China has detailed plans for the world’s largest emissions trading system covering more than 1,700 power companies and three billion tonnes in total greenhouse gas emissions.
National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) Deputy Director, Zhang Yong, addressing a press conference in Beijing
The market will be set up to “control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote green low-carbon development,” said National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) Deputy Director, Zhang Yong, at a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, December 19, 2017.
Trading will begin after a period of “preparatory work” and will “gradually expand market coverage” to include “other high-energy-consuming and high-emission industries,” said Li Gao, Director, Climate Department, NDRC.
The national emissions trading system was approved last week by China’s State Council. Pilot schemes have been set up in seven provinces and cities in China, the first in 2013.
“China joins a growing number of jurisdictions, such as California, the EU and South Korea, which are using market-based measures to cut climate emissions in a cost-effective and efficient way,” said Dirk Forrister, President and CEO of the International Emissions Trading Association, in reaction to the news. “China will have the world’s largest carbon market, drawing lessons from these other markets to ensure that it works in harmony with other national policies. We commend the Chinese government for taking these steps to realize its long-term vision.”
Some 42 national and 25 subnational jurisdictions are pricing carbon. The European Union Emissions Trading System, currently the largest carbon market, covers about 1.75 billion tonnes of emissions.
After the New Year break, the Federal Government may have some axe to grind with Nigerians if it goes on with its proposed sale of national assets to finance budgets.
L-R: Achike Chude of Joint Action Front (JAF); Akinbode Oluwafemi, Deputy Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN); Benjamin Anthony, National President of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Service Employees (AUPCTRE); and Yusuf Zambuk, Secretary-General of AUPCTRE at the press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday, December 19, 2017
It will have to contend with different labour unions, associations and civil society organisations (CSOs) who have mapped out plan of action to stop the proposed sale of national assets.
The groups, including Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Service Employees (AUPCTRE), Centre for Social Change and Citizenship Education (CENSORCHANGE) and Joint Action Front (JAF), made this known in Lagos on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 at a press conference anchored by the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN).
Ben Akabueze of the budget office had hinted that government would have to dispose of some national assets like the National Theatre, Iganmu, and the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Onikan, all in Lagos, to fund national budgets from 2018 to 2020.
Urging government not to sell off Nigeria’s national assets, the coalition vowed to mobilise Nigerians to ground the country, if government fails to hearken to their advice.
Deputy executive director of ERA/FoEN, Akinbode Oluwafemi, wondered what would happen when government has no more assets to sell.
“After selling the national assets, what else? Probably they would resort to selling citizens to finance budgets,” he said.
According to him, even America, the capital of capitalism, cultural national assets and monuments are still preserved.
The national president of AUPCTRE, Benjamin Anthony, said the union “is against the sale of our national assets.”
He noted that if the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) generated over N1 trillion in 10 months as reported and with the revenue from crude oil, “why should we be selling assets to fund budget?”
For him, Nigerian leaders believe strongly in corruption, otherwise “why don’t they sell Railway?”
National secretary-general of AUPCTRE, Yusuf Zambuk, described the sale of national assets as prodigality.
He said with all the resources in Nigeria, human and material, how could a government not generate enough money to fund budget?
“If you have serious set of people in government, would they leave the old Federal Secretariat in Ikoyi to be rotting away?” he asked. “That can be converted to a hotel and generate capital therefrom.”
Capitalism, he added, is about borrowing from banks to produce goods and make profit; “it is not about selling national assets.”
Achike Chude of JAF, a coalition of about 25 CSOs, said the Nigerian government is peopled by a rapacious set with no interest other than theirs.
He lamented that “they have continued borrowing to finance budget deficit for over 25 years”, adding that it is not sustainable.
Describing government’s privatisation policy as assets stripping, he noted that “we have been complacent for over issues like this for too long. We need to properly mobilise because we believe we will win this war.”
The pioneer chairman of AUPCTRE, Lagos chapter, Ayodele Akele, commended AUPCTRE, adding: “I am stigmatised across governments and I don’t have any apology for that.”
He vowed to mobilise as many groups as he could to join AUCPTRE in the agitation to stop the sale of national assets.
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has been granted a permit to carry out Confined Field Trials (CFT) of genetically modified (GM) cassava (AMY3 RNAi Transgenic lines).
Dr Nteranya Sanginga, Director General of the IITA
This is contained in a statement signed by IITA Head of Communication, Mrs Catherine Lopez, and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The statement said that the research, carried out in collaboration with ETHZ Plant Biotechnology Lab in Zurich, was aimed at reducing starch breakdown in storage roots of cassava after pruning the shoots, prior to harvest of the crop.
It also said that the objective was to obtain storage roots with lower post-harvest physiological degradation, without any loss of the nutritious starch.
It noted that cassava was an important starchy food crop in sub-Saharan Africa as well as other tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world.
The statement said that one of the challenges facing cassava farmers in the country was the high level of post-harvest losses, caused by rapid deterioration of the starch-rich roots which occurred naturally after harvesting.
“Though the post-harvest deterioration can be reduced by pruning the shoots of cassava plants without unearthing the roots, but this poses a problem.
“The problem is that the desirable starch, stored in the root, can be degraded by the plant after pruning, which, in turn, lowers the harvest yield and root quality.
“To address this, a research project was conceived at ETH Zurich where cassava plants using cultivar 60444 were generated.
“They were generated using RNAi as the tool to try to reduce starch breakdown in the root after pruning of the shoots.
“Extensive testing was carried out in greenhouses in Switzerland, where the plants were grown for three consecutive years.
“Our greenhouse experiments were an important first step but they cannot be a substitute for genuine field conditions.
“Hence, it is necessary to grow the plants in a tropical climate such as that of Nigeria; IITA is an excellently equipped and well-staffed institute that could perform such a confined field trial.’’
The statement said the CFT permit, which was issued by the National Biosafety Management Agency in accordance with the National Biosafety Agency Act 2015, was for the period between Sept. 22, 2017 and Dec. 31, 2018.
It said that the research was a fact-gathering process, aimed at gaining fundamental knowledge about starch metabolism in the storage root, about cassava as a crop.
“As part of the experiment, re-growth of stem cuttings from the plants will also be assessed, since re-growth may also depend on starch stored in the stem.
“This is important since cassava is normally propagated by stem cuttings and not by seed.
“The primary beneficiaries of the knowledge gained from this research (and its eventual application for cassava improvement) would be cassava farmers in Nigeria and other regions,” the statement added.
A veterinarian, Dr Mutiu Oladele-Bukola of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Ibadan, on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 urged poultry farmers to protect their birds against the vagaries of weather during harmattan.
Poultry farming
Oladele-Bukola gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan, Oyo State.
He said that the harmattan season, which occurred between the end of November and mid-March, could be cold in most places and hot in some places, depending on the circumstances.
He said that harmattan wind was considered a natural hazard because during its passage, the wind picked up dust particles and could push large quantities of sand, provoking the spread of wind-borne diseases for thousands of kilometres.
“During this period, chicken easily come down with all sorts of pulmonary (lung) diseases, which really compromise the respiratory processes and eventually hamper poultry performance.
“The best prophylactic measure that could be taken against the adverse effects of the cold, dry and dust-laden wind was to optimise the thermal micro-environment and ventilation by insulating the poultry house.
“Early in the morning and late at night, temperatures always drop and induce cold; therefore, poultry houses (pens) should be well-covered.
“Then, farmers should serve large quantities of more energetic feeds to chickens to generate heat, while in the afternoon, which is assumed to be hot, little or no feeds should be served.
“However, cold water, containing a lot of anti-stress agents (vitamins), should be made available to the chickens, as they serve to cool the body temperatures of the birds,” he said.
The veterinarian also underscored the need to plant highly shady trees around the pen, so as to serve as windbreaks and prevent direct heat on the pen.
He said that carpet grasses could also be planted round the pen to prevent wind from blowing dust and heat from oozing out of the ground.
Oladele-Bukola urged farmers to always provide shade for water tanks to avoid direct exposure to sunrays and increase the number of chicken waterers to enable all the birds to have access to water.
“Sprinklers could be used during afternoon to shower the rooftop, while providing foggers and fans inside the pen as coolants.
“Dusty nets should be cleaned using wet rags or foams; ice blocks could be provided in the water tanks for the birds to have access to cool water, especially in the hot afternoon,” he said.
He, however, called on the government to create farm settlements that would supply all the necessary facilities to poultry houses at affordable rates.
Oladele-Bukola said that all the poultry farm inputs should be provided to farmers at subsidised rates.
He said that the government should also encourage poultry farmers to form cooperative societies or join the Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria in their neighbourhoods so as to facilitate exchange of ideas on best poultry practices.
He said that the cooperative societies would aid the government’s efforts to have access to the poultry farmers whenever the need arose.
“Government should create various farmers markets to enable farmers to display their products.
“It can also buy produce from farmers at normal price during the time of glut for preservation and eventual sales to the public at subsidised rates during the periods of scarcity,” he added.
The Plateau State Government has approved the privatisation and commercialisation of waste collection and management in Jos-Bukuru metropolis.
Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong
Mr Abdullahi Abbas, Plateau’s Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Development, disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 in Jos, the state capital.
Abbas explained that the government’s decision was to allow citizens’ participation in environmental cleanliness and health promotion.
“The programme will give citizens a voice in environmental cleanliness and health.
“Government will be engaging reputable private waste collectors to collect refuse from all waste points in the Jos-Bukuru metropolis,” he said.
The commissioner said that the refuse collectors would collect the refuse and discharge same at designated dumping points at a monthly fee to be paid by the residents.
“The private waste collectors will commence the evacuation of waste in the metropolis from January, 2018,’’ he added.
Abbas further disclosed that the metropolis would be carved into zones and assigned to different private operators for efficient and effective operations.
He said that the programme would be extended to the 17 Local Government Areas in no distant time.
Kindergartens, schools and high schools in Iran’s capital Tehran will remain closed for a third consecutive day on Wednesday due to heavy air pollution, local media reported on Tuesday, December 19, 2017.
Air pollution blankets the skyline of Tehran
Local media reported that Tehran Province’s Air Pollution Exigency Committee decided in a meeting on Tuesday to keep kindergartens, primary schools and high schools shut for another day on Wednesday.
The air pollution in Tehran, with over 12 million population, is more than three times the level considered safe.
The committee also extended restrictions on the movement of cars in Tehran, and people were advised not to participate in group exercises in parks and green spaces.
Officials said the pollution was expected to stay above Tehran until Dec. 22 when winds are expected to move the stagnant air.
“Low-speed wind, which has been forecast for the next few days, is not strong enough to clear the capital’s sky and air pollution will most probably continue to shroud the city,” Mohammad Rastegari, deputy for environmental monitoring at the Department of Environment, was quoted as saying by Financial Tribune daily as saying.
Other metropolises including Karaj, Isfahan, Tabriz, Arak and Urmieh also experienced poor air quality this week that reached its critical level on Monday.
Schools in Tabriz and Urmieh were also closed due to poor air quality.
In the past years, Iran’s government and parliament made several efforts to solve Tehran’s air pollution, including imposing restrictions on the city’s traffic flow, passing measures urging safer fuel and replacing old, inefficient cars with new ones.
The Director of Agricultural Services, Benue State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Thomas Unongo, has assured farmers in the state of early supply of fertiliser during the 2018 cropping season.
Participants at the meeting
He gave the assurance in Makurdi on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 when he spoke at the meeting of Agricultural Vision Group and Agricultural Innovative Group, organised by Synergos Nigeria.
Unongo said that the state government was making concerted efforts to provide fertiliser to farmers before April 2018.
He said that the fertiliser blending plant in the state had commenced operations, adding that the government had also partnered with other fertiliser companies to supply the input to farmers.
Unongo, however, encouraged farmers to make use of organic manure, which abounded in the state, to boost agricultural production.
He stressed that the organic manure also had the capacity of making crops to thrive and yield bountiful harvests.
Also speaking, Mr Saa-Aondo Anom of Paradiso Farms advised farmers to insure their farms in order to enable them obtain compensation in the event of natural disasters.
Mrs Maureen Kajo, an official of Federal Ministry of Agriculture, urged Synergos to sensitise rural farmers to the ideals of nutrition-sensitive agriculture to enable them to eat balanced diets.
Mrs Ngizan Chahul, the President of Women in Agriculture, called on the Federal Government to establish agro-based industries in all the six-geo-political zones of the country to encourage people to venture into agriculture.
Chahul said that the proposed industries should be established in line with the specific crops in which each geo-political zone had a comparative advantage.
Mr Lucky Izobo, the Director of Research, Statistics and Planning, Benue Ministry of Agriculture, urged farmers to be more innovative in their efforts to boost agricultural production.
Mr Zaki Igyo-Ali of Igyo-Ali Farms said that some modalities had been introduced to make mango one of the major export crops of the state.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 in Abuja, inaugurated a 12-man Technical Committee on Commercialisation of made-in-Nigeria anti-retroviral medicine.
Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology
Onu directed the committee to examine the locally-produced Medicinal Synthetic Aluminum-Magnesium Silicate (MSAMS) developed by Prof. Maduike Ezeibe, from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, and recommend appropriate strategy to facilitate its commercialisation.
He said that the committee was expected to examine any other related issues and make recommendations that could assist government in taking appropriate decision on the matter.
“Ezeibe wrote to the ministry, stating that he discovered a cure for the treatment of HIV using a product called Medical Synthetic Aluminium Magnesium Silicate (MSAMS).
“He further requested for financial support for commercialisation of the product,“ the minister said.
Onu said that the ministry requested Ezeibe to provide details on the scientific publications in recognised journals and four patents obtained from the research findings.
Earlier, the professor said MSAMS could be used to treat patients at the two stages of HIV infection.
He said that a synergy between MSAMS Nano-particles antiviral effects and CD4s would cure HIV-positive and HIV and AIDS stages of the infection.
He said that HIV and AIDS had become a major health challenge in most developing countries of the world.
“Pandemic is more in Nigeria, India and South-Africa.
“Manifestations of the disease include symptoms, HIV antibodies in blood, shortage of CD4-lymphocytes in blood (lymphopenia) and presence of copies of the Viral RNA in blood (Viral load) among others,“ he said.
The Lagos State Government on Tuesday, December 19, 2017 restated its commitment to stamp out fraudulent practices in real estate transactions in the state.
Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Mr Gbolahan Lawal
Commissioner for Housing, Mr Gbolahan Lawal, made the assertion at the second edition of the 2017 Stakeholders’ Forum in Alausa, Ikeja, the seat of power.
Theme of the forum is: “Prevalence of Fraudulent Practices in Real Estate Transaction in Lagos State.’’
Lawal said that there had been series of complaints by aggrieved Lagosians who had been defrauded by some “unscrupulous” estate agents.
According to him, this is totally unacceptable.
“What we currently see in the real estate sector is that we get complaints from innocent Lagosians that have been duped, that is basically the essence of this forum.
“We have had one in August, and we want to ensure that we have two in a year where we can educate our real estate developers and agents.
“This is to enable them to fish out the fraudulent ones among them who are showcasing them in bad light.
“There will be penalties for any erring agent. It is a criminal offence and anyone found wanting will be made to face the full wrath of the law,” he said.
Lawal reiterated that the state government was poised to ensure that the three million housing deficit in the state was curbed.
“Starting with the ability to pay, that is the affordability of our citizenry to pay for houses.
“You know as a state, we are presently in about 21 sites, where we are coming up with different units.
“The total units we have from these sites are 5,320. But, we have also earmarked 4,355 for out rental policy.
“The housing deficit that exists in Lagos is three million, for Lagos State Government alone to bridge that gap, is almost impossible.
“So, we will need the support of the private sector to partner with the state to reduce the existing deficit,’’ he said.
According to him, this led us to Lagos Affordable Housing Policy where we have a target of producing minimum of 20,000 units in the next four years.
“We have signed agreement with four developers; we have approval for seven developers; of the four, three developers are already on site; that’s what we have done on the supply side of the matter.
“On the demand side, we have the rent-to-own policy, where applicants will have to pay five per cent commitment fee and do a monthly payment over 10 years, while staying in the apartment,” he said.
At the One Planet Summit convened recently in Paris by President Emmanuel Macron of France, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, the World Bank Group made a number of new announcements, inclusive is the fact that it will no longer finance upstream oil and gas, after 2019.
World Bank Group President, Jim Yong Kim
The group stated however that, in exceptional circumstances, consideration will be given to financing upstream gas in the poorest countries where there is a clear benefit in terms of energy access for the poor and the project fits within the countries’ Paris Agreement commitments.
According to the World Bank, the declarations were made in line with its ongoing support to developing countries for the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement’s goals.
As a global multilateral development institution, the World Bank Group (WBG) says it is continuing to transform its own operations in recognition of a rapidly changing world, and to align its support to countries to meet their Paris goals.
Ramping up WBG climate ambition through its Climate Change Action Plan
The WBG says it is on track to meet its target of 28% of its lending going to climate action by 2020 and to meeting the goals of its Climate Change Action Plan – developed following the Paris Agreement.
In line with countries submitting updated and potentially more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the World Bank Group notes that it will present a stock-take of its Climate Change Action Plan and announce new commitments and targets beyond 2020 at COP24 in Poland in 2018.
Transparency and disclosure to drive our own decarbonisation
The World Bank Group is working hard to ensure that climate accountability is mainstreamed throughout its operations. In addition to measures already in place:
Starting next year, the World Bank Group will report greenhouse gas emissions from the investment projects it finances in key emissions-producing sectors, such as energy. The results will be published in late 2018, and annually thereafter.
The World Bank will be applying a shadow price on carbon in the economic analysis of all IBRD/IDA projects in key high-emitting sectors where design has begun since July 2017. IFC started using carbon pricing in key sectors in January 2017 and will mainstream the same starting January 2018.
Mobilising Finance for transformation in mitigation and climate resilience
To accelerate the mobilisation of finance:
IFC will invest up to $325 million in the Green Cornerstone Bond Fund, a partnership with Amundi, to create the largest ever green-bond fund dedicated to emerging markets. This is a $2 billion initiative aiming to deepen local capital markets, and expand and unlock private funding for climate-related projects. The fund is already subscribed at over $1 billion.
Last week, the World Bank and the Government of Egypt signed a $1.15 billion development policy loan aimed at reducing fossil fuel subsidies and creating the environment for low-carbon energy development.
The World Bank Group will continue to support investments highlighted at the One Planet Summit which demonstrate opportunities to crowd in different kinds of finance in transformational areas. This includes accelerating energy efficiency in India; scaling up solar energy in Ethiopia, Pakistan and Senegal among other countries; establishing a West Africa Coastal Areas investment platform to build resilience for coastlines of West African countries (partnering with WAEMU, NDF, GEF, GFDRR, AFD, AfDB); and introducing the City Resilience Platform (partnering with the Global Covenant of Mayors) so that up to 500 cities will have access to finance for resilience to climate change.
The World Bank Group will continue to work with the United Nations and other partners on the implementation of the Invest4Climate platform, which will systematically crowd in multiple sources of finance, with a major event showcasing investment opportunities planned for May 2018 at the Innovate4Climate conference in Frankfurt.
IFC will work to set a single unifying global standard on green bonds, similar to the Equator Principles, as a means to facilitate the development of the green bond market to crowd in private finance into climate business. And to stimulate the greening of the financial sector, the World Bank Group will partner with the Sustainable Banking Network (SBN) to provide technical support to develop and implement national Roadmaps for Sustainable Finance in six countries. These roadmaps are based on a framework developed jointly with UN Environment.
AXA Managed Co-Lending Portfolio Program (MCPP) will allocate a substantial portion of projects to climate-smart infrastructure investments. IFC and Finland launched the Finland-IFC Climate Change Programme, a €114 million returnable capital contribution to spur private sector financing for climate-change solutions,targeting low-income countries focused on investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, climate-smart agriculture, and forestry.
Working in partnership
To further accelerate climate action, the World Bank Group will be working with various partners to deepen climate action:
For the first time, all the Multilateral Development Banks and all International Development Finance Club Members issued a joint statement aligning their finance with the Paris Agreement and identifying areas where they will work together to advance climate-smart development.
Canada and the World Bank will work together to accelerate the energy transition in developing countries and, together with the International Trade Union Confederation, will provide analysis to support efforts towards a just transition away from coal.
Working with France’s AFD and the Kingdom of Morocco, the World Bank will work to accelerate adaptation in agriculture for Africa.
The World Bank will support a unique partnership between Caribbean leaders and people, multilateral organisations, and local and international private sector to define a vision for the world’s first climate-smart zone. The key priority areas for action include renewable energy, resilient infrastructure, innovative financing, and capacity building.
The World Bank Group will support, through the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition, the proposed Carbon Markets of the Americas initiative.
Together with Ethiopia, Fiji, Germany, the United Kingdom and other government, NGO and private sector partners so far, the World Bank will support the new InsuResilience Global Partnership with the goal of significantly scaling up climate risk finance and insurance solutions in developing countries, with a focus on poor and vulnerable people. It will stimulate the creation of effective climate risk insurance markets and the smart use of insurance-related schemes to protect lives and livelihoods from the impacts of disasters. More than $125 million has been committed to the initiative so far. It is built on strong G20 and V20 support and has 40 members so far.
The Principles on Blended Concessional Finance, first published in 2013, have been recently enhanced with more detailed guidelines developed by a working group (chaired by IFC) representing Development Finance Initiatives (DFIs) that annually invest more than $35 billion a year in private sector solutions. These principles include promoting commercially sustainable solutions so that the use of scarce public concessional finance is minimised; and state the need for high social, environmental, and governance standards.
