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Group knocks Tillerson’s confirmation as US Secretary of State

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Group knocks Tillerson’s confirmation as US Secretary of State

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday, January 1 2017 voted to confirm Rex Tillerson as the next Secretary of State.

Rex Tillerson
Rex Tillerson. Photo credit: AP /Evan Vucci, File

The former chairman and chief executive of ExxonMobil faced a tough series of confirmation hearings and votes before being approved for the position. The 56-43 vote across party lines makes it arguably the most contentious secretary of state confirmation in recent memory.

Apart from Tillerson’s links to the Russian government, in the wake of a Russian intervention in the U.S. presidential election (a development that threatened his candidacy), there are also indications that the new American foreign affairs boss is be environment unfriendly.

In a response, Bill McKibben, the 350.org co-founder, said: “For years, much of America’s foreign policy was formulated to benefit the oil industry. Now it’s being formulated by the oil industry. There’s no disguising the influence any more, which should make it easier to understand and to resist.”

Executive Director of 350.org, May Boeve, submitted: “A vote for Rex Tillerson is a vote for climate disaster. Negotiating oil deals with human-rights abusing heads of state does not qualify you to lead international diplomacy. The fight against Tillerson’s nomination revealed just how much fossil fuel industry money has corrupted Congress. In the face of this corruption, we all must come together to fight for the renewable energy revolution and an economy that works for all of us.”

In a statement, 350.org disclosed: “Rex Tillerson’s nomination was one of the most controversial and highly opposed in US history. Following Monday’s cloture vote, Democrats took to the Senate floor for 30 hours of debate, expressing intense concerns around Tillerson’s role in ExxonMobil’s climate cover-up, his refusal to take a position on the unconstitutional Muslim Ban, and his close ties to countries such as Russia and Saudi Arabia with recognised human rights abusers in power.Former vice presidential candidate, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), used his time on the floor to shine a spotlight on Rex Tillerson’s role in ExxonMobil’s decades-long and ongoing campaign to deceive the public about climate change and block action at every level. At Tillerson’s Committee hearing on January 11, the oil mogul danced around Sen. Kaine’s questions on all that Exxon knew about climate change.

“Recent reports on ExxonMobil’s financials, where Tillerson spent his entire career, illustrate that Tillerson left ExxonMobil in far worse condition than when he took over. The corporation is said to be currently under investigation by the attorney generals of Massachusetts and New York, as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In the less than two weeks of this new presidency, there has been an unprecedented outpouring of global resistance to Trump’s corrupt regime: from millions participating in Women’s Marches around the world, to tens of thousands at airports protesting Trump’s Muslim Ban.

“Groups will continue to demonstrate creative and cunning tactics in holding Rex Tillerson accountable in anticipation of foreign policy that prioritises Big Oil at the expense of people and planet. Throughout the first 100 days of the Trump presidency, the People’s Climate Movement is organising actions across the country that will culminate with a People’s Climate Mobilisation on April 29 in Washington, DC.”

World Wetlands Day: How wetlands minimise damage from disasters

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World Wetlands Day: How wetlands minimise damage from disasters

As the world celebrates the 2017 World Wetlands Day on Thursday, February 2 2017, the focus this time around is on the role played by wetlands in reducing the impact of natural disasters.

hurricane-sandy
Wetlands helped avoid more than $625 million in damages from Hurricane Sandy in 2012

Defined as land areas that are flooded with water, either seasonally or permanently, wetlands are said to be a natural buffer against disasters.

Along the coastline, wetlands act as a natural protective buffer. For example, they helped avoid more than $625 million in damages from Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Inland, wetlands act as a natural sponge, absorbing and storing excess rainfall and reducing flooding. During the dry season, they release the stored water, delaying the onset of droughts and reducing water shortages.

When well managed, wetlands can make communities resilient enough to prepare for, cope with and bounce back from disasters even stronger than before.

 

Preparing/Preventing

To minimise impact ahead of time, flood- and storm-prone areas can be designated as protected wetlands to strengthen nature’s own buffer. The Biosphere Reserve of the

Saloum Delta in Senegal, for example, is an area of estuaries, lakes and marshes. It controls flooding and makes sure that humans, animals and plants have access to fresh water over the entire year. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it was gathered, is working with local communities in Senegal to restore degraded wetlands and to encourage sustainable agriculture, tourism and fishing practices.

 

Coping

When an extreme event hits, healthy wetlands can absorb some of the shock, cushioning the damage in local communities. In Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka where offshore coral reefs are protected through a marine park, the damage from the 2004 tsunami extended just 50m inland. In nearby Peraliya, where coral mining had degraded the reefs, the damage extended 1.5 km inland.

 

Bouncing Back

Wetlands can also speed up the recovery and help to “build back better” after a disaster, acting as natural water filters and nutrient restorers. After a 1999 cyclone that hit Odisha in eastern India, rice paddies that were protected by mangroves recovered their food production much more quickly than croplands without the buffer.

Maintaining healthy wetlands and restoring degraded ones means that a community can deal with a disaster even better next time.

World Bank completes Benue infrastructure projects

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World Bank completes Benue infrastructure projects

Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Terkimbi Ikyange (Ushongo/APC), has acknowledged the contributions of Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) to the development of rural communities in the state.

CSDP
Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Terkimbi Ikyange. He has lauded the contributions of the CSDP to rural development

Making this acknowledgement against the backdrop of the completion and inauguration of seven World Bank assisted projects spread across seven council wards in Ushongo Local Government Area on Wednesday, February 1 2017, he noted that the activities of CSDP has alleviated the hardship hitherto faced by several communities in different parts of the state, including his constituency.

According to a release signed by Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Bem Abunde, and made available to EnviroNews, the Speaker expressed appreciation to World Bank, General Manager CSDP, Thaddeus Mande, and the entire staff of the agency for finding his constituency worthy of constructing schools, bridges, clinics and staff quarters in Ikov, Atirkyese, Mbakuha, Mbaawe, Mbaaka, Mbagba and Mbayegh Council Wards.

He appealed to the beneficiaries of CSDP Projects to take ownership of the various projects located in their communities by protecting and making the best use of them, especially now that the economy of the state was feeling the pulse of economic recession.

Ikyange pledged on behalf of the Benue State House of Assembly to partner CSDP and other relevant agencies of government to ensure rapid transformation of rural communities in line with the philosophy of the 2017 Budget of the State.

By Damian Daga

Price hike: Benue legislators upbraid Dangote Cement official

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Price hike: Benue legislators upbraid Dangote Cement official

The Benue State House of Assembly has accused Dangote Cement Company for treating the House and the Benue people with levity, contempt and ridicule.

Dangote-Cement
A Dangote Cement Company plant

This followed the non-appearance of the Plant Director, Dangote Cement, Gboko Plant, Jacinto Miranda, on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 during plenary, albeit for the second time after on invitation by the House to appear before it to explain the recent hike in cement price in the state.

The Plant Director, who earlier failed to appear before the House on Thursday, January 26 2017, was represented at Wednesday’s appearance by Regional Sales Director, Dangote Cement, Tunde Mabogunje, and other management staff of the company who were however refused interaction with the House.

However, frowning at the second non-appearance of Mr Miranda, Paul Biam (Ukum/PDP), who moved a motion for him to appear before the House in person on Tuesday, February 7 2017 or face the wrath of the House (which could invoke constitutional provisions against Miranda), added that he (Miranda) had undermined the House and indeed the people of Benue State.

According to Biam, it is unimaginable that the state is blessed with limestone but purchase cement at a higher cost than other places such as Abuja and Kaduna where a bag goes for N2,300 or less. In Benue State, a bag of cement sells for N2,800.

Biam described the attention given Gboko Plant of Dangote Cement Company and customers as appalling and totally at variance with what obtains at its Obajana Plant in Kogi State.

Seconding the motion, Adam Okloho (Adoka-Ogboju/APC) who noted that the motion is apt, definite and clear, stated that the Plant Director has taken the House for granted by his failure to appear before it with no concrete reasons to back up his action.

Earlier, Majority Leader, Benjamin Adanyi (Makurdi-South/APC) stressed that the House “specifically requested for the Plant Director but if he feels he has other priorities more than the Assembly”, such conduct could make them conclude that he is treating the House with contempt and ridicule.

“We are going to ask questions beyond pricing; therefore, we would rather interact with the Plant Manager and not the Regional Sales Director,” he stated.

Ruling, the Speaker, Terkimbi Ikyange (Ushongo/APC), who said they cannot have a substitute for the Plant Director who the House invited, noted that the Dangote Cement Company seems to be treating the State Assembly with levity.

He reiterated that if the Plant Director of the Gboko Plant fails to appear before the House again, the legislators will invoke the Constitution to address his actions.

By Damian Daga

Paris Agreement: Deutsche Bank pulls out of coal projects

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Paris Agreement: Deutsche Bank pulls out of coal projects

Deutsche Bank, the biggest bank in Germany, has said it will stop financing coal projects as part of its commitments under the Paris agreement to tackle global warming.

coal-plant
A power plant fired by coal

“Deutsche Bank and its subsidiaries will not grant new financing for greenfield thermal coal mining and new coal-fired power plant construction,” it said in a statement.

Existing exposure to such projects will be gradually reduced, it added.

The lender said the decision was in line with the pledges it made at the Paris climate conference, along with 400 other public and private companies, to help fight global warming.

The bank pulled out of a deal to finance the controversial expansion of a coal port in Australia in 2014 because it said there was no consensus about how it would impact the Great Barrier Reef.

Green groups claimed then that Deutsche Bank had bowed to public pressure after 180,000 Germans signed a petition urging the bank not to fund the expansion at Abbot Point in Queensland.

A study last month by the legal group Arabella Advisors found that global funds were increasingly signalling plans to pull out of fossil fuel investments, one year on from the Paris climate agreement.

The accord, signed by 192 countries, is the world’s first universal, legally binding climate deal.

It sets out a plan to limit global warming to below 2C (3.6F) over pre-industrial levels.

The new US president, Donald Trump, has vowed to withdraw his country, the world’s second-largest greenhouse-gas polluter after China, from the agreement.

A report released in December 2016 said the total value of fossil fuel divestments had doubled to $5 trillion.

World Wetlands Day: Five wetlands that mitigate extreme weather

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World Wetlands Day: Five wetlands that mitigate extreme weather

Mangroves

Mangroves
Mangroves

Mangroves are salt-water tolerant shrubs and trees that grow in shallow, tropical coastal waters. Their roots bind the shoreline and each kilometre of mangrove forest can reduce a storm surge by 50cm, blunting the impact of cyclones/hurricanes and tsunamis. Every hectare of mangrove and coastal marsh is worth up to $15,161 a year in disaster-related services. Mangroves also store carbon dioxide, helping to fight climate change.

 

Coral Reefs

Coral Reefs
Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are solid structures found in shallow, tropical waters and are built by living colonies of tiny coral polyps. Home to a quarter of all marine species, and providers of eco-tourism livelihoods, coral reefs also act as offshore wave barriers.

This protection from extreme events is worth up to $33,556 per hectare every year. It’s also estimated that spending $1 million a year on restoring reefs at the Folkestone Marine Park on the west coast of Barbados could lower annual storm losses there by $20 million.

 

Rivers and Flood Plains

River
The River Caldew flowing into Carlisle

Over time, rivers and streams meander to create wide, silted floodplains. If these are left intact – with their related inland lakes and swamps – they can act as a giant reservoir. During sudden floods, they can spread and store flood water over a wide area, reducing damage downstream.

 

 

 

 

Inland Deltas

When rivers flow into a wide, flat inland lake without draining into the ocean, an inland delta is formed. In extremely arid areas, these seasonal flows are a strong natural safeguard against drought. The Okavango Delta in Botswana is perhaps the most famous, flooding an area the size of Belgium, providing a home for 200,000 large mammals and 400 bird species during that region’s parched winter season.

 

Peatlands

Peatlands are water-saturated lands containing decomposed plant material up to 30 meters deep that has accumulated over time. They cover 3% of the earth’s land surface. Key fact: peatlands store more than twice as much carbon as all of the world’s forests combined, so they play an important role in mitigating some effects of climate change.

World Wetlands Day: How wetlands reduce disaster impact

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World Wetlands Day: How wetlands reduce disaster impact

With the theme: “Wetlands for Disaster Risk Management”, mankind will on Thursday, 02 January celebrate the 2017 edition of the World Wetlands Day.

Nguru-Hadejia-Wetlands
The Nguru-Hadejia Wetlands in Yobe State, northern Nigeria

The world will attempt to raise awareness around the theme, in the light of the fact that the frequency of disasters worldwide has more than doubled in just 35 years – driven by climate and weather related hazards like flooding, cyclones, and droughts.

The idea is that, to reduce the impact of flooding for example, wetlands can be managed to act as a natural sponge, absorbing and storing excess rainfall.

“During periods of low rainfall, the stored water helps maintain ground water levels delaying the onset of drought. Similarly, coastal wetlands act as a natural protective buffer while mangroves bind the shoreline and help reduce storm surge,” said a source.

Observed on 2 February each year, the World Wetlands Day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. It is an international date with a different theme and message on a relevant subject set each year by the Ramsar Secretariat.

Countries all over the world have earmarked prorammes and events to celebrate the special day and spread the massage that wetlands are a natural safeguard against disasters, help mankind cope with extreme weather events, and do sustain lives.

In Nigeria for example, the Federal Ministry of Environment has lined up a series of events in thatregards. Some of these include:

  • Make a call to state governments to submit proposals on prospective sites that meet Ramsar Criteria for inclusion as Ramsar sites of International Importance.
  • Visit to Nguru-Hadejia Wetlands in Yobe State, where efforts are ongoing to resuscitate/revamp the ecosystem services of the Ramsar site, provide management plan and bring it to integrated management.
  • Identification of Wetland Ambassador in Nguru-Hadejia Wetlands.
  • Upload on ministry and Ramsar Convention dedicated websites.
  • Spread awareness via banners and stickers; promotion on Ministry and departments’ websites, on social media platforms, in newsletters as well as bulletin boards.

States urged to emulate Akwa Ibom State’s climate initiatives

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States urged to emulate Akwa Ibom State’s climate initiatives

State governments have been urged to emulate the Akwa Ibom State Government’s efforts towards addressing climate change.

Akwa Ibom
Prof. Olukayode Oladipo. He wants states to emulate the Akwa Ibom State Government Roadmap on Climate Change

Climate expert and negotiator, Prof. Olukayode Oladipo, who made the submission recently in Uyo, the state capital, stated that the state’s Roadmap on Climate Change has received national and international commendation.

Prof. Oladipo pointed out during a Post-COP22 Stakeholders’ Engagement Forum with the theme: “Marrakech climate change conference: Outcome and opportunities for Akwa Ibom State” that the Akwa Ibom State Roadmap has been recommended at the national level as a guide to other states and called for proper translation into local languages for greater awareness.

He added that the Roadmap, which was unveiled at a side-event during the UN Climate Change Conference last November in Marrakech (COP22), gives Akwa Ibom State an opportunity to key into the Green Climate Fund and other climate change finance windows.

Environment Commissioner, Dr. Iniobong Essien, gave an insight into the Roadmap, which he said entails strategies, mechanisms, and projects to be implemented to foster low-carbon and high-growth economic development, while building a climate-resilient society in the state. He added that the forum was informed by the need to update stakeholders on the outcome of COP22.

Akwa Ibom
Participants at the event

Executive Director, Water Safety Initiative Foundation, Unyime Robinson, stated that, based on the state’s participation in the Marrakech conference, it was imperative to translate the outcome and its benefits to the people of Akwa Ibom State.

Participants at the event commended the Ministry of Environment as well as the Water Safety Initiative Foundation for organising the forum, and called for the enactment of the environmental laws, creation of awareness to educate the citizenry, and massive planting of trees to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Attended by over 150 participants including the Secretary to the State Government, Sir Etekamba Umoren, as well as representatives of the Vice Chancellors of the University of Uyo and Akwa Ibom State University, the event featured a documentary on climate change impacts in the state, and presentations on the outcome of COP22 and opportunities for Akwa Ibom State.

Also in attendance were representatives from the Office of the Governor; Deputy Governor; House Committee on Environment; Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs); civil society; and academia.

ADB bankrolls Indonesian geothermal energy with $109m

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ADB bankrolls Indonesian geothermal energy with $109m

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday, 26 January 2017 in Manila, The Philipines, signed a new $109 million financing package for the Muara Laboh geothermal power generation project in western Indonesia. The financing, which was approved in December 2016, is part of ADB’s efforts to scale up private sector-led infrastructure development in Asia and the Pacific and boost support for clean energy.

Muara Laboh
A rig is deployed at Muara Laboh geothermal project. Photo credit: Supreme Energy

The project will be one of the first transactions to receive funding from ADB’s newly established Leading Asia’s Private Infrastructure Fund (LEAP). The Fund is capitalised by $1.5 billion in equity from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and is managed by ADB’s Private Sector Operations Department. With the Muara Laboh approval and other recent LEAP financings, over $200 million of LEAP funds have been allocated.

“This project demonstrates Indonesia’s commitment to meet increasing demand for electricity and support the development of renewable energy,” said Yuichiro Yoi, Senior Investment Specialist in ADB’s Private Sector Operations Department. “This transaction proves that the private sector will play a critical role in helping the country achieve both of these targets.”

On completion, the Muara Laboh geothermal facilities, located in West Sumatra, will generate 80 megawatts of electricity. Indonesia contains about 40% of the world’s geothermal reserves, making it an important resource for the country to achieve its commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 29% by 2030.

The assistance is funded by a $70 million loan from ADB’s own capital and a $19 million participation from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), which provides middle-income countries with concessional resources for the demonstration, deployment and transfer of low-carbon technologies. ADB administers over $1.1 billion of CTF, one of the four programmes comprising the Climate Investment Funds.

The project brings together an important set of geothermal project developers and financiers. The project company, PT Supreme Energy Muara Laboh, is a joint venture consisting of the Indonesian geothermal power developer, PT Supreme Energy; the Japanese trading and investment company, Sumitomo Corporation; and global energy leader ENGIE. In addition to ADB, financing is being provided by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and a set of commercial banks under a guarantee from Nippon Export and Investment Insurance.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, ADB is celebrating 50 years of development partnership in the region. It is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region.

Benue, group express concern for orphans, vulnerable children

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Benue, group express concern for orphans, vulnerable children

The Benue State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Mwuese Mnyim, has assured of government’s commitment to partner the Association for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Nigeria in the provision of data on OVC (orphans and vulnerable children) in order to make it easier for the authorities to make budgetary heads to cater for them.

Mwuese Mnyim
Benue State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Mwuese Mnyim. Her ministry is partnering with the Association for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Nigeria in the provision of data on OVC

The Commissioner, who made this commitment on Monday, 30 January 2017 in her office in Makurdi, the state capital, when the Benue State chapter of the Association paid her an advocacy visit, stated that, for government to roll out policies that are relevant and do not have disconnect with reality, they need data on OVCs which they do not have at the moment, and which is creating a big gap.

Mrs Mnyim maintained that the issue of OVC is at the core of the ministry and forms a core of the Governor Samuel Ortom administration, hence they cannot but fall in line in his vision for OVCs.

“Every child must be given the chance to fulfil his or her potential and contribute to the development of the state and country so be assured that when we join hands together, we will see the vision for OVCs through to fruition,” she promised the Association.

Earlier, the Coordinator of the Association, Mrs Rosemary Hua, had sued for government partnership to save vulnerable children from dying.

She stated that, over the years, there have been pockets of weak and uncoordinated interventions on orphans and vulnerable children in Nigeria by the government, civil society and international development partners.

“There has also been inadequate documentation while the standard of service delivery has been varied without attention to qualify. The CSO coordination has actually been very poor in this area, especially in Benue State,” she said.

According to her, the Association which was formed in 2007 but went moribund due to logistics factors was rejuvenated in 2016 to contribute towards the reduction of the impact of vulnerability which affects the wellbeing of children between ages 0-18 years in the country.

To this end, she submitted that, with government partnership, they can work closely with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in supporting OVC work in the state through coordinated and coherent input into the national, state and local government’s response.

Also speaking, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mr Musa Abraham, stated that the issue of OVCs is dear to the heart of the government, adding that he appreciates the Association’s desire to see that orphans are catered for, a gesture he describes as a worthy service to humanity.

By Damian Daga, Makurdi

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