A court in Turkey on Friday, February 17 2017 rejected the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report of Izdemir Coal Power Plant (CPP), in operation since 2014 in Aliaga, Izmir. Local communities have been fighting coal power plant projects for three decades.
An impression of the Izdemir Coal Power Plant, Turkey
Following the Break Free escalations that took place in Izmir’s Aliaga district in May 2016, local communities are one step closer to breaking free from proposed and operating coal power plant projects in one of the most polluted regions of Turkey. Communities have been fighting against the construction and illegal operation of coal power plants in Aliaga for three decades. Izdemir CPP is said to be one of the most polluting power plants in the region. An EIA Report on the plant was approved in 2010 and the plant was put into operation in 2014. Locals took legal action in 2010 and had been pursuing the case since then.
The court case brought by locals against the EIA has now concluded and the Turkish Administrative Court cancelled the approval of the report. The court acknowledged that the EIA in dispute was unlawful in its jurisdiction, form and grounds and was issued for an intendment other than the public good; the court therefore decided in favour of cancelling the EIA.
The court decision points out that the CPP is located in an area legally designated for renewable energy projects and states, “building coal power plants in the area is strategically and environmentally faulty; the EIA is not fulfilling its duty to take measures to promote renewable energy sources”.
A power plant cannot remain in operation without a valid EIA report, according to Turkish Law. Therefore, lawyers and local groups expect the suspension of the plant’s production license as part of the judicial process.
Bahadır Doğutürk, a local member of the Initiative Against Fossil Fuels, appealed to the Governorship of Izmir and said: “This decision is a significant courtroom victory. Aliaga district has already well exceeded the pollution limit values due to the cumulative impact of all polluting fossil fuel facilities, as the court decision also recognises. Authorities should stop permitting new fossil fuel projects in the region and should start rehabilitation processes for the existing ones immediately. The governorship of Izmir should also immediately act and suspend the production licence of Izdemir following this historic decision. We need to give up on fossil fuels for next generations.”
Impacts of Izdemir power plant (350 MW of capacity, burning 1.060 tons of coal)/year were listed as:
2.5 million tons of CO2 released to the atmosphere
150,000 tons of fly ash dispersed
160,000 tons of coal ash stored in open-pit ash dam
400,000 m3 of water drawn from the Aegean sea for cooling
160,000 m3 of water pumped back into the Hayıtlı river
The EIA of another proposed coal power plant project in Aliaga, ENKA (800 MW), was also cancelled for similar reasons in December 2016. Lawyer Diler Bosut, who has followed the litigation processes of both Izdemir and ENKA, also appraised the recent court decision as a huge legal win, and said, “Izdemir coal power plant should immediately stop its operations. The authorities should immediately act and take necessary steps to ensure the rule of law: to suspend Izdemir’s energy production license.”
Cansın Leylim Ilgaz, from 350.org, remarked that Turkey has more than 70 proposed coal power plants in the pipeline, and said, “Cancelation of those EIA reports are another important win for all of us. Yet, Turkey is still pursuing the construction of 70 new coal plants. This victory shows that Turkey should confine those plans to the dusty pages of history. Turkey has to focus on building a just, equitable and fair future by building the systems that will power the post-fossil fuel era.”
Local communities together with CEE Bankwatch Network and RE:Common have also revealed that Azeri National Energy Company, Socar has put a halt to plans to build a CPP in the region in October 2016. SOCAR had informed its financiers, seven export credit agencies, that the company had shelved its plan to build a coal power plant of 672 MW in Aliaga.
The ENKA project cancellation is said to have an iconic importance for the people of Aliağa. In 1990, one of Turkey’s biggest environmental actions took place in Aliağa opposing coal power plant constructions in the region. Local communities and activists had formed a human chain of 50 km. The ENKA project was the first proposed coal power plant in Aliağa, 20 years after the massive human chain.
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Patricia Espinosa, at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, February 18 2017, while contributing to a discussion on human security and climate security, called for a reframing of the narrative around climate change. She said that, too often, the “story” around climate change only touched on issues such as clean technology, resources and weather. She urged participants of the conference to reframe climate change as a “security story”, given its far-ranging implications for global peace and stability.
Patricia Espinosa last year convened her first COP in Marrakech as Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC. In Munich, she shed some light on issues related to human security and climate security
The security community is well aware of the fact that climate change is a security issue. Our current refugee crisis, when seen through the lens of climate change, brings this into sharp focus. And the security community, which is renowned and revered for their ability to assess and address future threats, understands that our current crisis pales in comparison to what is coming if climate change is left unchecked.
Consider these facts from the UN Refugee Agency:
Between 2008 and 2015 more than 203.4 million people were displaced by disasters.
The likelihood of being displaced by disaster has doubled since the 1970s, with disasters costing the world more than 250 billion US dollars a year.
And there is high agreement among scientists that climate change, in combination with other factors, will increase the displacement of people.
The “New Climate for Peace” Report that was done last year to guide G7 nations lays out climate change as a driving force behind the instability that causes displacement. Global pressures on food, water, energy and other resources are increasing. Climate change is the threat multiplier that worsens social, economic, and environmental pressures, leading to social upheaval and possibly even violent conflict.
These facts are widely accepted in the security community.
The US military understands that climate change presents a significant and direct risk to readiness, operations and strategy.
The Secretary General of NATO says climate change is a security threat because it can change the conditions where people live, create new crises and fuel new conflicts.
Our UN Secretary-General reaffirmed just this morning that devastating epidemics are a global megatrend that we must act on as part of building a culture of prevention with an end goal of lasting peace and prosperity.
And Secretary-General Guterres correctly points out that the Paris Climate Change Agreement, which was adopted in 2015 along with the global Sustainable Development Goals, provides a unique opportunity to act on this growing threat.
These assessments of climate change as a security risk come from experts who understand the complexity of systems and the implications of the actions we take, or fail to take. And these assessments come at a moment in history when we clearly see the effects of climate change – not just in record high temperatures year after year, but in the global conflict landscape as well.
With the impacts of climate change increasingly apparent, and with leading voices in the security community calling climate change a clear and present threat and with a framework for action in place that is agreed by all nations … The question for the distinguished panel becomes – how can the security community help put nations of the world on a path to exceed commitments on climate change and sustainable development?
Such a path would reduce risk and increase stability. It is a path for national leaders to safeguard their countries and their citizens. It is a path that encourages attractive, productive and inclusive low-emission growth in the developing world, and especially in places like Africa where we know we are on the verge of rapid growth and urbanisation. And it is a path that encourages cooperation by all nations to address global challenges that know no borders.
Key to getting on this path is framing climate change as a security story.
I believe that, too often, climate change is presented by the media or politicians as an energy story… or a natural resource story, or a weather story. The public hears about solar and wind or other clean energy developments. Or we hear news about how climate change will impact the resources we rely on – water, food and healthy ecosystems. And we certainly hear when climate change is linked to deadly and costly extreme weather – supercharged storms, prolonged drought and devastating floods.
But, climate change presents a complex and multidimensional risk. This is the story that needs telling.
The narrative must go beyond climate change simply driving drought, supercharged storms or resource scarcity. This story must be carried forward to show that already vulnerable communities become more desperate, more vulnerable and more susceptible. People are displaced, in their country or to other countries. Add in conflict or predatory criminals or several concurrent crises and your humanitarian situation quickly escalates into a security risk.
This story, this narrative, this link between a stable climate and human development needed for security – this is the story that needs to be told. More people need to understand, because this story’s ending is uncertain. It is currently being written.
In one ending, the community of nations works together, using the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals and the host of multilateral institutions to build resilience and curb the emissions that increase risk. We take real, and meaningful action on climate change and the SDGs at the urgent speed science says is required. We foster a culture of prevention by building resilience and reducing emission-related risk today.
This is the ending that is playing out. The Paris Agreement has now been ratified by 131 countries. The Sustainable Development Goals clearly state that climate change is “the single biggest threat to development,” which brings it into economic development planning. The private sector is acting on thousands of climate commitments in areas like clean energy, sustainable supply chains and offsetting of unavoidable emissions. States and cities are acting on climate to benefit their citizens.
All this momentum forward, everything we have done, is not enough. We must do redouble our efforts or this story will have a dramatically different ending.
We cannot fail to meet the climate commitments negotiated in good faith, especially the commitment to increase ambition over time.
If we fail to reduce emissions and build our capacity to cope with impacts, over the long term, climate change will result in more disruption, more instability and more displacement as impacts intensify. The world will be less stable, less secure.
Here in Munich, we are in a great place to discuss how this story ends. This country has welcomed so many refugees. Right here, one of the first crucial chapters of the refugee and climate change story is playing out. And, I think that Germany is setting an example of what needs to be done.
Germany is connecting the dots. The German government is working on initiatives such as the Platform on Disaster Displacement, a toolbox to prevent and prepare for displacement, as well as respond when displacement happens. This initiative places climate change squarely in the context of disaster risk. This link is made in the preamble of the Paris Agreement, and must be strengthened in people’s minds. Climate action reduces risk and increases stability.
Germany is building bridges. The Platform on Disaster Displacement was created in partnership with France and Switzerland, as well as private partners. The German government hosted the G20 meeting this week and will host the UN climate change conference this November. These bridges engage nations in cooperative action on climate change and other critical issues.
And Germany is taking steps locally that reduce global risk. Incentivising solar and wind, increasing energy efficiency, encouraging public transportation and recycling all curb emissions that drive risk. If we bend the emissions curve and keep temperature rise to as close to 1.5 degrees Celsius as possible, we keep risk as low as possible.
I applaud these steps and encourage all countries to take similar steps. I encourage the international community to tell climate change as a security story. Explicitly linking climate action today with a more secure tomorrow writes an ending to this story that is good for people and planet, peace and prosperity.
I am very interested to hear how the distinguished panelists gathered here think we can better tell this story. I am interested to hear how the security community can raise awareness and understanding of the human security and climate security link.
And I am interested to hear how the UN climate change secretariat can leverage our process to promote stability, prosperity and peace. Climate action shapes the narrative. It points development towards prevention and helps deliver the best outcomes for all. We are here to support governments in your work towards a stable, secure future.
Nigerians don’t seem to be disciplined in the use of energy, according to the Managing Director of Shangix Development Limited (SDL), Sam Coker. He said the use of renewable energy, aside protecting the environment from greenhouse gases (GHG), will help to instill such discipline in the citizenry.
L-R: Joke Akhigbe of Shangix Development Limited (SDL); Adeniyi Karunwi, Director General of the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF); Sam Coker, Managing Director of SDL; and Saturday Okhueleigbe of the NCF at the media session to kick-start the 2017 Energy Week
Mr. Coker was speaking at a media session organised by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) for an essay competition on renewable energy at the NCF secretariat, Lekki, Lagos on Friday, February 17, 2017.
The briefing is part of activities for the 2017 Energy Week with the theme: “Energy: Make it Nature-friendly”.
NCF and Shangix are collaborating to put the competition together for junior and senior secondary school students in District 3, Lagos.
The concept of introducing renewable energy education to schools, said Coker, was mooted some three years ago after his visit to the United States of America (U.S.A.), where he saw classrooms powered by solar energy.
According to him, children should be taught early in life the use of renewable energy and to imbibe the discipline involved, so that it becomes a lifestyle for them.
Earlier in his goodwill message, the Director General of NCF, Adeniyi Karunwi, stressed the need for the use of renewable energy.
Many nations of the world, he said, are embracing renewable energy, one of which is solar power, and dumping the use of foosil fuels which are harmful to the environment and human health.
The NCF DG noted that the use of renewable energy minimises pollution of the environment that causes the depletion of the ozone layer and climate change.
Environment education being one of NCF’s core mandates, the DG said the competition would help educate the public on renewable energy use.
Themes of the essay competition, which will take place on February 21, 2017 at two different locations in Lagos, are “Sun: Energy for the Future” for the junior category, while the senior category will write on “Energy Crisis: Conventional Energy versus Solar Energy”.
For Bolanle Akinleye-Opara of the NCF, the competition is a bid to “catch them young” in the campaign to replace fossil fuels with green energy.
Temituoyo Nzewi of Shangix noted that Nigeria, a country located near the equator, is supposed to make good use of the sun for its energy needs.
She disclosed that, in the past four years, Shangix has been installing solar panels in homes and offices, to replace conventional energy.
“We are trying to spread the consciousness of renewable power use down to the children. If children get orientation on renewable energy and the power use discipline, it becomes a way of life to them,” she said.
NCF, represented by Karunwi and a management staff, Mr. Saturday Okhueleigbe, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Shangix at the end of the briefing, to consummate a relationship that will give birth to the education of the public on renewable energy as an alternative to the use of petrol, diesel and natural gas to generate electric power.
As the pilot edition only covers District 3, Lagos, because of logistics, the organisers of the competition called on interested individuals and corporate bodies to come on board, so that the competition will spread to other parts of the country.
The Ogun State Housing Corporation (OGSHC) has set machinery in motion for the construction of housing units at different locations of the state, apparently in line with the capital projects captured in the 2017 Budget of the agency.
Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Housing Development and General Manager of the State Housing Corporation, Jumoke Akinwunmi
Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing Development and General Manager of the State Housing Corporation, Jumoke Akinwunmi, who made this known recently in Abeokuta, the state capital, explained that 12 units of three-bedroom terrace duplex housetype would be built in the existing Ibara Housing Estate. According to her, the project has been designed in consonance with modern trends in real estate development.
Mrs Akinwunmi, an architect, added that similar projects would be carried out in the heart of Ajebo Road Estate, noting that the proposed 500 units Idi-Aba Housing Estate would be sited on 26 hectares of land with high, medium and low densities as land clearing had commenced.
“As the agency wishes to remain at the top in the housing industry, much will be done to construct housing units of different plans across the three Senatorial Districts in a bid to achieve the success of the rebuilding mission of the present administration to develop more affordable housing in our various gated communities,” she affirmed.
The OGSHC boss further hinted that rehabilitation work would be carried out in the housing estates located at Oke-Ata, Presidential Mandate, Olokuta, Ado-Odo, Ikangba and Ifo Local Government Area; with provision of electricity at Ajebo Road Housing Estate, Presidential Mandate Housing Estate, Laderin, Ado-Odo, Idiroko, Lagos Road and Ilaro Housing Estates. She assured that arrangements were in place to procure necessary construction equipment to enhance the smooth operations and activities of the agency.
Akinwunmi also said the agency was collaborating with sister agencies in the housing sector towards increasing the availability of dwelling houses as well as to provide commercial and industrial buildings in the state in decent, safe and conducive environment at affordable cost.
The extended spell of high global temperatures is continuing, with the Arctic witnessing exceptional warmth and – as a result – record low Arctic sea ice volumes for this time of year. Antarctic sea ice extent is also the lowest on record.
As the globe continues to warm up, Antarctic sea ice extent is said to be the lowest on record
Natural climate variability – such as El Niño and La Niña – mean that the globe will not break new temperature records every month or every year. More significant than the individual monthly rankings is the long-term trend of rising temperatures and climate change indicators such as CO2 concentrations (406.13 parts per million at the benchmark Mauna Loa Observatory in January compared to 402.52 ppm in January 2016, according to NOAA’s Earth Systems Research Laboratory).
The largest positive temperature departures from average in January were seen across the eastern half of the contiguous U.S.A, Canada, and in particular the Arctic. The high Arctic temperatures also persisted in the early part of February.
At least three times so far this winter, the Arctic has witnessed the Polar equivalent of a heatwave, with powerful Atlantic storms driving an influx of warm, moist air and increasing temperatures to near freezing point. The temperature in the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard, north of Norway, topped 4.1°C on 7 February. The world’s northernmost land station, Kap Jessup on the tip of Greenland, swung from -22°C to +2°C in 12 hours between 9 and 10 February, according to the Danish Meterological Institute.
“Temperatures in the Arctic are quite remarkable and very alarming,” said World Climate Research Programme Director David Carlson. “The rate of change in the Arctic and resulting shifts in wider atmospheric circulation patterns, which affect weather in other parts of the world, are pushing climate science to its limits.”
As a result of waves in the jet stream – the fast moving band of air which helps regulate temperatures – much of Europe, the Arabian peninsular and North Africa were unusually cold, as were parts of Siberia and the western USA.
Arctic sea ice extent averaged 13.38 million square kilometres in January, according to NSIDC. This is 260,000 square kilometres below January 2016, the previous lowest January extent – an area bigger than the size of the United Kingdom. It was 1.26 million square kilometers (the size of South Africa) below the January 1981 to 2010 long-term average.
“The recovery period for Arctic sea ice is normally in the winter, when it gains both in volume and extent. The recovery this winter has been fragile, at best, and there were some days in January when temperatures were actually above melting point,” said Mr Carlson. “This will have serious implications for Arctic sea ice extent in summer as well as for the global climate system. What happens at the Poles does not stay at the Poles.”
Antarctic sea ice extent was also the lowest on record. A change in wind patterns, which normally spread out the ice, contracted it instead.
Kenya’s Court of Appeal in Nairobi on Friday, February 17 2017 upheld the country’s 2014 Tobacco Control Regulations, affirming a lower court’s findings and rejecting legal challenges to the regulations from British American Tobacco (BAT) Kenya.
Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. He congratulated the Government of Kenya for its resolve in standing up to Big Tobacco
Activists have described the court’s decision as a resounding victory for public health and one that allows the government to move forward with implementing a law that they feel will help protect Kenyans from the consequences of tobacco use.
As a party to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Kenya is legally obligated to implement evidence-based measures to reduce tobacco use.
Included in Kenya’s Tobacco Control Regulations are requirements for picture-based health warnings and strengthened protections against secondhand smoke. The regulations also require tobacco companies to pay an annual fee into a designated tobacco control fund to assist the government in paying for the harmful health effects of tobacco use for Kenyans.
Friday’s ruling, said Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, sends a strong message that BAT’s legal claims were without merit and that tobacco industry interference in laws to improve public health will not be tolerated.
According to him, the ruling also has implications for other African countries where tobacco companies are interfering in efforts to pass and implement proven tobacco control policies.
In Uganda, for example, BAT has also filed a legal challenge against a tobacco control law aimed at preventing and reducing tobacco use.
His words: “Kenya’s Court of Appeal ruling is yet another blow for BAT, a company currently under investigation in Kenya for the alleged bribery of government officials. A 2015 investigative report broadcast by the BBC disclosed extensive evidence, supported by previously secret documents, that BAT paid illegal bribes to influence members of parliament, gain advantage over competitors and undermine tobacco control policies in multiple African countries.
“We congratulate the Government of Kenya for its resolve in standing up to Big Tobacco. Today’s decision sends an unequivocal message that African governments can and should move ahead with efforts to reduce tobacco use even in the face of legal challenges from tobacco companies. Around the world, the largest multinational tobacco companies are increasingly losing legal battles to block and delay tobacco control measures.”
According to scientists, tobacco use is the world’s leading cause of preventable death.
“Without urgent action, tobacco use will claim one billion lives this century,” warned Myers.
Cameroon has committed to restoring over 12 million hectares of deforested and degraded land by 2030 as part of the Bonn Challenge initiative. The pledge is said to be the biggest made so far in the species-rich Congo Basin, home to the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest.
Minister of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development of Cameroon, Pierre Hele
The Bonn Challenge, launched in 2011 at an event hosted by Germany and IUCN, is a global effort to restore 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030. With Cameroon’s commitment, the Challenge has reached over 148 million hectares pledged in total.
“Cameroon is delighted to join this ambitious movement,” says Cameroon’s Minister of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development, Pierre Hele. “By restoring our unproductive landscapes, we will help local communities develop sustainably, increase their resilience to climate change and contribute to climate change mitigation.”
Deforestation and land degradation are among the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions globally, and the Bonn Challenge pledge brings Cameroon closer to its national goal of cutting carbon emissions by 32% by 2035 – part of the country’s Paris Agreement commitment as announced by President Paul Biya at the COP21 in Paris.
“Forty-six per cent of Cameroon is covered in forests that are highly regarded for their biodiversity,”says Cameroon’s Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Philip Ngole Ngwese. “In recent years, we have seen an upward trend in deforestation and degradation. Restoring these valuable ecosystems will help us protect our natural heritage and contribute to our carbon reduction targets.”
Cameroon’s pledge comes in the wake of the Kigali Declaration, an initiative which reaffirmed the commitment of 13 African countries to the Bonn Challenge. The declaration was formalised at a high-level ministerial meeting organised by IUCN, the Government of Rwanda and the Secretariat of the East African Community in July 2016, and further endorsed by the Commission of Central African Forests (COMIFAC), including Cameroon, in November 2016.
“Cameroon’s pledge to the Bonn Challenge will help create sustainable livelihoods for forest-dependent communities, protect Cameroon’s unique wildlife, cut carbon emissions, and advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,” says IUCN Director General, Inger Andersen. “The momentum we have seen for forest restoration in Africa has surpassed all our expectations and we look forward to working with Cameroon and other countries in the region to make their pledges a reality.”
Restoring forests drives progress towards a number of SDGs, including ‘life on land’, ‘climate action’ and ‘zero hunger’ among other goals. For example, restoring 150 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 could help feed 200 million people. Healthy ecosystems also make food systems more resilient to climate change, extreme weather, flooding and other disasters.
The pledge will also contribute to the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100), which aims to bring 100 million hectares of deforested and degraded land under restoration by 2030 as a contribution to the Bonn Challenge, the African Resilient Landscapes Initiative, and other related targets. With this commitment, Cameroon joins 18 other African countries that have pledged to the Bonn Challenge and AFR100.
“We applaud the Government of Cameroon for this exciting commitment. Indeed, political will for restoration has never been stronger. Restoration is widely understood as a key strategy to meet climate change, desertification, biodiversity and sustainable development goals in Africa and to secure vital food, water, and energy resources,” says Mamadou Diakhite, Team Leader for Sustainable Land and Water Management, AFR100 Secretariat.
Achieving the 350 million hectare Bonn Challenge goal could generate $170 billion per year in net benefits from watershed protection, improved crop yields and forest products, and could sequester up to 1.7 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent annually, equal to over 350 million passenger cars driven for one year.
Nigeria has set March 2017 as its target date to ratify the Minamata Convention on Mercury, just as it forges a partnership with major stakeholders in the run-in to the much-expected endorsement.
L-R: Dr. Chuma Ezedinma, UNIDO Regional Office, Abuja; Mr. Oluyomi Banjo, UNIDO Environment Expert; and Dr. Idris Adamu Goji, Deputy Director, Pollution Control and Environmental Health Department, Federal Ministry of Environment, during the awareness-raising workshop for the media and NGOs on the Minamata Convention on Mercury at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos. Photo credit: Innocent Anoruo
Dr. Chuma Ezedinma, who is of United Nations Development Organisation (UNIDO) Regional Office in Abuja, made the disclosure on Tuesday, February 14 2017 in Lagos during a day-long forum designed to kickstart the ratification process and raise awareness on the Convention. It was themed: “Workshop the Minamate Convention on Mercury: Minamata Convention Initial Assessment (MIA) Project.”
The objective of the MIA project is to assist Nigeria in completing pre-qualification activities under the Convention in order to enable strategic decision-making and to prioritise areas for future interventions on mercury related issues.
“Nigeria is expected to ratify the Convention before September, and we are looking at sometime in March, when some things would have been put in place,” Dr Ezedinma said.
Nigeria is one of the 128 signatories to the global treaty (the nation became a signatory on October 10, 2013), but she is yet to ratify it. Ratification by Nigeria automatically makes her a Party to the Convention with the duty to domesticate its content.
A minimum of 50 nations are required to ratify the Minamata Convention to make it legally binding. So far, 38 nations have ratified, implying that the First Conference of the Parties (COP1) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury scheduled to take place in September 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland, is dependent on the emergence of 12 more ratifications on or before September.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global treaty aimed at protecting human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury, was agreed at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) in Geneva, Switzerland on Saturday, January 19 2013.
The Lagos awareness-raising forum, aimed at cementing partnership with civil society and the media, held at the instance of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Federal Ministry of Environment (FMENV).
Welcoming the participants to the workshop, Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, expressed delight that professionals from different media and NGOs were able to honour the event, despite their busy schedules.
“This is a clear demonstration of your commitment to the sustainable development of our country and protection of human health and the environment from undue exposure to and contamination by mercury and its compounds,” she said.
The minister, who was represented by Dr. Idris Adamu Goji, Deputy Director, Pollution Control and Environmental Health Department in the ministry, expressed gratitude to the international agencies whose financial and technical support to Nigeria to implement the MIA Project made the gathering possible.
She also appreciated presence of the media and NGOs. “This is a clear demonstration of your commitment to the sustainable development of our country and protection of human health and the environment from undue exposure to and contamination by mercury and its compounds,” she said.
Mercury, she noted, is naturally occurring and highly toxic to human health and the environment.
Her words: “Human activities in recent times have increased the level of mercury in the environment, and human exposure to this increased concentration cause kidney, heart and respiratory problems, tremors, skin rashes, vision and hearing problems, headaches, weakness, memory problems, and emotional changes.
“Mercury poisoning and effects in the environment have, over the years, been recognised to be of global concern as a result of its nature and behaviour in the environment, including its ability for long-range transport in the atmosphere, persistence in the environment, and more importantly its ability to bio-accumulate in the ecosystem, leading to significant adverse effect on both human health and the environment.”
She stressed the importance of the role of the media and NGOs in the actualisation of the objective of the Convention.
Minamata Convention
The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. It was agreed at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on mercury in Geneva, Switzerland on Saturday, January 19, 2013 and adopted later that year on October 10 at a Diplomatic Conference (Conference of Plenipotentiaries) in Kumamoto, Japan.
It draws attention to a global and ubiquitous metal that, while naturally occurring, has broad uses in everyday objects and is released to the atmosphere, soil and water from a variety of sources. Controlling the anthropogenic releases of mercury throughout its lifecycle has been a key factor in shaping the obligations under the Convention.
Major highlights of the Convention include a ban on new mercury mines, the phase out of existing ones, the phase out and phase down of mercury use in a number of products and processes, control measures on emissions to air and on releases to land and water, and the regulation of the informal sector of artisanal and small-scale gold mining. It also addresses interim storage of mercury and its disposal once it becomes waste, sites contaminated by mercury as well as health issues.
The Convention will enter into force once 50 countries have ratified it. As at the last count, 128 countries have signed the Convention, while 38 that include 16 African countries have ratified it. Nigeria is expected to ratify it before September 2017. With a target enforcement date of year 2020, the Convention aims to promote the use of alternatives and Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) across a wide range of products, processes and industries where mercury is used, released or emitted.
Emission has to do with vertical pollution (into the air), while release is horizontal pollution (into the soil and waters).
Dr. Ezedinma stated that the role of the media and NGOs cannot be over-emphasised, “as the success of the Minamata Convention in Nigeria greatly rests on your shoulders. You must get educated and rightly communicate to the populace the Convention as it also deals with our health and the environment. You are the mouthpiece of the society and you are closer to the people, which is why you must also be interested in protecting them.”
Noting that UNIDO’s activities in Nigeria include: advancing economic prosperity, creating shared responsibility and safeguarding the environment, he reaffirmed UNIDO’s commitment towards working closely with the FMENV to implement its mandate.
Mercury
Mercury is a chemical element with symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is commonly known as quicksilver and was formerly named hydrargyrum. A heavy, silvery d-block element, mercury is a metallic element that is liquid at standard conditions for temperature and pressure. It occurs in deposits throughout the world mostly as cinnabar (mercuric sulphide). The red pigment vermilion is obtained by grinding natural cinnabar or synthetic mercuric sulphide.
It is used in thermometers, barometers, manometers, sphygmomanometers, float valves, mercury switches, mercury relays, fluorescent lamps and other devices. Concerns about mercury’s toxicity have led to mercury thermometers and sphygs being largely phased out in clinical environments in favour of alternatives such as alcohol- or galinstan-filled glass thermometers and thermistor- or infrared-based electronic instruments.
Issues
Like other international treaties, the Minamata Convention is prone to challenges. Hence, Ezedinma stressed that ratification does not necessarily mean domestication.
And as activities like artisanal gold mining are businesses who promoters would do everything to protect, including bribing journalists, journalists were told to choose between integrity and the easy way out (taking gratification to kill stories).
However, UNITAR and other relevant agencies were urged to encourage unbiased reporting by putting up fellowships for journalists.
According to Oluyomi Banjo, an environment expert with UNIDO, Nigeria has one of the best Minamata desks in the world.
He urged the media and NGOs to develop communication strategy to reach the communities in the simplest forms.
Before the forum came to a close, the participants mapped out strategies to reach the target audience.
The Zambia and Malawi have launched a K15 million project for the construction of the water and sanitation schemes for border posts of Chanida, Mwami and Mchinji.
Eastern Province Acting Permanent Secretary Patrick Mwanawasa and Malawian Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Erica Maganga during the K15 million project launch for the construction of the water and sanitation schemes for border posts of Chanida, Mwami and Mchinji at Mwami Border in Chipata. Photo credit: Julius Phiri
The project is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), Climate Resilient Infrastructure Development Facility (CRIDF) on three border areas of which two are on the Zambian side while one was on the Malawian side.
The Zambia’s Eastern Province Minister, Makebi Zulu, during the launch of water and sanitation schemes held in January at Mwami Border in Chipata District of Eastern Zambia described the availability of water and good sanitation today as human rights.
The minister said through acting Permanent Secretary, Patrick Mwanawasa, that his government would endeavour to provide the services through commercial utilities like Eastern Water and Sewerage Company (EWSC).
He said the company, together with Central Regional Water Board through CRIDF and the British Government, have worked on the commencement works of the water reticulations at the border towns.
Mr Zulu said the project involves the construction of a water supply system and an ablution block in Mwami and Mchinji as well as the rehabilitation of the existing ablution block at Chanida border.
“This project is targeting the border areas taking into consideration the travelling public and also the residents. Over 6,000 travellers and 1,500 households are expected to benefit from this project,” he said.
He said the water reticulation for the three border areas would promote good health and bring dignity to the residents and travelling public.
With the present situation in the three border areas, the minister said residents and travelling public especially truck drivers who were marooned for days at the borders would get good drinking water and sanitary services.
Mr Zulu said he was aware that lack of good sanitation obstructs the right to life and health.
He commended the chiefs for giving permission to EWSC and CRWB to put up the facilities in the border areas.
He appealed to the travelling public and the residents to protect the facilities which would contribute to good sanitation and lead to a reduction of water borne disease in the three border areas.
Speaking earlier, Malawian Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Erica Maganga, said the scope of the project on the Malawian side shall include drilling and equipping of three boreholes, laying of transmission and distribution pipeline network and construction of a water tank, an ablution block and two communal water points.
Mrs Maganga said this would serve cross-border travellers, the local community as well as the general public at the border town with sanitary and health facilities.
“Individuals that can afford individual household water connections shall also be served. It is believed that, with the installation of the water supply system here, this border town will quickly transform because other investors are likely come in with different services,” she said.
Mrs Maganga said development of such social amenities in towns and market centres was integral to socio-economic development of the concerned towns.
She paid sincere appreciation to all the people and institutions that stretched played various roles towards realisation of the project.
EWSC Managing Director, Lytone Kanowa, said he was happy that the project was taking off.
African Brothers Limited, a Chinese contractor, is engaged to carry out the project for 112 days.
Shelter Afrique, the Pan-African housing financier dealing exclusively with the promotion of affordable housing, has received approval for a $28.2 million injection from the African Development Bank (AfDB). This capital injection follows on from the $8.2 million equity investment by AfDB and the commitment made by the bank at the recently concluded extraordinary general meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya last month.
Acting Managing Director of Shelter Afrique, Femi Adewole
Speaking on the development, Gabriel Negatu, Director General at AfDB’s East Africa Regional Office, noted: “These new resources show that the African Development Bank is fully committed to the growth and development of Shelter Afrique, which plays a vital and unique role in the development of affordable housing across Africa. Affordable housing is a key issue at the heart of the High Five Priorities for our bank, namely ‘Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa.’
“At the same time, the African Development Bank takes issues of governance seriously. With the strong measures taken by Shelter Afrique to improve its governance and the support of its shareholders, the company can move to the next stage of its development.”
Adding to that, Acting Managing Director of Shelter Afrique, Femi Adewole, noted: “We made a very firm commitment to our shareholders and investors to improve our internal processes at the EGM, and they in turn made an equally firm commitment to support us in our mission of delivering affordable housing. The additional financing from the AfDB shows the confidence investors and shareholders have in that mission and our efforts to improve our processes, we have also received letters of intent from some of our major shareholders like Nigeria and Kenya and I believe that, very soon, you will be hearing of more of these kinds of developments.”
Speaking on the recent negative downgrade of Shelter Afrique’s rating by GCR, Adewole remarked: “It is certainly not an ideal situation and one that we are working assiduously to reverse so we can restore market confidence. But we also see it as a turning point, a call to action if you will, and we have no doubt that in the short-medium term we would have addressed all the concerns raised and we are confident that the next outlook will be positive.”
Shelter Afrique will be making its case of improved governance and processes to shareholders again at the 36th Annual General Meeting in Zimbabwe in June, 2017.
