A considerable number of nations around the world have resated their commitment to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, even as the United States continue to dither on the global treaty.

The Paris Agreement, which entered into force on November 4 2016, brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so.

At a Ministerial Meeting on Climate Action convened by Canada, China, and the European Union, a majority of the participants expressed the fact that the Paris Agreement was irreversible and that it would not be renegotiated.

The United States, however, re-confirmed that it would withdraw from the Paris Agreement but that it is open to re-engaging on terms more favourable to it.

The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to put forward their best efforts through “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) and to strengthen these efforts in the years ahead. This includes requirements that all Parties report regularly on their emissions and on their implementation efforts.

The meeting, which featured representatives from 34 governments of major economies and other key players on climate change, was aimed at advancing discussions on the full implementation of the Paris Agreement and to demonstrate continued political commitment to global action. It held on Saturday, September 16, 2017 in Montreal, Canada.

Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji facilitated the meeting with representatives from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, EU, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Recognising that the environment and the economy go hand-in-hand and that ambitious climate action will protect the environment, spur clean growth and sustainable development, create jobs, and improve human health, participants emphasised that global efforts are at a critical juncture, even as they indicated a strong commitment to the full implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Participants also underscored the importance of providing clarity and certainty to all actors, including investors, and thus acknowledged their political commitment to complete the Paris Work Programme in 2018.

Many expressed the importance of the Paris Agreement and its modalities, procedures, and guidelines to continue to build trust and help solidify confidence in the global commitment to climate action. It was highlighted that technical negotiations at COP23 should build on the spirit of Paris, and be constructive and balanced to advance consensus on modalities, procedures and guidelines that will help all Parties in the implementation of their Paris Agreement obligations.

There was support for the efforts of the Moroccan and Fijian COP Presidencies in determining the modalities for the 2018 Facilitative Dialogue, based on consultations with Parties. It was reiterated that the Dialogue should help Parties take stock of progress made and further drive ambition, including in collaboration with non-state actors.

The importance of pre-2020 action and the need to build on current efforts were acknowledged. Many also pointed to the importance of financial, technology and capacity building support and recognised the progress being made. Furthermore, participants highlighted their support for the Marrakesh Partnership on Global Climate Action, pointing out that sub-national governments, Indigenous and local communities, and non-party actors are essential in achieving these objectives, and that multilateral processes should continue to be more inclusive and recognise the importance of gender equality.

To share lessons and best practices, many participants highlighted their countries’ approaches and experiences in reducing emissions and adapting to climate change, and broadly emphasised their steadfast determination to implementing these efforts and their NDCs. It was underscored that taking action now is critical in order to accelerate the global transition to a low-carbon and resilient economy. A number of participants welcomed the momentum and movements of the market in that regard and underscored the importance of carbon pricing.

In light of the commitment to moving forward together and demonstrating progress, a message was sent to negotiators to carry forward the positive and open spirit of the Ministerial on Climate Action to advance their work on implementing the Paris Agreement through the completion of the Paris Work Programme and the 2018 Facilitative Dialogue.

Canada, China and the European Union were thanked for taking this initiative and for their offer to co-convene a second meeting in 2018 in Europe.

According to emerging theories, the world’s standing forests may be protecting continents against cyclonic storms, such as hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones. But, as these forests disappear, scientists anticipate more frequent and more destructive storms.

Recent research conducted in collaboration with the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) suggests that forests and cyclones share a fundamental link in atmospheric dynamics, and that changes in one can trigger changes in the other.

Both cyclones and forests are characterised by striking amounts of rain, which derives from the atmosphere. Evidence suggests that by importing atmospheric moisture from the ocean, forests deplete the vapour available to generate and support cyclonic storms.

“Our work suggests that forests may protect continental regions from extreme storms,” explains Douglas Sheil, a Senior Research Associate at CIFOR. “Both the formation and maintenance of cyclones appear to depend on sufficient supplies of water vapour. We believe that cyclonic storms cannot maintain themselves over, or near to, extensive forests, as they draw away moisture over the land.”

In addition to reducing the number and intensity of cyclones, forests may also reduce the incidence of devastating floods, droughts and tornadoes. Sheil and his colleagues Anastassia Makarieva and Victor Gorshkov argue that sustaining natural forests is a sound strategy for water security and climate stabilisation.

A growing body of evidence

The emerging “biotic pump” theory argues that vegetation and tree cover may influence rain and rainfall patterns to a greater extent than is generally assumed. While the prevailing view is that winds are determined by temperature gradients, recent studies describe how evaporation and condensation influence atmospheric dynamics.

The physical details of the theory and its implications have been published in peer-reviewed physics journals (1, 2, 3) and atmospheric science journals (4, 5, 6, 7). In advancing these ideas, researchers have described failings in the temperature-driven theory of winds (8) and revised the fundamental equations governing atmospheric dynamics (9).

Mercury, a neurotoxic metal, has been found in high levels across all global regions in women of reproductive age, according to a new study conducted by IPEN (a global public health & environment network), Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) in collaboration with Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental (SRADev Nigeria).

Women in the Pacific Islands and in communities near gold mining sites in Indonesia, Kenya, and Myanmar were found to have average mercury levels many times higher than US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) health advisory levels.

The research, titled: “Mercury in Women of Child-bearing Age in 25 Countries”, was undertaken to measure the prevalence of mercury body burden at levels that can cause neurological and organ damage. Mercury in a mother’s body can be transferred to her foetus during pregnancy, exposing the developing foetus to the potent neurotoxin.

Researchers from IPEN coordinated hair sampling from 1,044 women of reproductive age in 37 locations across 25 countries (including Nigeria) on six continents. Analysis, conducted by BRI, found that 36% of women sampled had average mercury levels over the US EPA health advisory level of 1 ppm, above which brain damage, IQ loss, and kidney and cardiovascular damage may occur. The study additionally found that 53% of the global sample of women measured more than 0.58 ppm of mercury, a level associated with the onset of foetal neurological damage.

The study found significantly elevated mercury concentrations in the hair of women in numerous regions of the world related to three predominant causes of mercury pollution: coal-fired power plants (one of the main sources globally that contaminate oceans with mercury that accumulates in fish), artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) and local contaminated sites from various industries releasing mercury to soil, water and air.

Key findings are listed to include:

• One out of five women in the communities studied near heavily industrialised areas have mercury levels over 1 ppm. This includes women in Nepal, Nigeria, and Thailand, where contaminated sites pollute local land, waterways and food sources. In the Nigerian result specifically, the mean mercury hair concentration for women from these locations slightly exceeded the 1 ppm threshold at 1.053 ppm ± 0.652 ppm (fw), a level indicative that there is contamination of local fish from Lagos Lagoon. Additionally, women near contaminated sites in Albania, Chile, Kazakhstan, Nepal and Ukraine measured average levels above 0.58ppm.
• In the Pacific Islands, which is far from all industrial mercury sources but where people eat fish as their primary food source, 85.7% exceeded the 1 ppm threshold, with most women measuring three times above the US EPA standard.
• Over half of the women sampled in Indonesia, Kenya, Myanmar and Paraguay measured over 1 ppm where communities subsist from small-scale gold mining. Excluding Paraguay, where fish is not the protein staple, 81% of women were above 1 ppm, with women in two Indonesian locations measuring between three and nine times above the US EPA threshold for mercury.

“This study illustrates the unfolding global mercury pollution threat for the women and children of many Pacific Island nations and for most women engaged in small-scale gold mining,” said Lee Bell, the study’s Principle Investigator from IPEN. “The very high mercury levels found in the hair of most of these women point to the urgent need for action to phase-out coal-fired power plants and the international trade of mercury supplying small-scale gold mining, the two most significant causes of mercury pollution.”

Next week, governments from across the globe will convene in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss next steps for the new international, legally-binding treaty, the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The research underscores the need for guidance to identify mercury-contaminated sites, monitor mercury body burden, and take action to curtail the primary sources of mercury pollution – coal-fired power plants and ASGM.

Commented Yuyun Ismawati, IPEN Lead for ASGM/Mining and Goldman Prize winner: “Millions of women and children in communities mining gold with mercury are condemned to a future where mercury impairs the health of adults and damages the developing brains of their offspring. As long as the mercury trade continues, so too will the mercury tragedy.”

“This study underscores the importance of global cooperation to address mercury pollution,” said David Evers, Executive Director and Chief Scientist at BRI and co-author of the study.

“Mercury contamination is ubiquitous in marine and freshwater systems around the world. Biological mercury hotspots are globally common and are related to a variety of human activities. For these reasons, it is critical that we continue biomonitoring efforts to track potential impacts on local communities and on the environment in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention.”

“The study exposes a mercury pollution problem that is affecting all of us”. It is alarming because fishing families in the coastal communities and residents in Lagos have the fish as the primary protein source in their diet and a delicacy,” said Leslie Adogame, Executive Director, SRADev Nigeria. “This study underscores the urgency for the ratification of the Mercury Convention by the Nigerian government.”

Cook Islands resident Imogen Ingram of the Island Sustainability Alliance learned that her own mercury levels were two and half times that of the US EPA health advisory threshold. “It is really alarming to learn that you have high levels of toxic mercury in your body and that as a result, you have, without knowing, passed on mercury to your child,” she commented. ”Mercury contamination across the Pacific Islands is high because we eat fish. But I do not want to be told not to eat fish. Coal-fired power, one of the primary sources of mercury pollution in the oceans, is the real offender. It is time to phase it out.”

Nigerians have been told to be rest assured of the protection of their health and the environment by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) on matters concerning genetically modified (GM) foods.

The Environment Minister of State, Ibrahim Usman Jibril, who made the submission in Abuja on Thursday, September 14, 2017 during the Third National Biosafety Conference, stated that the NBMA has capable biosafety regulatory personnel (scientists), “who are well trained within and outside the country to effectively carry out its regulatory functions.”

“The NBMA has well equipped laboratory to detect the smallest altered genes in GMOs. The Agency also carries out risk assessments on GMOs currently under trial in the country,” the minister added.

His words: “The NBMA is poised to effectively regulate modern biotechnology for the benefit of Nigerians. The Agency is here to safeguard the environment and human health of all Nigerians, taking into consideration national interest and socio-economic issues from potential adverse impacts of modern biotechnology and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

“The Agency is charged with the responsibility for proving the regulatory, institutional and administrative framework and mechanisms for safety measures in the application of modern biotechnology in Nigeria. This is to ensure the safe practice of modern biotechnology and, use and handling of GMOs to avert adverse impacts on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, considering risk to human health.

“With the creation of the NBMA Act, Nigeria has joined the league of countries in the in the world with biosafety laws and agencies. Countries in Africa with Biosafety laws and agencies include: South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Mali, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Sudan, Ghana and Cameroon.”

According to him, the only way to achieve economic growth, food security and sufficiency and sustainable environment is innovation of safe smart scientific and technological means of maximising available land resources to increase food and fibre production.

He added: “We must also look for ways to increase investment, through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development, plant and livestock gene banks, in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity.

“This calls for a combination of tools, processes and safe technologies in a complementary way, to provide a form of economic diversification, which would bring with it a new set of skill requirements thereby expanding job opportunities. This is where modern biotechnology comes in and hence biosafety.”

The minister in a presentation assured of government’s determination to partner with all stakeholders in exploring use of relevant technologies that would, according to him, provide safe and adequate food for Nigerians. He stressed that, as a demonstration of government’s commitment, the NBMA was established to enable Nigerians benefit maximally from the practice of safe, modern biotechnology.

“The NBMA works in partnership with other line Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations, Youths, Women and Farmers Associations and the international community, in line with the United Nations Conventions to protect the environment.

“These partnerships are important if we are to succeed in ensuring food security. I therefore wish to charge all of you to support the government in her efforts to rejuvenate the economy and free our people from poverty,” the minister submitted.

Chairperson, NGO Coalition working with the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Chike Chikwendu, in a goodwill message, said: “Given that our environment is already stressed and Nigerians will not support any further steps to degrade it, the Nigerian NGO community, as critical stakeholders in the Nigerian environment space, is therefore desirous to fully understand Nigeria’s position on the use of GMOs and other policy issues on the use of modern biotechnology in the economic development of Nigeria.

“In this manner, we will be able to support and sensitise Nigerians accordingly. Currently, as a food insecure nation, we cannot afford to denounce any food production techniques that are not proven to have adverse environmental effects.”

Vice President, All Farmers Association, Chief Daniel Okafor, underlined the importance of science and technology, saying that, without it, mankind cannot survive.

“Biotechnology will lead us to another level. Nigeria needs food in abundance and, with agriculture and food science/technology, this can be achieved,” he said.

The Vice Chancellor, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Prof. Ignatius Akhakhia Onimawo, frowned at the situation whereby “people have confused bio-fortification with GMOs.”

“We need to do a lot of education and awareness raising. Science is about facts, not speculation,” he said.

Vice President, Nigeria Biosafety Association, Prof Abiodun Denloye, lamented that “many of what we’ve heard on biosafety on the media are negative reports.” According to him, “it will be unfair to talk about biosafety as if it’s a wholesome unwanted technology”.

“Every step should be taken on its own merit and we should do away with the attitude of throwing away the baby with the bath water,” he said.

Africa Coordinator, Programme for Biosafety Systems (PBS), Dr John Komen, described the conference, which had “Biosafety: Paving the way for safe and sustainable environmental management, agricultural development and economic recovery” as it theme, as a testimony of Nigeria’s achievement in the biosafety and biotechnology sector.

“We pledge our support for Nigeria now and many years ahead in the responsible development and use of biotechnology,” Komen stated, adding that PBS works with Nigeria and other countries interested in using biotechnology to enhance agricultural innovation.

Nigeria Country Director, PBS, Dr Matthew Dore, disclosed that PBS experts provided technical assistance for the country’s first ever confined field trials for “an important food security crop”.

“In parallel, PBS provided legal analysis, technical expertise and outreach capacity to support the development of a biosafety legal framework,” stated Dr Dore.