
The UN body is bothered by the fact that far too many children – 20.8 million – are still missing their first measles vaccine dose, and that more than half of these unvaccinated children live in six countries: Nigeria (3.3 million), India (2.9 million), Pakistan (2.0 million), Indonesia (1.2 million), Ethiopia (0.9 million), and Democratic Republic of the Congo (0.7 million).
“Since measles is a highly contagious viral disease, large outbreaks continue to occur in these and other countries in Europe and North America, putting children at risk of severe health complications such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, encephalitis, blindness, and death,” the WHO disclosed in a statement.
Dr Robert Linkins of the Measles and Rubella Initiative (MR&I) and Branch Chief of Accelerated Disease Control and Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says: “Saving an average of 1.3 million lives per year through measles vaccine is an incredible achievement and makes a world free of measles seem possible, even probable, in our lifetime.”
The M&RI is a partnership formed in 2001 of the American Red Cross, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the United Nations Foundation, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and WHO.
Since 2000, an estimated 5.5 billion doses of measles-containing vaccines have been provided to children through routine immunisation services and mass vaccination campaigns, saving an estimated 20.4 million lives.
“We have seen a substantial drop in measles deaths for more than two decades, but now we must strive to reach zero measles cases,” says Dr Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, Director of WHO’s Department of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals. “Measles elimination will only be reached if measles vaccines reach every child, everywhere.”
The world is still far from reaching regional measles elimination goals. Coverage with the first of two required doses of measles vaccine has stalled at approximately 85% since 2009, far short of the 95% coverage needed to stop measles infections, and coverage with the second dose, despite recent increases, was only 64% in 2016.
Agencies noted that progress in reaching measles elimination could be reversed when polio-funded resources supporting routine immunisation services, measles and rubella vaccination campaigns, and surveillance, diminish and disappear following polio eradication. Countries with the greatest number of measles deaths rely most heavily on polio-funded resources and are at highest risk of reversing progress after polio eradication is achieved.
“This remarkable drop in measles deaths is the culmination of years of hard work by health workers, governments, and development agencies to vaccinate millions of children in the world’s poorest countries,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, one of the world’s largest supporters of measles immunisation programmes. “However we cannot afford to be complacent. Too many children are still missing out on lifesaving vaccines. To reach these children and set ourselves on a realistic road to measles elimination we need to dramatically improve routine immunisation backed by strong health systems.”
Members of the Association of National Best Farmers in Ghana have called for intensive education of farmers on agricultural biotechnology and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in order to understand what the technology is about.
Members of the Association of National Best Farmers at the biotechnology and biosafety sensitisation workshop organised in Accra, by the Ghana OFAB Chapter
They said that, as farmers, they were not against GMOs, but they needed accurate information to dispel speculations that have portrayed “this science as an evil that must be detested.”
Biotechnology is the scientific process through which scientists change the genes of plants and animals by introducing into them desirable genes from other related species. The produce or products of this process are known as GMOs.
The farmers expressed their sentiments at a recent sensitisation workshop on biotechnology and biosafety in Accra organised by the Ghana Chapter of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB) as part of its quarterly activities for the last quarter of the year. The purpose was to enhance their knowledge on biotechnology as one of the options that farmers could apply to address challenges that confront agricultural production and productivity.
The farmers wanted to understand clearly, current notions about biotechnology and GMOs such as discontinuity of seed generation from primary seeds as is the practice with conventional seeds, which is a big issue for Ghanaian farmers, who are mostly small holders.
The Director of the Biotechnology Nuclear Agricultural Research Institute (BNARI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Prof. Kenneth Danso, took them through the process of the development of biotechnology and GMOs. He said the science was evolved out of the need to address problems of pests and diseases that affected cultivation and yields, and which normal conventional methods could not address.
He cited cassava as a staple food crop also considered as a food security product in view of its wide range of uses, whose leaves, stem and roots are affected by diseases that result in low yields and reduce farmer incomes. Prof. Danso observed that often farmers do not pay attention to these diseases because, according to him, they are able to harvest “something” at the end of the day and so do not realise how much they are losing.
The BNARI Director said the science of biotechnology can be used to address these diseases and enhance the nutritional status of cassava, which is basically a carbohydrate. He said when the technology becomes available it will not change the traditional mode of cultivation through stem planting.
Currently, organisations such as the USA-based Donald Danforth Plant Science Centre are carrying out studies into tropical crops such as cassava that are not the target of big seed companies. This not-for-profit organisation is conducting research with a focus on strengthening the disease resistance ability of cassava and enhancing its nutritional contents.
A Senior Advisor to the Ghana Programme for Biosafety Systems (PBS), Prof. Walter Alhassan, spoke on: “Exploring the connections: Ghana Seed Sector Regimes: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”. He explained that in Ghana seeds were generated through two main ways – synthetic and open pollinated varieties, whose advantage is that farmers can save seeds and replant and the hybrid produced from controlled cross pollination of two different varieties of the same plant to produce a new plant variety with desirable traits. The new variety usually yielded much higher than the parent plants, but farmers cannot save seeds for replanting.
Prof. Alhassan talked about the challenges facing the seed sector such as inadequate seed production, processing, storage and quality assurance capacity. He said the Seed Regulatory Regime was introduced in Ghana to ensure the production of quality seeds.
He said the seed industry was currently regulated by the Plant and Fertiliser Act 803 of 2010, which regulates production, inspection, importation, exportation and commercial transactions related to seed in Ghana as well as the activities of growers, cleaners, importers and exporters of seed.
He explained that the future of the seed industry relates to the Plant Breeders Bill (PBB) and the Patent of GM Seed, and said both of them were related to Intellectual Property. The draft PBB is now at the Attorney General’s office to be submitted to the cabinet and subsequently to Parliament.
The essence of Prof. Alhassan’s presentation to the National Best Farmers was that “very soon Ghana will have available all three sources of seeds – the open pollinated variety, hybrid and the genetically modified seeds.” Farmers will not be obliged to stick to one, but will exercise their freedom to go for the option that they deem best for increased productivity, as is the current practice of farmers in some developed countries.
A member of the OFAB Team, Dr. Richard Ampadu-Ameyaw, talked about the “Socio-economic effects of Biotechnology and GMOs”, and made a case for the adoption of agricultural biotechnology. He said the threats to the agricultural sector and food security in general were key issues for consideration.
Dr. Ampadu mentioned some of the threats as the current growing global hunger and ever increasing population that has outpaced food production; declining soil fertility at an unprecedented rate such that natural rate of soil replenishing has dwindled; malnutrition and diverse nutritional needs due to lack of nutrients rich foods, resulting in high incidences of ill health and mortality; while, conventional technologies were unable to produce the food needs of the growing population nor combat some diseases and challenges of plants and animals in terms of time and costs.
He explained that this situation was statistically reflected in 100 million people experiencing hunger worldwide because of the high food prices; 800 million people suffering from chronic food shortages; world population expected to reach nine billion by 2040 amidst declining food production; and poorer countries will need to increase their food imports bill by 40 percent in the nearest future to meet the food needs of the rising population.
Dr. Ampadu said the adoption of biotechnology can serve as a redress mechanism in various ways. The technology could aid the growing of more food on less land, thereby enhancing productivity and efficiency gains. It will ensure disease resistant and drought tolerant crops, which implies improving production and productivity and hence efficiency. Moreover, biotechnology will ensure highly nutritious food that could contribute to good health and general welfare of all including farmers and consumers.
In her presentation, Mrs Nana Akua Yeboah of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) focused on the safety of GM foods and stated that when it comes to issues of safety of GM foods, “the concern of toxicity, allergenicity, adverse impact on nutritional composition, as well as unintended effects are legitimate.”
“And the only way to ascertain their safe use with respect to human and animal health is a scientific evaluation of safety endpoints,” she said. Mrs. Yeboah explained that there was in place international consensus on the principles and guidelines for assessing the safety of GM foods through Codex. The Codex prescribes food and hygiene standards among other things, and is published by the UN.
She stated that “GM foods that have been approved per these guidelines are deemed to be as safe as or not riskier than their conventional counterparts,” adding that “any GMO that fails to meet the safety endpoint per the Guidelines will not be given market authorisation.”
The Country Coordinator for the PBS, Daniel Osei Ofosu, spoke about “Biosafety and Biosafety Regulations in Ghana”. He explained that biosafety was the process of scientifically evaluating the potential effects of a GMO on the environment, human and animal health.
Mr. Ofosu said biosafety regulations have been introduced “to ensure an adequate level of protection in the field of safe development, transfer, handling and use of genetically modified organisms resulting from biotechnology that may have an adverse effect on health and the environment…”
While backgrounding the COP23 scheduled to hold in November 2017, the Climate Justice Info Service predicts in this piece that the global forum will expose some real and urgent geopolitical tensions that must be resolved in order for the international community to avert a deterioration of the global climate system
And aerial view of the construction site of the COP23 “Bonn Zone”
Following a year of increasingly visible climate change impacts, governments will gather from November 6-17, 2017 in Bonn, Germany for the 23rd annual UN climate change conference (COP23).
Over the course of two weeks, negotiators will attempt to flesh out a set of implementation guidelines for the Paris Agreement – a long-term global strategy to address climate change – ahead of a 2018 deadline.
Although the Paris Agreement set a goal to limit global average temperature rise to 2°C, scientists have warned it is 95% likely that average global temperatures will pass this threshold by the end of the century.
The challenge facing governments is to raise ambition and accelerate actions before the narrow window of opportunity closes. For COP23 to capture progress toward these objectives, several substantive issues must be resolved.
The main controversial and/or contentious issues are:
The role of the United States
The lack of ambition in near-term (pre-2020) targets
Increasing the ambition of countries’ contributions to global action
Addressing climate change impacts
Provision of support
The United States
In June, President Trump announced the United States’ intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, throwing into doubt its role at UN climate talks, and related bodies like the Green Climate Fund. President Trump has also been widely criticised for appointing fossil fuel executives or climate skeptics to senior government positions at the U.S. state department, and at environment, energy, agriculture, and interior agencies/departments.
At COP23, attention will turn to whether the United States (and its allies in the “Umbrella Group”) will continue to advance a narrow agenda focused mainly on mitigation, carbon markets and transparency of action, while neglecting or foot-dragging on other key issues such as adaptation, loss and damage, finance, technology transfer, capacity building, transparency of support, compliance, and the global stocktake.
In Bonn, civil society organisations will release a major report exposing corporate interference in the climate negotiations, including a focus on the close ties between the Trump Administration and major polluters.
Immediate Action
The window to avoid breaching the aspirational 1.5°C threshold is closing fast – by some estimates less than four years remain – yet countries’ actions pre-2020 have remained minimal.
In recent years countries have focused on constructing the Paris Agreement, a long-term strategy, instead of immediate action. Now with the Agreement out of the way and the sense of urgency mounting many developing countries and civil society organisations are putting the emphasis back on pre-2020 action.
Without scaled-up pre-2020 action, the challenge in the post-2020 period becomes much greater as warming gets locked into the climate system. Developing countries are cognizant of this reality and will ask developed countries to step up to the plate in the near-term by ratifying the Doha Amendment which covers the period 2012-2020 under the Kyoto Protocol.
Increasing Ambition
Even with scaled-up action in the immediate term, countries must still bridge an alarming ambition gap, as the pledged “Nationally Determined Contributions” would result in over 3°C of warming, with risks of much higher temperatures.
The Paris Agreement provided a mechanism to continually strengthen pledges in an equitable manner. The first part consists of a 2018 “Facilitative Dialogue” whose design countries must refine in Bonn. (The Facilitative Dialogue is considered to be a “test run” for the “Global Stocktake” to occur post-2020.)
Developing countries will be adamant that the only way the Facilitative Dialogue can work is if it assesses countries’ pledges on the basis of equity and in light of what support has been offered to realise conditional pledges. Developed countries will push for a more “mitigation centric” approach which considers only the reporting and emissions reductions components of the pledges.
The debate, which is sure to be heated, will be informed by a new report containing recommendations on the Dialogue from a coalition of civil society organisations. In it, they examine the pledges put forward by some key countries and argue that the Paris Agreement’s goals can only be met if all countries assume their fair share of the global effort.
Loss and Damage
Although the COP is being held in Bonn, technically it is being hosted by Fiji – the first Pacific nation to do so. As such, civil society and many developing countries hope that issues like loss and damage and climate-induced displacement will be elevated.
While the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage has already launched into its five-year work plan, it has not yet been designated a permanent source of finance, nor has it been fully incorporated into the Paris Agreement negotiation track.
Developed countries remain reluctant to discuss financing for loss and damage as they see this as risking an admission of liability for climate change disasters occurring around the world. Instead they prefer insurance measures, which are unsuited for slow-onset climate impacts.
However, as impacts continue to worsen, developing countries may see this as a red-line issue and push for the 2023 Global Stock Take to explicitly include an assessment of finance for loss and damage.
Discussions on loss and damage are likely to remain heated in Bonn, but with few other landmark achievables available, expectations are high that a two-year work plan on finance can be agreed.
Provision of Support
As the emphasis of negotiations shifts to implementation of the Paris Agreement, questions around the implementation by developed countries of obligations to provide finance, technology and capacity will necessarily take on more urgency. In Bonn, developing countries will be asking developed countries to elaborate on their plan to mobilise a minimum of $100 billion annually by 2020, and seeking assurances of increased support in the longer-term, post-2025.
One controversial issue is the methodology used by developed countries to account for the financial resources they must provide developing countries as part of their contribution to curbing climate change, which observers have said inflates the real amount actually flowing to developing countries. The Green Climate Fund has so far received pledges of $10.3 billion which pales in comparison to the trillions of dollars it will cost for developing countries to fulfil their pledges.
With other funds such as the Adaptation Fund also short on resources, developing countries are unable to implement their share of the Paris Agreement and have to divert resources for adaptation efforts. They will therefore be insisting on progress on this issue as a matter of priority.
Cross-cutting Issues
The general fault lines between countries largely remain the same, and major divergences over key questions which were not wholly addressed in the May session will reappear. Chief among them is how the guidelines for implementation of the Paris Agreement will reflect differentiation between countries, and what information countries will be required to include in their Nationally Determined Contributions.
Generally, developing countries are concerned that transparency and mitigation are being given priority over adaptation and finance issues. If they feel that issues are not being treated in a balanced manner there are likely to be problems taking the process forward.
Global Climate Movements
In addition to the official negotiations, thousands of activists will descend upon Bonn for mobilisations taking aim at the German coal industry. A Climate March on November 4th as well as the direct-action group Ende Gelände’s planned occupation of coal mines on November 5th will set the scene for a counter-summit called the People’s Climate Summit.
Though COP23 will likely not contain the full drama of last year’s U.S. election or 2015’s Paris Summit, it will nevertheless expose some real and urgent geopolitical tensions that must be resolved in order for the international community to avert a deterioration of the global climate system.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has welcomed the ruling of the Supreme Court of India on Friday, October 27, 2017, directing the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to notify the comprehensive action plan for a longer term strategy for all key sources of pollution in Delhi and National Capital region (NCR).
Executive director, research and advocacy, CSE, Anumita Roychowdhury
This action plan was prepared by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) under the direction of the Supreme Court.
This is said to be the first-ever plan for this region that takes an integrated view of the problem and prescribes short, medium and long term measures for all key sources of pollution – vehicles, industry, power plants, waste burning, construction activities, road dust as well as episodic pollution like biomass burning.
Four action points related to vehicles – date of moving the manufacturing of all vehicle models to BSVI standards, action on dieselisation, tightening of limit values for Pollution under Control (PUC) certification, and integration of on-board diagnostic system with PUC — have been set aside for further hearing. The rest of the action plan has been approved for notification.
Said Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director, research and advocacy: “This plan is designed for sustained improvement in air quality over time to help meet the clean air standards. The challenge is daunting as the plan shows Delhi will have to reduce particulate pollution by at least 74 per cent to the meet the clean air standards. Such a target cannot be met merely with day-to-day emergency response and crisis management.”
Roychowdhury added: “In fact, according to the notification of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), as per the Air Act, daily and hourly standards should be met 98 per cent of the time in a year and they should not exceed the standards on two consecutive days.”
The proposed plan has identified the key implementing bodies that would be responsible for each of the action in a time-bound manner. It has also provided for a clear monitoring and oversight mechanism to assess implementation.
According to Roychowdhury, the plan has come at a very opportune moment when the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has started to lower the daily pollution peaks. In fact, the CPCB in its Diwali pollution release has stated that so far this year the number of days with satisfactory air quality has increased by 87 per cent since 2016. Also, there is at least a 28 per cent reduction in number of days with very poor air quality compared to 2016. Even though the Diwali night experienced emergency levels, pre-Diwali pollution was much lower than the pre-Diwali pollution in 2016. Favourable weather has helped, but stepped up action has also influenced this trend. A more comprehensive and integrated action is now needed to sustain the improvement over time.
Several action points listed in the comprehensive action plan have already been set in motion. An air quality monitoring plan for Delhi and NCR is already underway. Only trucks destined for Delhi and not older than 10 years are allowed entry after payment of an Environment Compensation Charge. The PUC programme is being reformed. The apex court has banned the use of dirty pet-coke and furnace oil and directed enforcement of new SOx and NOx emissions standards for the industry sector to come into force by December 31, 2017.
While these strategies will have to be taken forward, the new plan also asks for more systemic solutions. Some of these priority measures include expansion of the CNG programme in the NCR, augmentation of public transport including bus sector reforms, parking policy as a demand management measure, policy and infrastructure for pedestrians and non-motorised transport, and moving power plants to natural gas.
The experience with GRAP has shown that several measures meant for high pollution days cannot be implemented effectively if more comprehensive systemic action is not put in place. For example, GRAP needs intensification of public transport services on high pollution days which is not possible without augmentation of the public transport system, last mile connectivity and transport connectivity within NCR. Bus fleet and ridership are already declining in Delhi. Impact of hiking parking charges by 2 to 3 times in a few commercial areas may be limited without a proper parking policy for the city. Only penalty on garbage burning without solid waste management and remediation of landfill sites will not work.
Said Roychowdhury: “This much awaited plan now requires stringent and disciplined implementation with accountability.”
UNICEF, in a report titled: “Generation 2030 Africa 2.0: Prioritising investments in children to reap the demographic dividend”, also said one in every 13 births globally would take place in Nigeria by 2050.
UNICEF said special attention is required for Nigeria, given the projected increase in births and child population.
“Nigeria currently accounts for nearly 20 per cent of all of Africa’s births and 5 per cent of the global total.
“Between 2016 and 2030, 120 million births will take place in Nigeria alone – more than all the births in Europe – accounting for 6 per cent of the global total for that period.
“Based on current projections, by 2050, one of every 13 births globally will occur in Nigeria,” the report said.
The report found that half of the world’s children would be African by the end of the 21st century.
“In 1950, Africa had just above 10 per cent of the world’s children. By 2100, if current trends persist, around 50 per cent of all the world’s children will be African.
“By 2030, the end year for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Development, Africa’s under-18 population is projected to increase by around 170 million, reaching a total of 750 million.
“By mid-century, around 42 per cent of the world’s births, 41 per cent of all under-fives, 38 per cent of all under-18s, and 36 per cent of all adolescents will be African.”
The report added that almost one billion children would live in Africa by mid-century.
Based on the population projection, Ms Leila Pakkala, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, urged investment as Africa’s youth population surged.
“Investing in health, protection, and education must become an absolute priority for Africa between now and 2030.
“Some 11 million education and health personnel will be needed to keep pace with the projected unprecedented population growth of children in Africa – an increase of 170 million children between now and 2030.
“We are at the most critical juncture for Africa’s children. Get it right, and we set the foundation for a demographic dividend.
“This could lift hundreds of millions out of extreme poverty and contribute to enhanced prosperity, stability and peace,” she said.
The report identifies three key issues for investment: health care, education as we’ll as the protection and empowerment of women and girls.
It added that to meet minimum international standards in health care and best practice targets in education, Africa would have to add 5.6 million new health workers and 5.8 million new teachers by 2030.
Ms Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, stressed the need to invest in the potential of the projected one billion children in Africa.
Poirier said: “If Africa steps up its investments in children and youth now, transforms its education systems and empowers women and girls to participate fully in community, workplace and political life.
“It will be able to reap faster, deeper and longer dividends from its demographic transition.
“Conversely, if investments do not occur in Africa’s youth and children, the once-in-a-generation opportunity of a demographic dividend may be replaced by a demographic disaster, characterised by unemployment and instability.”
UNICEF recommended three policy actions to create the socio-economic conditions for Africa’s coming generations.
The first is to improve health, social welfare, and protection services to meet international standards; or beyond, in countries close to attaining them.
Secondly, it recommended Africa’s educational skills and vocational learning system be adapted through curricula reform and access to technology to meet the needs of a twenty-first century labour market.
The report also prescribed that Africa secures and ensures the right to protection from violence, exploitation, child marriage and abuse.
This includes removing barriers preventing women and girls from participating fully in community, workplace and political life; and enhanced access to reproductive health services.
The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) has urged the government and organisations to encourage safe disposal of menstrual waste so as to promote the hygiene of women and girls.
Dr Priscilla Achakpa. Photo credit: http://i.ytimg.com/
Dr Priscilla Achakpa, the National Coordinator of WSSCC, Nigeria, made the call in Abuja on Friday, October 27, 2017 in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
She underscored the need for all stakeholders to create access to water and sanitation facilities, particularly for women and girls.
Achakpa bemoaned the fact that there were taboos and myths surrounding the disposal of menstrual waste, saying that plans to promote the hygiene of women and girls would be achieved when the society jettisoned the taboos.
She said that a lot of women and girls still exhibited a sense of shame while discussing menstrual issues, adding that they were always hesitant to voice the challenges facing them in efforts to manage their menstrual cycles.
She called for the provision of facilities where sanitary waste could be disposed of conveniently without any fear of stigma.
Achakpa said that schools and public places had inadequate hygiene and sanitation facilities, adding that the availability of these facilities would promote a healthy society.
She said that the promotion of the people’s access to water, sanitation and hygiene would engender improved quality of life and increase productivity, while reducing the disease burden on the populace.
She said that WSSCC had put some modalities in place to partner with seven ministries to look into how to increase funding for programmes aimed at scaling up water and sanitation in the country.
Achakpa said that the collaboration involved the ministries of health, education, finance, budget and national planning, water resources, women affairs and environment.
According to her, the partnership is necessary because the people’s access to sanitation and water through improved finance will boost efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
“We strongly believe that partnering with these ministries will help them to understand what the issues are and why they should budget for water and sanitation.
“They ought to be aware of the importance of budgeting for sanitation and hygiene; when they make budget and present it for approval, they should be able to make everyone to understand the benefits,” she said.
NAN recalls that Nigeria has already expressed its commitment to ending open defecation by 2025 via a roadmap that was launched a few years ago.
Goal Six of the SDGs focuses on ensuring access to water and sanitation for all by 2030 but a large number of people, mostly children, still die from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene.
A lawmaker in Ogun State on Thursday, October 26, 2017 assured that the passage of the Forest and Wildlife Preservation Bill would help curb the menace of poaching and deforestation of forest reserves in the state.
Ogun State Commissioner for Forestry, Chief Kolawole Lawal
Mr Adeyemi Harrison, Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, gave the assurance during the committee’s on-the-spot visit to Area J4 Forestry Plantation as part of the Assembly’s oversight function.
Harrison explained that the bill, when operational, would reposition the operations of forest reserves for more efficiency.
“The bill, when passed into law, will address the shortcomings caused by the illegal operation of poachers in the state reserves,’’ he said.
He decried the encroachment of the forest reserves and urged the ministry to put in place measures towards strengthening security of forest reserves.
The lawmaker assured that the House would continue to make laws that would have a positive effect on the state forest reserves, which were also tourist sites.
Earlier, the Acting Project Manager of the Plantation, Mr Adebosin Babatunde, urged the state to recruit more armed forest guards to tackle invaders destroying the forest reserves.
Babatunde also called for the conservation of the reserve for a minimum of 10 years during which there should be no exploitation activities by tree fellers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other members of the House committee on the visit are Messrs Israel Jolaoso, Rasaq Oduntan and Tunde Sanusi.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says that handwashing practice can reduce the risk of contracting diarrhoea and other communicable diseases by 40 per cent.
Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State
The UNICEF’s Country Representative, Mr Mohamed Fall, made the assertion in Akure on Friday, October 27, 2017 when he paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State.
Fall stressed the importance of promoting sanitation and handwashing in complementing the achievements of the state government in the areas of healthcare and quality education.
He pointed out that partnership between UNICEF and the state government will go a long way to improve sanitation in the state.
Fall noted that access to quality education and good healthcare is crucial to human capital development.
Driving home the position of Nigeria in African Affairs, the country representative said: “If Nigeria does not make Sustainable Development Goals, Africa will not make it, especially the sub-Saharan Africa.”
He also commended the state’s achievements in the area of child survival, saying: “From all indicators on child survival, the state is doing well, Ondo State is standing as one of the best performing state in under five (child) survival.
“All investments might be lost without having good sanitation, but with joint effort must be geared towards better sanitation in the state,” he said.
Fall urged the governor to ensure security of lives and property of the agency’s staff posted to Akure, saying, “Akure has the best sub-office so far.”
Responding, Gov. Akeredolu thanked the UNICEF for its concerns about improving the sanitation in Akure and other parts of the state.
The governor also assured UNICEF of adequate security of lives and property of all and sundry living in the state, saying that his administration was committed to achieving the SDGs and promoting hand washing and sanitation.
He promised that measures would be taken to ensure that all houses have toilets to enhance the state’s environment and reduce open defecation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that billboards on importance of sanitation and having toilets were visible at the main entrance of the governor’s office.
About three months after stakeholders assembled in Kaduna to brainstorm on ways to actualise the Third National Communication (TNC), participants yet again converged on Lagos on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, this time to engage with investors.
Participants at the Lagos Third National Communication dialogue
For two days (from Wednesday, July 26 to Thursday, July 27, 2017) in the Kaduna State capital city, stakeholders explored ways to establish and institutionalise thematic working groups that will serve as the hub for the TNC data sources and possibly map out other areas for data collection. The occasion was the Stakeholders’ Follow-up Workshop Towards Preparation of Nigeria’s TNC to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The purpose of the Kaduna meeting was to also collate and incorporate the views and pertinent information of the stakeholders in the TNC. However, the organised private sector (OPS) and financial institutions, according to the promoters, were not fully represented at the two-day gathering.
In a bid to address the anomaly and ensure that the TNC is a true reflection of the activities of all the stakeholders of the country’s economy, the Department of Climate Change (DCC) in the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Tuesday held the daylong forum themed: “Engagement with Organised Private Sector on the Importance of Climate Finance in Econpmic Development of Nigeria and Role of Country Documents in Providing Access.”
A National Communication is an update prepared periodically and submitted by countries who are Parties to the UNFCCC on efforts they undertake towards combating climate change. This is to meet the ultimate objective of the Convention, which is “stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”. Nigeria is presently preparing the third in the series of National Communications.
Engendered by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Lagos dialogue, which featured representatives of banks and other financial institutions and other private sector players, saw the consultants to the TNC, Messers Triple’E’ Systems Limited, providing salient information to the financial institutions on National Communications.
Besides presenting an update on the preparation of the TNC, information on available global climate finance tools and how they can be accessed was also made available to the investors.
Similarly, participants brainstormed on the necessary country documents (NAMAs, INDC, BUR and NC) that must be put in place by Nigeria before the global climate finance can be accessed.
While NAMAs implies Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions, INDC indicates Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, BUR means Biennial Update Report , and NC stands for National Communication.
Participants eventually developed a sustainable framework through which the views of the financial institutions will be regularly mainstreamed into Nigeria climate change dialogue and policies.
Director General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, in a goodwill address, said: “We commend the organisers of this forum for engaging the private sector, which is the engine of growth in this process. In particular, the industrial sector is a critical factor in the issue of carbon emission; the consequences of which has incrementally resulted in global warming.
“Today, it is interesting to note that, across the globe, the issue of taming global warming has become a priority item of governments at all levels. This is why this forum is coming at an appropriate time and the articulation of this workshop is commendable.”
He pointed out that, around the world, uncertainty remains over the present and potential damage of global warming as well as unforeseen geological de-stabilisation and carbon dioxide leakages into marine and terrestrial environments.
“Some advanced countries are finding it very difficult to contain this menace despite their prowess in technology and environmental sciences,” even as he urged members of MAN and other private sector stakeholders “to cooperate and collaborate with the Technical Team by providing the necessary information that will facilitate the preparation of an acceptable National Communication for Nigeria which will give us access to requisite international funding resources that are available for countries across the world as a necessary condition for addressing the menace of carbon emission.”
Prof Felix Dayo, CEO of Triple’E’ Systems, in a presentation titled: “Access to Climate Change Finance for Nigeria’s Economic Development: The roles that organised private sector (OPS) can play”, emphasised that funding requirements for undertakings such as reallocating resources and developing and adopting cleaner, more efficient technologies are immense and require the determination and power of investors, large asset owners, and public and private banks.
“As climate risk becomes recognised as critical to banks, investors want to know whether this risk is being managed well and at the highest levels of the organisation,” he stressed, adding that global trends have implications on sectors like power generation, transport, manufacturing, telecommunications, agriculture, housing, banking and insurance.
He lamented that Nigeria has not been successful in accessing majority of the existing international climate funds for the benefit of the country.
Prof Dayo, however, added: “Few times in the last two years, Nigeria has featured in submissions to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board as part of programme funding:
IFC Green Bond Program (Programme Pulled By IFC)
GEEREF II (No Letter of No Objection from Nigeria)
GCF Board recently approved Deutsche Bank and 12 other Financial Institutions Proposal for Climate Funding – Nigeria was one of the recipient countries.
At the last GCF Board meeting (B18: September 29 to October 3, 2017), Nigeria was included in a programme covering five countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria).
“Nigeria has not fared very well in gaining access to climate finance. There are barriers working against this access which the OPS can assist in addressing,” he said, listing key barriers to include: information, economic, technological, regulatory, financial, and absence of enabling environment and documentation.
Lagos-based environment expert, Prince Lekan Fadina, underscored the need for Nigeria to access climate finance as, according to him, jobs of the future will be characterised by the transition towards low carbon economies, automation, as well as effective utilisation of natural resources.
Fadina, who is Executive Director, Centre For Investment, Sustainable Development, Management & Environment (CISME), stressed that Nigeria must invest in its human capital development in order to allow it tackle its challenges which include climate change.
“This effort requires key investment in capacity building and acquisition of low carbon technologies, among other needs,” he said.
Protesting at the Brazilian National Oil and Gas Agency headquarters, activists pressure the government for more transparency and responsibility, and highlight the impacts of oil and gas exploration on climate, biodiversity and traditional communities
Activists protesting in front of the headquarters of the National Oil and Gas Agency (ANP), in Rio de Janeiro
The Brazilian government’s current move to reopen the oil market as an alternative to raise the country’s economy has rekindled criticism from civil society and raised questions about Brazil’s ability to meet the goals set out in the Paris Accord.
Activists from 350.org Brazil protested on Thursday, October 26, 2017 in front of the headquarters of the National Oil and Gas Agency (ANP), in Rio de Janeiro, demanding greater transparency and dialogue with the communities directly affected by the blocks, and for more coherence with regard to national energy policies.
On Friday November, 27, ANP is set to hold two more rounds of bidding for oil and gas exploration; this time, in the deep pre-salt layers. In total, eight areas in the Santos Basin, located between the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, will be auctioned off during the 2nd and 3rd Rounds.
Activists took the demonstration to one of the largest avenues in the centre of Rio, and inflated a giant black balloon to represent the pollution and amount of carbon that will be emitted from the exploration.
“Our true wealth is at stake here,” said Nicole Figueiredo de Oliveira, director of 350.org Brazil and Latin America, pointing at a photo exhibition that also formed part of the demonstration. The exposition showed the threatened species in the areas of the blocks and portrayed natural disasters that could be aggravated by the intensification of the climatic changes caused by these activities.
“By prioritising investments in fossil fuel exploration and ignoring the direct impacts on biodiversity, the Brazilian government is showing total disregard for the climate, and for the promises they’ve made under international commitments like the Paris Accord. Worse, by opening new doors for companies that have been exploiting our resources indiscriminately for decades, they disrespect the most fundamental rights of diverse populations. No more walking backwards! We want a fair transition to a renewable energy-powered future, free from the trail of destruction that accompanies the fossil fuels!”
There are 10 companies confirmed for the 2nd Round and 14 for the 3rd Round. Many of them are the same companies interested in the blocs of the 14th Round, which happened exactly one month ago. Among them are big names in the international oil sector, such as Shell, ExxonMobil, Repsol, Petronas and BP. Exxon, the undisputed winner of the latest auction, promises to enter with force again in the next rounds in an attempt to replenish its reserves, which have slumped in recent years on account of the drop in the price of the oil barrel.
The pre-salt areas are offered under a profit-sharing regime, where part of the profit from production goes directly to the Union. These will be the first auctions after the approval of a law that releases the obligation of Petrobras’ participation in at least 30% of the activities in these areas. This time, Petrobras opted to be an operator with a 30% stake in the blocks of Campo de Sapinhoá, to be offered in the 2nd Round, and also with 30% in the blocks of Peroba and Alto de Cabo Frio – Central, both in the 3rd Round.
Emissions and risk to biodiversity
Estimates indicate that the entire pre-salt layer may hold some 80 billion barrels of oil in reserves, placing Brazil among the world’s top ten producers. But the exploitation of these reserves and the burning of all that fuel will also raise the country’s position in the ranking of the biggest climate villains as it would significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions.
Just two of the blocks offered in the 3rd Round – Peroba and Pau Brasil – could release about 5.4 billion tons of CO2 equivalent in the atmosphere. In addition, the oil extraction mechanism alone already causes a lot of damage. The deep sea counts on a great concentration of carbon. Retained in the pre-salt layer for millions of years, on a geological scale, the carbon monoxide will be transferred to the surface in just a few decades. The emissions estimated only for this amount of CO2 present in the reservoirs exceed 3 billion tons.
In addition to putting the country at the top of the list of the world’s largest polluters, exploring the deep layers of the pre-salt also endangers many marine species, such as the Jubarte and Cachalote whales, and one of the symbols of the state of Rio, the Grey Dolphin (‘Boto-cinza’). “There are several overlapping of the blocks with the habitats of endangered species, which are highly sensitive to sound waves and can be strongly affected by seismic tests,” said Nicole Oliveira.
Hydrocarbon exploration and production activities may also result in a considerable intensification of conflicts with the fishing fleets. Not to mention the risk of a spill accident on the high seas, whose impact may reach a much larger area than the polygon of the blocks, including coastal areas, where other endangered species are also found.
“At a time when there is so much talk about sustainable development and the use of clean energy, it is unacceptable for the Brazilian government to take a completely contradictory stance and insist on investing in a process that brings so much damage. Following this path would make it simply impossible for Brazil to reduce its carbon emissions in 30% by 2020, as promised. This goal requires immediate abandonment of fossil fuels. But it seems that the Brazilian government has forgotten that part,” said Juliano Bueno de Araujo, climate campaigner at 350.org Brazil and founder of the No Fracking Brazil Coalition.
