The government of California and China’s Ministry of Science and Technology announced on Monday, June 5, 2017 that they would work together to develop clean energy technologies, cooperate on emissions trading and explore other “climate-positive” trade and investment opportunities.
Governor Edmund Gerald Brown of California
California and China agreed to establish the California-China Clean Technology Partnership, designed to drive innovation and commercialisation in areas such as carbon capture and storage, clean energy, and advanced information technology that could help cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Tuesday statement.
“The challenges are big but so too is the commitment – the commitment of Jiangsu Province with California and China with the people of America. We’re going to get it done. Nothing will stop us,” Governor Edmund Gerald Brown said. “Green is not only gold, green is our future – China, California and America and the other countries of the world are all working for the prosperity of the people.”
The Governor’s remarks came on World Environment Day at the International Summit of New Environmental Protection Technology in Nanjing on Monday.
Brown told reporters on the sidelines of the event that the failure of leadership from the United States was “only temporary” and said science and the market would be required to get past it.
Joint pledges by China and the United States ahead of the Paris talks helped create the momentum required to secure the Paris Climate Change Agreement, and included a promise by China to establish a nationwide emissions trading exchange by this year.
Brown said last week that he would discuss linking China’s carbon trading platforms with California’s, the biggest in the United States.
A Ghanaian environmental legal expert has called for a new governance approach for the sustainable management and use of the nation’s natural resources.
Mr. Clement Akapame of GIMPA’s Law Faculty and an Associate of ClientEarth, delivering a keynote presentation on the topic: “Governance Challenges in the Natural Resources and Environment Sectors,” at a ceremony to outdoor Tropenbos Ghana (TBG) in Accra on Wednesday, May 31, 2017
This, he says, will require interactions among structures, processes and traditions that determine how power and responsibilities are exercised, how decisions are taken, and how citizens or stakeholders engage.
The expert, Clement Kojo Akapame of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law Faculty, explained that this new mode of governance, based on collaboration and interaction, provide an authentic approach to dealing with challenges of the natural resources sector.
He was delivering a keynote presentation on “Governance Challenges in the Natural Resources and Environment Sectors,” at a ceremony in Accra last Wednesday, May 31, 2017 to outdoor Tropenbos Ghana (TBG), a civil society organisation (CSO) and launch its 10-year Strategic Plan.
Mr. Akapame, who is also an Associate of ClientEarth, a group of environmental lawyers, further highlighted the disorderliness within the legal regime of the natural resources sector, saying: “The current legal framework … is a perilous quagmire of constitutional obligations fleshed out through substantive and procedural provisions in various Acts of Parliament such as the Forest Act dating back to 1927 and most recently the Timber Resources Management Legality Regulation of 2012.”
He advocated a reorganisation of the sector’s governing processes towards the proposed new governance approach based on the principles of integration, coordination, transparency, inclusiveness, fairness, and legitimacy.
The Learned Professor was emphatic in demanding a new course for the sector. “…The charting of a new course in the management of natural resources, where we will de-balkanise institutions and processes, break down silos in our policy and law making process…”
He made reference to the words of Theodore Roosevelt that “the nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets, which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value…”
And, on that note, Mr. Akapame wondered, “Are we in a position to say that the governance mechanism we have put in place will ensure such handover tot eh next generation?”
At the same event, a representative of the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Accra, Fred Smiet, also made presentation on the topic: “Civil Society as Partner in Development,” and cited the on-going media campaign on galamsey or illegal mining in Ghana as a very good example of the role of civil society in national affairs.
He said the process has been a collaboration between media and other civil society groups evidenced by many organisations who gathered proof of environmental destruction and damage, which the media published and continue to do so to date.
Mr. Smiet observed that “for years government did not act decisively. Now after months of a sustained campaign in the media, government feels compelled to act… members of Parliament, traditional leaders, Ministers, the President, have all swung into action.”
He stated: “This is a good example of the role of civil society,” but was quick to add, “… in the future civil society needs to keep up the effort, if government starts to show signs of complacency in enforcing mining regulations.”
The diplomat further highlighted the need for strategic partnership in the CSOs approach to issues, saying, “The Government of The Netherlands has challenged CSOs to work together in strategic partnership to lobby more effectively.” This is because “a combination of civil society partners is often more effective, since it combines different skills and has a more powerful voice.”
Touching on TBG, Mr. Smiet said it is a member of a Strategic Partnership known as the “Green Livelihood Alliance.” This partnership seeks to lobby, advocate, dialogue and dissent on the values of two forest landscapes in Ghana namely: The Atewa Forest Landscape and the Densu Delta.
He said that, together, the partnership would present a powerful voice that cannot be ignored on issues that pertain to the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen who live and depend on these landscapes.
TBG has been evolved out of Tropenbos International (TBI) Ghana, with its head office at Wageningen, The Netherlands that has been implementing national and multi-country projects including the EU-Funded project on illegal chain saw milling.
Like all good societal entities that make time to pause for reflection to re-strategise and re-position themselves for more effective delivery, TBG is now positioned as a legally autonomous organisation, poised to function “as a legal Think Tank in the forestry sector” both locally and internationally within the next 10 years.
It has a vision to become “a leading organisation that influences forest policy and practice for enhanced livelihoods and sustainable development,” in the country.
Accordingly, TBG will be pursuing strategic objectives including identifying emerging themes and cross-cutting issues in forestry for policy analysis and advocacy; and creating networks for strategic partnerships and collaboration in research, advocacy and capacity building.
These are contained in TBG’s Ten-Year Strategic Plan that was launched earlier in the ceremony by the Deputy Minister of Lands and Forestry, Benito Owusu Bio. He welcomed the on-going reform process of TBG to enable it impact positively on the forestry and the environment sectors in the years to come.
Mr. Bio said this was a crucial development in view of the major challenge facing Ghana’s forestry sector: “… how to restore degraded forest lands to benefit people and the environment, and make forestry a more competitive land-use.”
He stressed that government was not only interested in forest benefits, but also greatly committed to its sustainable management and has therefore come up with various initiatives.
These include the National Plantation Development Programme, the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade/Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT/VPA) and the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+), being pursued by the Ministry as some of the initiatives, “meant to strengthen our arms in dealing with deforestation and forest degradation,” he said.
The Deputy Minister acknowledged the immense contribution and support of donor partners like the Royal Netherlands Embassy and the Dutch government for funding forestry sector projects and especially for supporting Tropenbos activities in Ghana.
He was certain that government’s commitment to forest restoration and sustainable forest management coupled with the rich experiences and knowledge of TBG, will contribute to turn things around in the sector.
Board members of the TBG were also introduced and inducted into office by Nana Tawiah Okyere of also of GIMPA’s Law Faculty and Taylor Crabbe, an environmental legal consortium.
The seven member board members are: Professor Alfred Oteng-Yeboah of the University of Ghana, Legon; Professor Victor Agyeman, Director-General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR); Akwasi Agyei Yeboah, a Private Plantation Developer and former Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources; and Mrs. Hannah Owusu-Koranteng, Associate Executive Director of Wacam.
The others are Mrs. Juliana Asante Dartey of a ASNAP; Raphael Yeboah, a Professional Forester and Legal Practitioner; and Musa Abu-Juam, Technical Director Director in-charge of Forestry at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
On behalf of the Board members, Prof. Oteng-Yebaoh, who is the Chairman, expressed his gratitude for their election to steer the affairs of the new TBG. He described it as “a heavy responsibility … as it marks a new beginning for the group that is still re-engineering itself.”
Prof. Oteng-Yeboah pledged that they would work alongside the 17 goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are guiding the global development agenda for the next 50 years. He said in discharging their duties, “we will depend on what is available, look back to the past for reference and formulate solutions to address tomorrow’s problems.”
For his part the Executive Director of TBG, Kwabena Nketiah, said in its new posture, his organisation would have to adapt and remain relevant as a localised non-profit organisation and independent entity in its governance, funding and operations.
But the TBG will not be completely severed from its mother organisation. Mr. Nketiah said it would still share in the vision and branding of TBI.
Kuwait on Monday, June 5, 2017 ratified the “Nagoya Protocol on Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation”, an agreement under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), bringing the total number of Parties to 100.
Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait
The Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Protocol builds on the access and benefit-sharing provisions of the Convention by establishing predictable conditions for access to genetic resources and by helping to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of these resources. Adopted in 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, it entered into force on 12 October 2014.
Dr. Cristiana Pașca Palmer, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said: “This is an important milestone for the Nagoya Protocol and the Convention on Biological Diversity. I congratulate the Government of Kuwait for taking the world to 100 ratifications of this important Protocol in the service of sustainable development.”
Kuwait also ratified the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity on June 5, 2017 and became the 171st party.
Opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and entering into force in December 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty for the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources.
With 196 Parties so far, the Convention has near universal participation among countries. The Convention seeks to address all threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, including threats from climate change, through scientific assessments, the development of tools, incentives and processes, the transfer of technologies and good practices and the full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders including indigenous and local communities, youth, NGOs, women and the business community.
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing are supplementary agreements to the Convention.
The Cartagena Protocol, which entered into force on September 11, 2003, seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology. To date, 171 Parties have ratified the Cartagena Protocol.
The Nagoya Protocol aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way, including by appropriate access to genetic resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies. It entered into force on October 12, 2014 and to date has been ratified by 100 Parties.
The South Africa Football Association (SAFA) has confirmed that the Bafana Bafana delegation will fly into Lagos on Wednesday, and would immediately connect a flight to Uyo for the African Nations Cup encounter to be held at the Godwill Akpabio International Stadium.
Bafana Bafana players
The last outing between the two teams was a friendly match at the Mombola Stadium, Newspring, two years ago, which ended 1-1.
The Super Eagles have been urged to begin well by beating their opponents this Saturday in Uyo.
General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Sanusi Mohammed, who gave this charge, said a lot is expected from the Super Eagles, considering their current form and support from Nigerians and the government.
“They must realise that it is not over until it is over. They should take all the games as they come. Our focus now is to make sure we beat South Africa and after that we think about Cameroon,” said Mohammed.
The Nigeria versus South Africa match at Uyo begins at 5pm this Saturday.
Meanwhile, all invited Eagles players participated in Tuesday’s training sessions, ahead of Saturday’s clash, as the race for the 2019 Africa Nations Cup, to be hosted by Cameroon, hots up.
Ogenyi Onaze and Ahmed Musa are expected to lead the team in the absence of the Captain of the team, John Mikel Obi, who is not listed for the tie due to injury concern.
In a related development, Manchester United has replaced Champions League winners Real Madrid as the world’s most valuable football team, according to the annual list published by Forbes on Tuesday, June 6, 2017.
United is valued at $3.69 billion (£2.86 billion) and returned to the top of the annual list for the first time in five years, an 11% jump compared to last year.
Spanish club Barcelona is second with a worth of $3.64 billion (£2.82 billion) as Real Madrid $3.69 billion (£2.77 billion) were down to the third, after four years lead.
Rounding out the top five is Bayern Munich $2.17 billion (£2.1 billion) and Manchester City $2.08 billion (£1.61 billion).
Other English teams in the top 10 are as follows: Arsenal $1.95 billion (£1.5 billion), Chelsea $1.85 billion (£1.43 billion), Liverpool $1.4 billion (£1.15 billion) and Tottenham $1.06 billion (£821 million).
Forbes Media Assistant Managing Editor, Mike Ozanian, said in a statement that Manchester United’s returned to the top spot is a testament to its powerful brand and marketing acumen.
Renewable energy technology must be considerably ramped up in order to meet long-term climate change targets and governments need to support large-scale deployment with the necessary policies, the International Energy Agency said in a report published on Tuesday, June 6, 2017.
Renewable energy: Solar panels
Under the Paris Climate Change Agreement, countries have agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit the global average rise in temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees C, thereby avoiding the most severe impacts of climate change such as increased droughts, flooding and severe storms.
The IEA report, titled “Energy Technology Perspectives 2017”, says that only three out of 26 assessed technologies are on track to meet climate targets. These technologies are electric vehicles, energy storage and mature variable renewables (solar PV and onshore wind). The technologies and sectors not on track range from aviation to aluminum production.
For the first time, the IEA has looked at how far known clean energy technologies could go if pushed to their practical limits, in line with countries’ more ambitious aspirations in the Paris Agreement.
The IEA points out that, from 2010 to 2015, renewable power generation grew by more than 30 percent and is forecast to grow by another 30 percent between 2015 and 2020.
However, renewable power generation growth needs to accelerate by an additional 40 percent over 2020-25 to reach a 2 degree Celsius limit goal.
The agency predicts that the energy sector could reach carbon neutrality by 2060 to limit future temperature increases to 1.75°C by 2100, the midpoint of the Paris Agreement’s ambition range. However, this pathway would require unprecedented policy action in support of renewable technology innovation, as well as effort and engagement from all stakeholders.
The Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 published its Renewables 2017 Global Status Report (GSR), regarded as the most comprehensive annual overview of the state of renewable energy.
Renewable energy: Wind turbines in Egypt. Photo credit: CDKN
Additions in installed renewable power capacity set new records in 2016, with 161 gigawatts (GW) installed, increasing total global capacity by almost 9% over 2015, to nearly 2,017 GW. Solar Photovoltaic (PV) accounted for around 47% of the capacity added, followed by wind power at 34% and hydropower at 15.5%.
Renewables are becoming the least cost option. Recent deals in Denmark, Egypt, India, Mexico, Peru and the United Arab Emirates saw renewable electricity being delivered at $0.05 per kilowatt-hour or less. This is well below equivalent costs for fossil fuel and nuclear generating capacity in each of these countries. Winners of two recent auctions for offshore wind in Germany have done so relying only on the wholesale price of power without the need for government support, demonstrating that renewables can be the least cost option.
The inherent need for “baseload” is a myth. Integrating large shares of variable renewable generation can be done without fossil fuel and nuclear “baseload” with sufficient flexibility in the power system – through grid interconnections, sector coupling and enabling technologies such as ICT, storage systems electric vehicles and heat pumps. This sort of flexibility not only balances variable generation, it also optimises the system and reduces generation costs overall. It comes as no surprise, therefore that the number of countries successfully managing peaks approaching or exceeding 100% electricity generation from renewable sources are on the rise. In 2016, Denmark and Germany, for example, successfully managed peaks of renewables electricity of 140% and 86.3%, respectively.
Global energy-related CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry remained stable for a third year in a row despite a 3% growth in the global economy and an increased demand for energy. This can be attributed primarily to the decline of coal, but also to the growth in renewable energy capacity and to improvements in energy efficiency.
Other positive trends include:
Innovations and breakthroughs in storage technology will increasingly provide additional flexibility to the power system. In 2016, approximately 0.8 GW of new advanced energy storage capacity became operational, bringing the year-end total to an estimated 6.4 GW.
Markets for mini-grids and stand-alone systems are evolving rapidly and Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) business models, supported by mobile technology, are exploding. In 2012, investments in PAYG solar companies amounted to only $3 million; by 2016 that figure had risen to $223 million (up from $158 million in 2015).
Arthouros Zervos, Chair of REN21, said, “The world is adding more renewable power capacity each year than it adds in new capacity from all fossil fuels combined. One of the most important findings of this year’s GSR, is that holistic, systemic approaches are key and should become the rule rather than the exception. As the share of renewables grows we will need investment in infrastructure as well as a comprehensive set of tools: integrated and interconnected transmission and distribution networks, measures to balance supply and demand, sector coupling (for example the integration of power and transport networks); and deployment of a wide range of enabling technologies.”
But the energy transition is not happening fast enough to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Investments are down. Although global investment in new renewable power and fuel capacity was roughly double that in fossil fuels, investments in new renewable energy installations were down 23% compared to 2015. Among developing and emerging market countries, renewable energy investment fell 30%, to $116.6 billion, while that of developed countries fell 14% to $125 billion. Investment continues to be heavily focused on wind and solar PV, however all renewable energy technologies need to be deployed in order to keep global warming well below 2C.
Transport, heating and cooling sectors continue to lag behind the power sector. The deployment of renewable technologies in the heating and cooling sector remains a challenge in light of the unique and distributed nature of this market. Renewables-based decarbonisation of the transport sector is not yet being seriously considered, or seen as a priority. Despite a significant expansion in the sales of electric vehicles, primarily due to the declining cost of battery technology, much more needs to be done to ensure sufficient infrastructure is in place and that they are powered by renewable electricity. While the shipping and aviation sectors present the greatest challenges, government policies or commercial disruption have not sufficiently stimulated the development of solutions.
Fossil fuel subsidies continue to impede progress. Globally, subsidies for fossil fuels and nuclear power continue to dramatically exceed those for renewable technologies. By the end of 2016 more than 50 countries had committed to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, and some reforms have occurred, but not enough. In 2014 the ratio of fossil fuel subsidies to renewable energy subsidies was 4:1. For every $1 spent on renewables, governments spent $4 perpetuating our dependence on fossil fuels.
Christine Lins, Executive Secretary of REN21, explains: “The world is in a race against time. The single most important thing we could do to reduce CO2 emissions quickly and cost-effectively, is phase-out coal and speed up investments in energy efficiency and renewables. When China announced in January that it was cancelling more than 100 coal plants currently in development, they set an example for governments everywhere: change happens quickly when governments act –by establishing clear, long-term policy and financial signals and incentives.”
Nigerians living in cities have been urged to develop the habit of spending their vacations in rural communities across the country to be close to nature and enjoy better health.
The Head of Department, Zoology and Environmental Biology, Lagos State University, Dr. Abiodun Denloye, made call at an event by the Lagos Office of Federal Ministry of Environment to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day.
Bothered by the nation’s alarmingly diminishing forest resources, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) appears to have taken the gauntlet in the bid to address the somewhat unsavoury development.
L-R: Alhaji Yusuf Aliyu Addy, Director, Ecological Fund Office, The Presidency; Mr. Ibrahim Boni, Conservator General, National Parks in Nigeria; Mrs. Rosemary Ojochieni Osikoya, Commissioner of Environment and Natural Resources, Kogi State; Chief Ede Dafinone, Chairman, National Executive Council, NCF; Dr. Adeshola Adepoju, Executive Director, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria; and Adeniyi Karunwi, Director General, NCF, at the Green Recovery Nigeria (GRN) Initiatives National Stakeholders’ Summit in Lagos
Courtesy of a re-greening initiative tagged: “Green Recovery Nigeria (GRN),” the national environment watchdog aims to restore the nation’s forest cover to at least 25% within the next three decades.
“It is common knowledge that Nigeria can barely boost of a 7% forest cover, despite her historical affluence of about 40% forest cover in the years preceding the oil boom. The marked decline in forest cover in just a space of about 40 years is enough evidence and proof to stress that Nigeria can become a ‘forestless’ nation,” said Chief Ede Dafinone, Chairman, National Executive Committee of the NCF, in an address at a Stakeholders’ Summit in Lagos on Monday, June 5, 2017.
At the tw0-day Summit to kick-off the programme, Chief Dafinone lamented: “The beauty of green has been substantially replaced with the grey of concretes to such an extent that Nigeria may be in the peril of importing fuelwood and timber from neighbouring countries if we fail to utilise this moment to deliberate on the modalities for securing the future of the forestry sector in the country. Our mandate here is to recover perhaps the extent of forests we have lost over the past decade due to human activities.”
Director General of the NCF, Adeniyi Karunwi, described the GRN Initiative as a national programme that belongs to all Nigerians including religious bodies, production entities, institutions and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
“It is my hope therefore that we shall all strive to give this initiative the required facelift and stimulus needed to drive Nigeria’s forests back to the minimum global standard of at least 25% over the next 30 years (2017 – 2047).”
He described the GRN as an initiative “to accommodate ongoing efforts in the forest sector, operationalise voluntary carbon markets to create employment opportunities, enhance community resilience to climate change, as well as support afforestation and reforestation projects across Nigeria.”
Active in the nature conservation sector for about 32 years, the NCF, according to Karunwi, has a vast repository of conservation experience in both fauna and flora preservation in the country.
He disclosed: “Our efforts in communities and protected areas over the years brought over 700,000 hectares of forestland and more than six species of endangered animals (Elephants, Chimpanzees, Pangolins, Mandrills, Vultures, Ibadan Malimbe, etc) under our direct management in Nigeria.
“NCF is therefore an encyclopedia of conservation knowledge in Nigeria with over three decades of cumulative learning and experience.”
In line with current act of whistle blowing aimed at curbing corruption and recovering the nation’s looted funds, Nigerians have been asked to extend the controversial act to issues related to the management of the environment.
Environment Minister of State, Ibrahim Usman Jibril, with a youngster during the World Environment Day celebrations in Abuja
In an address delivered on Monday, June 5, 2017 to commemorate the World Environment Day, Environment Minister of State, Ibrahim Usman Jibril, said: “We sincerely urge everyone to not only continue to ‘whistle blow’ to recover the looted resources of this great nation, but to also whistle blow to expose the illegal exploitation of our natural resources in order to protect our environment.
“It is only when we do this that we will claim to have truly connected with nature and our environment; as well as have the right to proclaim, ‘We are with Nature in Nigeria’.”
He acknowledged the millions of rural people around the country who, according to him, spend every working day “connected to nature”, in terms of their dependence on natural water supplies and how nature provides their livelihoods in the form of fertile soil.
“Indeed, they are among the first to suffer when ecosystems are threatened, whether by pollution, climate change or over-exploitation,” Jibril lamented.
He called on the citizenry to join heads with the government to empower the people, take climate action and protect the environment.
“By tackling head-on the myriad of environmental challenges confronting the country in the six geopolitical zones, we should be able to unlock the investment opportunities and potentials embedded in us towards achieving economy recovery, diversification and growth and by extension sustainable development in Nigeria,” he declared.
Jibril reiterated government’s determination to address the nation’s environment and sustainability challenges, saying: “The Federal Ministry of Environment, having being saddled with the statutory responsibility of formulating policies to regulate the environment sector as well as implement programmes and projects to conserve and preserve the nation’s natural resources, is working assiduously to address the concerns of climate change, drought and desertification, biodiversity loss, deforestation, land degradation, flood and erosion, pollution, sanitation and waste management.
Furthermore, in pursuant of the UN’s 2030 Development Agenda through implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and through the Economy Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) recently launched by the present Administration, the Ministry is repositioned to ‘fit-for-purpose’ and dedicated to deliver on addressing the socio-economic and environmental issues and concerns of poverty, food security, environmental health and sanitation, renewable energy, green economy, sustainable consumption and production, climate change, oceans and eco-systems restoration in the Niger Delta as well as Lake Chad basin and the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands in the North East.”
Harriet Thompson, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, noted that the UK’s commitment to tackling global climate change and the Paris Agreement is as strong as ever.
Her words: “We continue to play a leading role internationally and are delivering on our commitments to create a safer, more prosperous future for us all. The theme today is connecting people to nature, which implores all of us to get outdoors and into nature, to appreciate its beauty and its importance, and to take forward the call to protect the Earth that we share.”
Thompson, who led the UK delegation to the UN climate change negotiations, stated that Nigeria enjoys phenomenal endowments in its land, water and is people.
She said: “Finding ways to support, protect and connect these riches together is how the nation can grow and sustain a brighter future. There are many ways in which we can connect to nature. We can play sport, go for a hike or bask in the variety of landscapes across Nigeria, which are phenomenal – rivers, valleys, lakes, forests, waterfalls, beaches and more.
“Yet it is virtually unknown as a tourist destination. There are challenges about getting this right – security, transport access, and facilities. And protecting nature will be key to sustaining it as a tourist attraction – no one will want to come and see a decayed and broken landscape. One way in which we can all contribute is to not leave our litter lying around. Later this week, volunteers from the British High Commission will be gathering for one hour in their own time to help collect litter.
“Last month the High Commissioner visited Lekki Conservation Centre, one of Africa’s prominent and most-diverse urban Nature Parks due to its high species richness. It is the only protected area in Lagos. There are several national parks across the country, and recently in Rivers State, the State Governor was commended by locals for creating a green space in Port Harcourt, for everyone to enjoy. It is important that these spaces are protected, and we hope that in building the new highway road construction in Cross River State nature is protected.
“According to the 2011 Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI), climate change could result in a loss in GDP in Nigeria of between 6% and 30% by 2050, worth an estimated 100 to $460 billion.
“In addition to the global climate risks, there are immediate local impacts of the carbon economy in Nigeria. We are pleased that $1 billion has been committed by the Federal Government and international oil companies for the Ogoniland cleanup and hope progress can continue swiftly. We also hope for better solutions to combat the damaging effects of oil bunkering and illegal refineries.
“Agriculture and farming, which is a key focus for economic development in Nigeria, gives daily opportunity to connect with nature. The country’s focus on re-building its agricultural capacity is beginning to bear real fruit – with a rising contribution to GDP. This growth will help to provide even more employment and earning opportunities.
“In agriculture, in tourism, in building a sustainable future – nurturing, respecting, protecting, and connecting with nature are essential. Also essential is making the most of its potential, while not ruining it through careless exploitation.”
President Donald Trump’s action notwithstanding, Americans appear to have stood firmly by the Paris Agreement, thanks to what looks like an unprecedented outpouring of support for the famous climate treaty.
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, on Monday, June 5, 2017 submitted an unique statement of unity from hundreds of U.S. mayors, governors, state attorneys general, CEOs and others to achieve and eventually exceed America’s commitment to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
In a letter addressed jointly to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, Bloomberg presented this declaration, called: “We Are Still In.”
Bloomberg also announced his intent to work with interested subnational and non-state actors over the coming months to formally quantify these sectors’ aggregate climate actions and submit a report to the UN as “America’s Pledge” to the world under the Paris Agreement.
America’s Pledge intends to eventually submit a “Societal Nationally Determined Contribution” to the United Nations, accounting for the efforts of U.S. cities, states, businesses and other subnational actors. America’s Pledge will aggregate US climate action, building upon the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, an initiative led by Bloomberg and European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, to transparently and accountably track the climate commitments of over 7400 cities worldwide.
“Today, on behalf of an unprecedented collection of U.S. cities, states, businesses and other organisations, I am communicating to the United Nations and the global community that American society remains committed to achieving the emission reductions we pledged to make in Paris in 2015,” said Bloomberg. “I am confident the broad array of leaders and organisations that have signed today’s declaration, and many others that will join in the days to come, will work together to reduce U.S. carbon emissions by 26 percent by 2025, just as we had pledged in Paris. These groups will take vigorous and ambitious actions to address climate change, and we will communicate those actions in a transparent and accountable way to the UN. The United States can, and will, meet its commitment under the Paris Agreement.”
Patricia Espinosa, the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said: “The UNFCCC welcomes the determination and commitment from such a wealth and array of cities, states, businesses and other groups in the United States to fast forward climate action and emissions reductions in support of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The Paris Agreement recognises the indispensable role of all these actors in achieving the transformations that will take us to a low emission, resilient world offering opportunities for all. The pledge being made, under the theme ‘We Are Still In’, underlines the strength and robustness of the Agreement in respect to its widespread support among all sectors and at all levels of society globally,” she said.
Former United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, said: “I have been arguing and it absolutely bears repeating: the current Administration may have pulled out of Paris, but the American people are all-in. The United States will meet its commitment. We’ve seen and together we are helping build greater energy to meeting this goal. Mayors, governors, companies, and universities have already made great progress – we’re already halfway there – and Mike Bloomberg is taking an important step, formally collating these efforts into a societal NDC for the United Nations. This is only the start and I will have more to announce shortly, but make no mistake, the United States will continue to lead in the global fight against climate change.”
In 2015, the executive branch of the U.S. federal government submitted a “nationally determined contribution” (NDC) as its pledge under the Paris Agreement. This NDC committed the U.S. to reduce its economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by between 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2025. In the absence of federal engagement with the Paris Agreement process, America’s Pledge will enable all sectors of the U.S. economy and civil society to engage in climate action that can be represented to the international community in a clear, transparent and accountable manner.
