The newly-elected President of Sierra Leone, Mr Julius Bio, on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 issued a directive ordering the suspension of timber export.
President of Sierra Leone, Mr Julius Bio
According to the presidential directive issued by State House, the suspension is part of the government’s strategy to fight deforestation in the country.
Former President Ernest Koroma suspended the export of timber in 2013, but lifted it in early 2017 in the build-up to the 2018 elections.
Although timber logging has created many jobs for Sierra Leonean youths, environmental activists have welcomed the suspension and called on the government to make the suspension a permanent ban.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) had expressed concern over the development, saying that deforestation is leading to large scale land degradation, loss of biodiversity and diminished land productivity in the country.
The UN body stated that impacts have negative impact on the livelihoods of local communities including limited access to critical forest resources and loss of agricultural productivity.
It maintained that tree planting would contribute to the restoration of the forest cover in the country, thus promoting the use of renewable energy, mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration and storage.
The Atlantic overturning – one of Earth’s most important heat transport systems, pumping warm water northwards and cold water southwards – is weaker today than any time before in more than 1,000 years.
Sea surface temperature data analysis provides new evidence that this major ocean circulation has slowed down by roughly 15 percent since the middle of the 20th century, according to a study published in the highly renowned journal Nature by an international team of scientists. Human-made climate change is said to be a prime suspect for the worrying observations.
“We detected a specific pattern of ocean cooling south of Greenland and unusual warming off the US coast – which is highly characteristic for a slowdown of the Atlantic overturning, also called the Gulf Stream System,” says lead-author Levke Caesar from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). “It is practically like a fingerprint of a weakening of these ocean currents.” As the currents slow down, they bring less heat towards the north, causing widespread cooling of the northern Atlantic – the only ocean region that has cooled in the face of global warming. At the same time, the Gulf Stream shifts northwards and closer to shore and warms the waters along the northern half of the US Atlantic coast.
“That region has warmed faster than most other parts of the world ocean in recent decades,” says co-author Vincent Saba from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Laboratory in Princeton, USA. “This specific ocean temperature pattern has been projected by high-resolution computer simulations as a response to rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere – now it has been confirmed by measurements.”
Measurements of sea surface temperatures confirm computer simulations
For decades, scientists have investigated the dynamics of the Atlantic overturning. Computer simulations generally predict that it will weaken in response to human-caused global warming. But whether this is already happening has so far been unclear, due to a lack of long-term direct current measurements. “The evidence we’re now able to provide is the most robust to date,” says Stefan Rahmstorf from the Potsdam Institute, who conceived the study. “We’ve analysed all the available sea surface temperature data sets, comprising data from the late 19th Century until the present.”
“The specific trend pattern we found in measurements looks exactly like what is predicted by computer simulations as a result of a slowdown in the Gulf Stream System, and I see no other plausible explanation for it,” says Rahmstorf. It is in fact not just the pattern in space that matches between computer simulation and observations, but also the change with the seasons.
Global warming likely causes the changes – the effects are far-reaching
The weakening is caused by a number of factors that can be linked to global warming which is caused by greenhouse gases from burning coal, oil, and gas. The Atlantic overturning is driven by the differences in the density of the ocean water: when the warm and hence lighter water travels from the South to the North, it becomes colder and thereby denser and heavier – making it sink to deeper ocean layers and flow back to the south. “But with global warming, increased rainfall as well as meltwater from the Arctic sea ice and Greenland ice sheet is diluting the waters of the northern Atlantic, reducing the salinity. Less saline water is less dense and hence less heavy – which makes it harder for the water to sink from the surface into the deep,” explains Alexander Robinson of the University of Madrid, who co-authored the study.
There have been long debates whether the Atlantic overturning could collapse, being a tipping element in the Earth system. The present study does not consider the future fate of this circulation, but rather analyses how it has changed over the past hundred years. Nevertheless, Robinson cautions: “If we do not rapidly stop global warming, we must expect a further long-term slowdown of the Atlantic overturning. We are only beginning to understand the consequences of this unprecedented process – but they might be disruptive.”
Several studies have shown, for example, that a slowdown of the Atlantic overturning exacerbates sea-level rise on the US coast for cities like New York and Boston. Others show that the associated change in Atlantic sea surface temperatures affects weather patterns over Europe, such as the track of storms coming off the Atlantic. Specifically, the European heat wave of summer 2015 has been linked to the record cold in the northern Atlantic in that year – this seemingly paradoxical effect occurs because a cold northern Atlantic promotes an air pressure pattern that funnels warm air from the south into Europe.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says it has disbursed N70 million to 3,000 households in four states in Nigeria as loan to construct improved toilets, under its Sanitation Marketing Programme.
A variant of the improved toilet
Mr Amir Syed, the UNICEF International Consultant on Sanitation Marketing, disclosed this in a news conference on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 in Katsina, Katsina State.
According to Syed, the loan is to assist Nigeria attain Open Defecation Free (ODF) status by 2025.
The international consultant listed Katsina, Jigawa, Bauchi and Benue states as the states that benefited from the loans.
He said that the loan was disbursed through some Micro Finance Institutions (MFI’s) in the participating states.
Syed added that the programme had been extended to Zamfara.
Seyd said 18 local government areas in Nigeria were currently participating in the programme.
The international consultant explained that Toilets Business Owners (TBOs), trained on toilet technologies, were engaged to construct the improved toilets for the affected households.
In his contribution, the Executive Director, Katsina State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), Alhaji Aminu Dayyabu, said the programme was being implemented in five local governments in the state.
According to him, the local governments are: Bakori, Mai’adua, Sandamu, Safana and Dutsin-ma.
Dayyabu said that 996 households benefited from the loan package, adding that each household was given N40,000 loan to construct improved toilets.
Dayyabu said the loan would be repaid within 10 months.
“Households can have such toilets from TBOs either through their own monies or availing loans from Micro Finance Institutions,’’ he said.
Earlier, Madam Bhawna Maheswari, UNICEF Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Specialist, Katsina Office, said the project was aimed at providing people with good toilets to prevent them from contracting diseases.
“The programme will provide opportunity for 50 per cent of households using unimproved toilets and 30 per cent of people practicing open defecation to have improved toilet.
“An improved toilet is supposed to be clean, covered and provide a barrier against diseases,’’ she said.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has called on stakeholders to partner with the commission on its roadmap and framework for sustainable regional development in the region.
Nsima Ekere, NDDC Managing Director
Mr Nsima Ekere, NDDC Managing Director, made the call in a telephone chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 in Akure, Ondo State.
Ekere said that it had become necessary for the commission to partner with major stakeholders on development projects that would improve the living conditions of the people in the region.
According to him, the commission is looking forward to the synergy that will be unleashed through teamwork, collaboration and sustainable partnership in an atmosphere of peace and security.
“The NDDC board and management have spent the last one year conceptualising and strategising on a roadmap and framework for sustainable regional development.
“Now, we are stepping out of the room armed with ideas. And we are ready to run.
“We need the partnership and collaboration of all stakeholders to make these happen.
“As an intervention agency, our role is to resolve the developmental challenges of the region and support the development ambitions of the states by working together as partners.
“Because this is our home and our region, we have no other place to go,” he said.
He said it was imperative for the commission and stakeholders to come together to improve the living conditions of the people and build a region capable of fulfilling the collective aspirations that would open a new frontier of growth in the region.
Nasarawa State University, Keffi says it has embarked on the training of students on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to enable them find lasting solution to environmental challenges facing the country.
Prof Nasiru Idris
Prof. Nasiru Idris, Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences of the university, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday, April 11, 2018.
He said students of the faculty were being trained also to ensure that proper environmental management was maintained.
According to Idris, the students are also being equipped to explore all aspects and methodologies of the environmental assessment process, for them to effectively analyse technical reports and oversee complex projects.
‘‘We are training them to meet the needs of the present environmental standards without compromising the ability of future generations,’’ he said.
‘‘We train them to go out and prove themselves and help maintain the status and dignity of Nigerian cities and environment through environmental impact assessment plans.’’
He said that the faculty would be working with willing stakeholders on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as a tool for achieving sustainable development.
‘‘The main objective of the EIA is to ensure that potential environmental impacts are foreseen at the appropriate stage of project design and addressed before any decision is taken on the project.
‘‘We work with stakeholders to stipulate how we manage the impact and its benefits to the environment.”
He urged stakeholders not to wait for government alone to handle environmental issues but partner to achieve the desired result.
‘‘We do not need to wait for government so in our faculty, for instance we are not solely dependent on government for any of the programme in the seven departments in the faculty.
‘‘If you look at the rest of the world today, advanced countries are deviating from seeing environmental issues as the primary responsibility of government, whereas, the issues are also private sector-driven.”
He said called on environment stakeholders to work together with government with a view to finding solutions to environmental challenges.
‘‘Most of the projects in the advanced nations are private sector-driven, essentially powered by donor agencies.
‘‘If we wait for government, we will not make much progress because there are competing needs requiring the very limited resources available to it.
‘‘Look at China, as an example; most of the projects being executed by its government are private sector-driven.
‘‘Today, Abuja is deteriorating because its residents are waiting for government to do everything for them.
It is supposed to be a world class city being built on the “garden city movement concept” of Ebenezer Howard’s design.
The garden city movement is a method of urban planning in which self-contained communities are surrounded by “greenbelts”, containing proportionate areas of residences, industry, and agriculture.
The idea was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom.
He called on Nigerians to think globally and act locally to tap into the potential that abounds in the nation and boost development.
‘‘Nigeria can go places if we utilise our potential.
‘‘We have the resources and if we synergise with government, we will take Nigeria to enviable heights.’’
Some solar energy consumers and other Nigerians on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 attributed the slow pace at embracing the technology to the high cost of installation materials.
Rooftop solar panels
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the rising cost of PhotoVoltaic (PV) panels, inverters, and batteries was a major challenge to the installation of the technology.
According to them, despite the abundance of sun in Nigeria, and ability of solar power to end energy deficit, support growth of small businesses, many Nigerians have remained indifferent to adopting the technology.
They were reacting to Federal Government’s call to Nigerians to embrace solar energy and other renewable sources, given the limited nature of the national grid to provide electricity to all Nigerians.
The Federal Government had repeatedly emphasised that it was diversifying electricity generation, distribution and transmission with other renewable energy solutions like solar.
Mr Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, had at a book launch advised Nigerians to embrace solar energy to reduce pressure on the national grid.
“We are committed to incremental power and policies that will drive the power sector. Solar is one of the renewable energy,” the minister said.
NAN reports that installing a solar electricity system is first made possible with the provision of a solar panel itself, although there are various kinds of solar panels used for generating electricity.
A single solar module or PV can produce only a limited amount of power and most installations contain multiple PVs.
For an installer to generate the required energy, he or she must have to buy the required number of PVs.
A PV system typically includes a panel or an array of solar modules made up of a solar inverter and batteries.
Also, a market survey by NAN on the prices of PV panels revealed that a solar PV panel of 150Watts and 300Watts is being sold for between N40,000 and N70,000 respectively, depending on the kind of panel.
To this end, Mr Charles Ugoma, a bank executive, told NAN that he installed the solar technology in his four bedroom apartment in 2015, having spent so much money to purchase the panels and batteries.
He said the panels became bad after two years of installation because the panels sold to him were not designed for the climate in Nigeria.
“The panels were not manufactured to suit the tropics in Africa, the one they installed for me is not sustainable.’’
According to him, it has become difficult for him to replace the panels because of the present high cost of PV panels in the market.
Ugoma said it was important for the government through its relevant energy agencies to work toward implementing right polices that would make solar energy technology affordable to Nigerians.
This, he explained would help rekindle the interest of many Nigerians to deploy the technology to solve their energy issues.
Dr Charles Odeh, a solar energy developer, also told NAN that it was cheering that policymakers at the Federal and State levels were formulating polices on renewable like solar power to address energy poverty.
Odeh, however said it was unfortunate that government policies on renewable energy had not actually reduced the cost of providing solar energy.
He said some of the policies were actually designed to ultimately transfer part of the cost of importing solar energy equipment to ordinary Nigerians buying the technology.
“The actual cost of having a solar power is actually high than most people think, because it comes with other unseen costs like infrastructure and environmental impact issues.
“You should not expect a developer, investor to spend so much on importing solar equipment to record a loss, while deploying the technology to people.
“Government must find a way to ensure that it is less expensive to deploy.
“Engineers need to develop more efficient production techniques, mass production of panels in efficient factories will help bring down production costs and make them cheaper for consumers to buy.”
Mrs Anita Okonkwo, a salon operator in Nyanya, told NAN that she had deployed solar energy solution in her shop to complement electricity supply from the national grid.
This, according to her is to ensure constant electricity to power her hair dryers and ultimately record high patronage from customers.
She, however, said the solar technology could not be sustained as she spends much money to maintain the facility.
Meanwhile, the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN) had recently kicked against the new import duty on solar panels, stating that the measure may lead to further hike in costs of the panels.
REAN had in a statement alleged that its members who were solar energy investors and developers were being asked to pay between five per cent to 10 per cent import duty on panels imported.
To reduce environmental impact across its operations and throughout its supply chain, Guinness Nigeria Plc., has partnered with Wecyclers, a for-profit social enterprise that promotes environmental sustainability, socio-economic development, and community health to support its waste management agenda.
L-R: Sustainable Development & Alcohol in Society Manager, Guinness Nigeria, Titilola Alabi; Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Viola Graham-Douglas; Chief Executive Officer, Wecyclers, Olawale Adebiyi; and Head, Brand Protection and Corporate Security, Guinness Nigeria, Kingsely Onyeoziri, at the MoU signing ceremony between Guinness Nigeria Plc and Wecyclers
Guinness, a leading beverage alcohol company, said the partnership was expected to, among other things, help to support the implementation of Guinness Nigeria’s 4R waste management strategy.
The 4Rs covers Reduction, Reuse, Recovery and Recycling, while addressing increasing local and global concerns around the environmental issues of waste disposal.
The Managing Director/CEO, Guinness Nigeria Plc., Mr Peter Ndegwa, said on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 that the partnership with Wecyclers was in line with the company’s commitment to reducing its chain environmental impact.
He added that it was also in line with Nigeria’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy approach under which producers are given a significant responsibility for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products.
“This partnership with Wecyclers is in line with our commitment to reduce our environmental footprint as well as join the global movement to advance sustainable development.
“Every year at Guinness, we set ourselves stretched targets that will guide us as we work to reduce our impact on the environment.
“We also strive to increase our positive social impact by delivering transformational social investments in communities where we operate,’’ Ndegwa said in a statement.
The Chief Executive Officer, Wecyclers, Mr Olawale Adebiyi, said at the MoU signing that the company aimed to build a low-cost waste collection infrastructure while raising general awareness on the importance of recycling for environmental sustainability and social welfare.
According to him, households are given a chance to generate value from their waste and provide a reliable supply of raw material to the local recycling industry.
“Partnerships with well-meaning organiations such as Guinness Nigeria Plc are a critical part of driving that agenda forward.’’
On her part, Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Viola Graham-Douglas, said: “In the medium to long term, Guinness Nigeria has set targets as part of its 2020 Sustainability & Responsibility commitments.
It comprises three key pillars: Leadership in Alcohol in Society, Building Thriving Communities and Reducing our Environmental Impact.
“Delivering on these goals is an integral part of our long term business strategy and our commitment to making a real difference in communities where Guinness Nigeria operates.’’
She added, “To this end, we have developed a sustainability strategy that will help us reduce our environmental impact, while increasing our positive social impact in the society and this partnership will help us achieve our objectives.’’
Wecyclers provides convenient recycling services in densely populated urban neighborhoods, with services that include the collection of waste products, such as, Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) cans, bottles and other small formats from different locations across Lagos, thereby reducing the chances of them ending up as waste in the open environment.
Guinness Nigeria Plc plans to run this pilot successfully in Lagos and then extend the initiative to other states in Nigeria within the next two years.
The Southern African Governors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) have called on the bank to lead the way to faster-paced development of the African Continent.
The AfDB Southern Africa Governors in a group photo with the bank’s President, Akinwumi Adesina
The AfDB, in a statement on Tuesday, April 11, 2018, said the governors as well as Finance Ministers from Angola, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, and Namibia shared their thoughts at a regional consultation with AfDB in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The ministers of Finance and Planning from São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe were also present at the meeting.
According to the statement, the governors expressed concern about the Southern African region’s low growth performance in 2017 and the fact that nine out of 10 developing countries would be in Africa by 2030.
They identified the bank as Africa’s trusted partner to lead the way to reverse the situation.
The Minister of Finance and Budget of Madagascar, Mrs Vonintsalama Andriambololona, said many challenges faced by Africa required that the continent sit up in order to develop and to grow.
She commended the bank’s leadership in reducing time lags between project conception and first disbursements, which she noted was faster with the AfDB than with any other multilateral development institution.
“We are grateful to the African Development Bank for anticipating Africa’s funding needs and addressing them now. Africa needs more resources to grow.
“As such, we are favourable to a capital increase for the Bank to help address Africa’s funding needs,” she said.
Meanwhile, the AfDB president, Mr Akinwumi Adesina, said in 2017, the bank accelerated the scale and delivery of its lending and achieved the highest disbursement ever in its history with over $7.2 billion.
“The challenges ahead of Africa are immense, and the need for faster growth is even more urgent than ever before. Therefore, we cannot rest on our oars,” he said.
Adesina called for collective action to scale-up implementation of Africa’s development, noting that a faster-paced development was what the continent needed.
“We have just 12 years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This is not a clock ticking, It is an alarm bell for the world and the bell is ringing louder and louder.
“The Sustainable Development Goals will not be achieved by a ‘business as usual’ attitude and they will not be realised globally unless Africa achieves them completely and comprehensively,” he said.
Adesina said all the countries of the Southern region had a great opportunity to accelerate inclusive growth in the next few years and that the AfDB would be with them on this journey.
According to AfDB data, the bank’s operations are transforming the lives of millions of Africans.
According to figures for 2010-2017, 18 million Africans benefitted from new electricity connections and 57 million Africans benefitted from improvements in agriculture.
In the same period, 420,000 small businesses were provided with financial services, while 83 million Africans benefitted from improved access to transport and 49 million Africans benefitted from better access to water and sanitation.
The National Population Commission (NPC) has put Nigeria’s current population at 198 million people with urban population growing at an average annual growth rate of about 6.5 per cent
Chairman of NPC, Mr Eze Duruiheoma, stated this in New York while delivering Nigeria’s statement on Sustainable Cities, Human Mobility and International Migration at the 51st Session of Commission on Population and Development.
Chairman of NPC, Eze Duruiheoma
Duruiheoma said: “Nigeria remains the most populous in Africa, the seventh globally with an estimated population of over 198 million.
“The recent World Population Prospects predicts that by 2050, Nigeria will become the third most populated country in the world.
“Over the last 50 years, the Nigeria’s urban population has grown at an average annual growth rate of more than 6.5 per cent without commensurate increase in social amenities and infrastructure.
“It grew substantially from 17.3 in 1967 to 49.4 per cent in 2017. In addition, the 2014 World Urbanisation Prospects report, predicts that by 2050, most of the population – 70 per cent – will be residing in cities.
“The 2010 human mobility Survey report revealed that 23 per cent of the sampled population were of more females than males”.
He said the category of population mostly engaged in urbanisation and migration were young people of teenage and adolescents’ girls and boys, women of child bearing age and the working age population.
He said existing urbanisation trend coupled with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in cities, pose critical challenges to securing sustainability of our cities, including efforts to make them smart and responsive to human influx.
“The Displacement Tracking Matrix round XXI of January 2018 identified estimated 1.7 million IDPs in over 321,580 households across six states of North-East Nigeria with 40 per cent residing in camp-like settings in urban areas plus 1.4 million returnees.
“The number of IDPs represented 4.5 per cent increase compared to the 1,702,680 identified in Round XX (Dec. 2017).”
Duruiheoma said that, like in other developing countries, Nigerian cities hosted wide spread poverty, under-employment and unemployment at an average of 18.4 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics 2017 report.
The NPC boss bemoaned the insecurity and inadequate and inequitable health care services for adolescents and women of child bearing age.
“Nigeria continues to commit to solving the challenges of insurgents in the Northeast, which has induced a high number of internally displaced persons.
“We acknowledge that women, children and particularly the girl child are often the most vulnerable in these displacements, and in this regard, we remain focused on the wellbeing of these vulnerable parts of our population.
“We are committed to providing adequate health care services, reducing maternal mortality, rebuilding safe schools and empowering our women, ensuring no one is left behind in terms of achieving sustainable development.”
Duruiheoma said these challenges adversely impacted on the quality of life and standards of living of the urban populace.
According to him, Nigeria stays committed to the twin goals of the Habitat Agenda – adequate shelter for all and the development of sustainable human settlements in an urbanising world.
English broadcaster and naturalist, Sir David Attenborough, on Thursday, April 12, 2018 in Cambridge, UK, joins the head of the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Dr Cristiana Paşca Palmer, and a panel from government, business and civil society to discuss how to mobilise global action to tackle what is said to be the greatest threat to humanity: the biodiversity crisis.
Sir David Attenborough
The Public lecture and panel discussion is themed: “Setting a new post-2020 biodiversity agenda – the communications challenge”.
Dr Palmer said: “By 2020, the end of the current UN Decade on Biodiversity, the world’s biodiversity is set to have declined by two-thirds. This unprecedented rate of destruction jeopardises not only the amazing variety of life on Earth, but the prospects for human development and well-being. We need a paradigm shift in the way that humans interact with nature; we need transformative change and a systemic approach to address the root causes of biological destruction.”
In 2020, the world’s governments will meet in Beijing, China, to agree a new framework for global action to tackle the biodiversity crisis over the next decade. It is critical that a strong, evidence-based biodiversity conservation strategy be agreed, linked to the climate and development agendas, and that momentum is built within the public and private sectors to inspire a movement for action and galvanise political urgency to deliver ambitious commitments post-2020.
Millions of viewers around the world watched the BBC’s landmark series Blue Planet II in 2017, which took an unflinching look at the impact of human activity on marine life and saw Sir David delivering a powerful rallying call to do more to protect the environment. “The future of all life now depends on us,” the BBC naturalist said in his closing speech of the final episode.
Sir David will now return to the building that bears his name and which he proudly opened two years ago to address a booked-out audience. Leaning on his nearly 70 years’ experience of communicating the wonder of nature, he and the panel will consider how to galvanise governments, business, media and the general public to transform the complex messages surrounding biodiversity into understandable, effective and inspiring ones.
