Landmark regional scientific reports were issued on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Colombia on the status of biodiversity in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Africa as well as Europe and Central Asia. They show that pressures on biodiversity and resulting loss of biodiversity continue to increase in all of the regions. If unchecked, such loss will affect the ability of nature to support people and planet.
Cristiana Paşca Palmer, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
The regional assessments by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) show that the main pressures on biodiversity continue to be habitat change, climate change, invasive alien species, pollution and unsustainable use. However the relative importance of each of these pressures varies between the regions. These declines are of concern also because of the essential role biodiversity plays in providing for people, including, food, fuel and adaptation to the impacts of climate change.
In all of the regions it is noted that actions have been taken to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity. However, it is also noted that these actions have, for the most part, been insufficient. It is further observed that while various plans and strategies have been developed for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity these have not generally been translated into actions.
These reports confirm the conclusions of work done under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and suggest directions for additional urgent actions to achieve global biodiversity targets.
The science reports were approved by IPBES in Medellín, Colombia, at the 6th session of its Plenary on Thursday, March 22 and released on Friday. Written by more than 550 leading experts from over 100 countries, they are the result of three years of work, and include inputs from experts at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The four regional assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services cover the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Africa, as well as Europe and Central Asia.
Dr. Cristiana Paşca Palmer, CBD Executive Secretary, said: “These assessments are sobering. They show that the pressures on biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services from human activities, including climate change, are increasing. They show that the status of biodiversity is decreasing. They show that while the world is taking actions, more needs to be done to halt the loss of biodiversity.
“These regional assessment reports help us understand variations across the regions of the world. However, if the current trends on biodiversity loss and ecosystems destruction are not reversed, the prospects for life on our planet become quite grim. At the current rate of destruction not only will it be difficult to safeguard life on Earth, but will jeopardise the prospects for human development and well-being. We need a paradigm shift in the way humans interact with nature; we need transformative change and a systemic approach to address the root causes of biological destruction.
“The IPBES regional reports come at a critical time. The 196 countries of the world that are Parties to the UN Biodiversity Convention, are committed to the objectives of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity Conservation 2011-2020 and have signed-up for the implementation of 20 global biodiversity targets (the Aichi Biodiversity Targets). With only approximately 1,000 days to meet their obligations, there is still time and opportunity for bold actions. We encourage all Parties to accelerate their efforts towards 2020. It is in the self-interest of all nations but also in the global interest to act to save biodiversity, the bedrock for our food, water, clean air and good health.”
The key messages from the regional and subregional assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services for Africa, the Americas, and Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia are consistent with the information coming from the Convention on Biological Diversity. This includes the conclusion from the fourth edition of the “Global Biodiversity Outlook”, recent deliberations under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the updated assessment of progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
The regional summaries also highlight the need to better internalise global commitments, in particular, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, into national actions and to integrate biodiversity across sectors.
The reports show that there are several pathways for governments to achieve the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity while meeting other societal objectives relating to combatting climate change, and achieving food and water security. But to achieve these different policy mixes, actions and measures need to be tailored to national circumstances and priorities.
The regional assessments and the upcoming global assessment on biodiversity, due for release in 2019, are a key element of the global scientific review of the progress made in the implementation of the global targets and the objectives of the current strategic plan for biodiversity 2011-2020. Its conclusions will directly feed into the preparation of “Global Biodiversity Outlook 5”, to be released in 2020.
An Environmental Utility Company, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions (VSS), has cleaned up over 2,000 black spots, otherwise known as illegal dump sites in Lagos State.
Officials of the Cleaner Lagos initiative (CLI) evacuating illegal dumpsites across the state on Friday, January 19, 2018
The Director of Operations, VSS, Mr Kiran Reddy, made this known during an interactive session with newsmenin Lagos on Friday, March 23, 2018.
Reddy said the black spots intervention started in July 2017 and the company had gradually moved to door-to-door collection of waste.
According to him, Visionscape identified 5,000 black spots and these black spots weigh ranging from five tonnes to 150 tonnes.
”We cleared up approximately 2,000 black spots by ourselves. Enormous work has been done, not just with the Visionscape fleet vehicles but we have rented 50 trucks to clean up the spots.
”There are many illegal dumpsites in Lagos. The remaining 3,000 black spots we identified are currently being worked on.
”Apart from the challenges of clearing the illegal dumpsites, there are a lot of encouragements from the people of Lagos state.
”They are so happy that we are cleaning these black spots and they have written appreciation letters on our operations.”
The director urged residents not to burn their waste, but to bag them for proper disposal.
The Chief Operations Officer, VSS, Mr Thomas Forgacs, said the plan of the environmental utility firm was to collect waste from residential areas, down to the streets
Forgacs said the strategy put in place was to first clear the illegal dumpsites, then move to the residential areas.
He said the company had already deployed 15,000 bins, comprising of 10,000 bins of 240 litres and 5,000 bins of 1.1 cubic litres.
According to him, the second and third batches of bins will arrive before the end of April.
”We are waiting for 20,000 galvanised bins of 1,100 litres. We have distributed four million plastic bags and will be distributing 10 million plastic bags,” he said.
Forgacs said that Visionscape already had 131 vehicles deployed for waste management in Lagos State.
The global celebration of forests provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of all types of woodlands and trees, and celebrate the ways in which they sustain and protect us.
There is an under-appreciation of forests by governments at all levels in Nigeria . Photo credit: UNDP Cambodia/Chansok Lay/Oddar Meanchey
In Nigeria, less than 5% of the total land area is afforested, yet, even the sparse forest remainders are under threat with land use pressures (agriculture, infrastructure, housing and resources-harvesting) a critical driver of deforestation.
Unfortunately, there is an under-appreciation of forests by governments at all levels in Nigeria not just for their important ecosystem functions but even for human survival and sustainability as carbon sinks and oxygen pool, together with the numerous other benefits they offer.
Key Messages for the society:
Forests and trees store carbon, which helps mitigate the impacts of climate change in and around urban areas.
Trees also improve the local climate, helping to save energy used for heating by 20-50%.
Strategic placement of trees in urban areas can cool the air by up to 8 degrees Celsius, reducing air conditioning needs by 30%.
Urban trees are excellent air filters, removing harmful pollutants in the air and fine particulates.
Trees reduce noise pollution, as they shield homes from nearby roads and industrial areas.
Local populations use the fruits, nuts, leaves and insects found in urban trees to produce food and medicines for use in the home, or as a source of income.
Wood fuel sourced from urban trees and planted forests on the outskirts of cities provides renewable energy for cooking and heating, which reduces pressures on natural forests and our reliance on fossil fuels.
Forests in and around urban areas help to filter and regulate water, contributing to high-quality freshwater supplies for hundreds of millions of people. Forests also protect watersheds and prevent flooding as they store water in their branches and soil.
Well-managed forests and trees in and around cities provide habitats, food and protection for many plants and animals, helping to maintain and increase biodiversity.
Forests in cities and surrounding areas generate tourism, create tens of thousands of jobs and encourage city beautification schemes, building dynamic, energetic and prosperous green economies.
Urban green spaces, including forests, encourage active and healthy lifestyles, improve mental health, prevent disease, and provide a place for people to socialise.
Governments at all level therefore, must ensure that urban planning incorporates green and woodland spaces at all stages of development. While developing a comprehensive reforestation strategy, we must however develop a national database of tree species indigenous to Nigeria, understand the status and plan a wholesome intervention.
By Dr Joseph Onoja (Acting Director General, Nigerian Conservation Foundation)
“If a law is unjust, the [citizenry] is not only right to disobey it, they are obligated to do so.” (Thomas Jefferson, US 3rd President 1801-1809).
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State
Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States was a savant, political thinker, and a prolific writer on the subject of democracy. He was the proponent of many democratic ideas which endure in the practice of democracy in the United States over two hundred years ago till date. He, it was that was credited with the concept called “consent of the governed.” In his analytical mind, Jefferson strongly believed that the existence of any government is dependent on the wish of the people. That is, if the people want the government to exist, it would. It is people that would create their own government and collectively concord or consent to follow laws their government makes.
However, Jefferson cautioned that government must not abuse the authority given it to intimidate or oppress the governed. Therefore, he argued that if the government makes laws that are fair and protective of the citizenry, the people would easily obey the law. Conversely, the people are at liberty to petition the government to change laws or acts they considered unfair or unjust. His brilliant idea was incorporated into the American Constitution including other fundamental human rights and freedom granted to all American citizens under the First Amendment of the supreme statute book, which guarantees the rights of the people to freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and to petition the government. Wherever democracy is practiced in other countries of the world, Jefferson’s idea has become a lodestar.
The above narrative is the genesis of the opening quote.
From this point, I will expatiate more on the title of the article. Readers should be informed from the onset that the write-up is not to pillory the Governor Ambode-led administration in Lagos State concerning the controversial Land Use Charge Law 2018, which the governor signed into law on February 8, 2018. Unfortunately, the governor, given the benefit of doubt, might be oblivious to the consequences and the hubbub the legislation would instantly generate among the stakeholders who frowned at some provisions of the new law. Many of the vexing issues raised by the antagonists of the law had been brought to the attention of the LASG for further review and from recent newspapers report, the Lagos State House of Assembly has constituted an ad-hoc Committee to jump-start the review process. The public is waiting and watching.
What we want to argue here is that the LASG is inadvertently making other mistakes of governance using wrongful approach, even when it says the umpteen time of being an inclusive and pro-people government, but in tokenism. We shall prove the case as this piece progresses.
Secondly, the government’s misconception about urban administration, planning, and management of a complex megacity such as Lagos, further contributes to the unpardonable mistakes being committed repeatedly by the LASG albeit, it has good intentions. Until there is a re-think of approach and paradigm shift to urban administration in Lagos State, the government’s ad-hoc responses to the multi-dimensional problems plaguing the megacity might not be the panacea.
Clarification of Lagos megacity status
First and foremost, the government and the citizenry perception of Lagos megacity status lacks clarity in the mindset of the government and the governed. A city becomes a megacity when it attains a threshold population figure of 10 million and above. It is not a “status symbol” appellation for a city that has arrived in the true sense of our local parlance the way Lagos megacity is being portrayed. When one hears the encomium and praise-singing that “ Eko ti di megacity, Eko ti di megacity (Lagos has become a megacity) at every political event and Town Hall meeting held regularly in Lagos State, such vainglory amuses trained mind in the planning profession. The megacity status of Lagos should not be construed as a joyous milestone achievement. The more the population, the mega the management problems such humongous population spike of over 20 million will thrust on the lap of the government. The problems become daunting for a city like Lagos where urban planning policy or practice is a symbolic effort. The tasks ahead call for critical thinking how effectively the LASG would deal with the challenges using the right solutions aimed at improving the resident’s quality of life. Put succinctly, the megacity jargon applicable to Lagos is least praise-worthy. Lagosians and government officials should be less sycophantic about the appellation of a Lagos megacity, but consider it as a clarion call for a proactive policy approach to planning the future of the giant city.
Let us examine the backlash arising from a faulty democratic approach to lawmaking.
Land Use Charge Law debacle
Ab initio, the process leading to the passing of the Land Use Charge (LUC) law by the Lagos House of Assembly was very defective, undemocratic and to say the least it lacks inclusive dialogue with the rainbow coalition of relevant stakeholders such as the Organised Private Sector (OPS), Nigerian Employers Consultative Assembly (NECA), Resident Associations across the megacity and ridiculously without any input from professional body such as the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers.
This fact came to the fore during the stormy dialogue Governor Ambode had with the aforementioned entities. The government took a mis-step. What the LASG should have done initially was what the government eventually did belatedly. At the forum, while raising some cogent issues, a couple of speakers did not mince words about their displeasure concerning the absurdities contained in the law. It begs to repeat the Thomas Jefferson’s axiom that “the more a subject (such as the content of a law) is understood, the more briefly it may be explained.” Additionally, what all agree is probably right, but what no two people agree on is most probably wrong.
No responsible citizenry would oppose to paying their taxes, but when people are taken for granted as if their opinion does not matter, the flurry of condemnation and public angst against the LUC law was justified. Once a law is considered unjust, the citizens are at liberty to disobey it. If not, impunity reigns supreme. Dissent is an acceptable complaint if the citizens feel that what the government is doing to them seems practically and morally wrong. Surely, the Lagos State electorate did not vote for elective despotism. The basis of government should be the opinion of the people willy-nilly.
Political rivalry and consequent effects on Lagos megacity management is another identifiable foible of governance in the state.
War of supremacy between the Federal Government and Lagos State
Back in time, the unnecessary political rivalry between the Federal Government and LASG led to a lost opportunity, which could have engendered better management of the Lagos Megacity Region. I crave the indulgence of readers to digress a little purposely to give a narrative of what transpired some years ago during the tenure of former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola (2007-2015). In our clime, most politicians and government officials seem to be short-sighted without due consideration to the adverse effects of their political decision(s) while in office and how posterity would judge them after they vacate the office. More often than not, they leave a myriad of problems for the incoming administration to contend with.
Botched Lagos Megacity Development Authority(LMDA)
During the second tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005 under a People’s Democratic Party-controlled federal government, the idea of the Re-development of the Lagos Megacity Region was agreed upon between the then Governors of Lagos and Ogun States, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and Gbenga Daniel respectively. To that effect, a 21-member Committee was set up in 2005 under the Chairmanship of Professor Akin L. Mabogunje, a world-renowned pundit on development matters, consultant to the World Bank and 2017 Nobel Laureate prize for Geography, the Prim Vautrin-Lud.
The Committee was to identify areas of common concerns within the Lagos Metropolitan area which extends northwards beyond the boundaries of Lagos into some towns(Ado-Odo/Ota, Ifo, Obafemi, Owode, and Sagamu) in Ogun State. Such issues of concern triggered by rapid urbanisation include security, sprawl, land use planning, waste management, transportation, water supply, urban renewal, and provision of infrastructure. The Committee was to proffer solutions to the identified problems, recommend the appropriate institutional and legal framework on how the two states and the Federal Government can collaborate to manage the effects of growth in the Lagos Megacity Region, propose management and organisational framework including funding arrangement.
By the time President Olusegun Obasanjo left office in April 2007, the Federal Government considered and approved the Committee’s recommendation to set up Lagos Megacity Development Authority (LMDA) legalise by an Act of the National Assembly, to manage the entire megacity region under the chairmanship of Professor Mabogunje. In readiness to take off, the office of the LMDA was located at Oyikan Abayomi Drive in Ikoyi area of the megacity. It started skeletal operation when Babatunde Raji Fashola was the Governor of Lagos State. Regrettably, the LMDA was short-lived due to the war of supremacy over which governmental entity Federal Government or Lagos State should head the Authority.
The issue of how to fund the office was also contentious. The LASG vehemently opposed tripartite funding arrangement but preferred a lump sum grant from the Federal Government to single-handedly operate the office. The then Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, a professional urban planner, was the enfant terrible with myopic vision and bias, who adamantly insisted that the Federal Government should hand over the entire LMDA office to the Lagos State government to manage. Strangely enough, he was not overruled by his then principal for trying to scuttle a brilliant idea which the government and people of Lagos State would have been the ultimate beneficiaries in the long term.
In the course of muscle-flexing and political grandstanding between the Federal Government and Lagos State, an Act of the National Assembly to legally formalise LMDA was stalemated. All operations at the Authority were grounded, the professional officers seconded from Lagos and Ogun States were recalled and the office was abruptly closed down. Thus, Lagos State lost the oppourtunity to have a purpose-specific Authority capable of addressing the daunting urban problems plaguing the entire megacity region.
Megacities all over the world, by their sheer physical size, high population, and complex planning challenges, are managed by Metropolitan Council or Metropolitan Authority made of elected officials from most or the entire jurisdiction in a Metropolitan area. Such classic examples are New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Planning Authority, Greater Tokyo Metro Government, Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority, Greater London Planning Authority to mention a few. Similar Authority is being canvassed for Lagos Megacity administration, planning, and management. The office should be autonomous and complemented with very dynamic multi-disciplinary professionals and a generous budget for programme/project implementation.
The Governor’s office should concentrate on governance and policy matters and stop dabbling into project execution. Issues of megacity planning are better left for those with the acumen and competence to do the work. If Governor Ambode administration has any vision for Lagos State, the opinion of experts should be sought, civic engagement must be part of the process of consultation before the vision comes to fruition.
We want to also counsel that, rather than government engaging in grand public pronouncements about how to make Lagos megacity an Eldorado with everything in the superlative degree, the government must pay attention to what the denizens do, what they want or prefer and those things they can easily achieve. Cities are about people and to survive as sustainable settlements, they need to focus on helping residents to achieve material and spiritual rewards. Lagos megacity can thrive better as a “city for all” when it attracts newcomers hoping to find better conditions for themselves and their families and when the megacity provides a better quality of life for those already living there.
Governor Ambode must try to maintain his sobriquet as an AKOREDE (he who brings fortune) and avoid being sucked into the vortex of public controversy due to the passage of a law or policy low on benevolence and high on malevolence.
Almost one million people are calling on governments around the world to protect half the earth to stop the extinction crisis threatening humanity, Avaaz said on Friday, March 23, 2018, as a landmark scientific study warned that biodiversity loss is accelerating at a dangerous rate.
Sir Robert Watson, Chair of IPBES
A devastating new assessment by the Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), shows that all over the world, biodiversity is collapsing, and this crisis now threatens human wellbeing. Four reports were produced by 550 scientists from 100 countries who have taken three years to document the status of biodiversity for Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe and Central Asia. These are the most important biodiversity reports in a decade.
Nearly one million people, from every country on Earth, have joined an Avaaz petition calling on governments to tackle the biodiversity crisis by supporting a plan, championed by prominent biodiversity scientists, to protect half the planet from human exploitation, enabling our Earth’s ecosystem to stabilise, regenerate and recover.
Alice Jay, Campaign Director for Avaaz, said: “Humans have been taking a chainsaw to the tree of life. The extinction crisis has officially joined the climate crisis as a major threat to our future. Top scientists, backed by a million people, are now calling for half the earth to be protected so we can survive, thrive and live in harmony with nature.”
Top scientists and conservationists say that protecting half the Earth is critical to saving 80-90% of all species. Studies show that between 39-44% of the planet is mostly wild. The aim is to protect these areas and restore and protect others. The target is to reach 50% protection of land and sea by 2050, focusing on key ‘biozones’ of high biodiversity value. The protection would include indigenous land, productive buffer zones, corridors, and private conservancies.
Avaaz is campaigning for governments to adopt the ambitious protection target at the Convention of Biological Diversity meeting in Beijing in 2020 – a meeting being billed as the Paris Summit for biodiversity. Opinion polls have shown that most people support the idea of protecting 50% of the planet.
The full Avaaz petition to world leaders reads: “We global citizens are deeply concerned by scientists warning that ecosystems critical to sustaining life on Earth could collapse in our lifetimes. We call on you to meet existing targets to protect biodiversity, forge a new agreement so that at least 50% of our lands and oceans are protected and restored, and ensure our planet is completely sustainably managed. This must take into consideration the needs of human development and have the active support of indigenous peoples. This long-term goal for nature can restore harmony with our home.”
The IPBES reports key findings are:
By 2100, climate change could result in the loss of more than half of African bird and mammal species.
In Asia unless there is action up to 90% of corals will suffer severe degradation by 2050.
Biodiversity continues to decline in every region of the world.
The alarming trend endangers economies, livelihoods, food security and the quality of life of people everywhere.
Unless action is taken to protect biodiversity, commitments made at the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels will not be achieved.
Man-made climate change is a key driver of mass biodiversity loss as well as habitat stress; overexploitation and unsustainable use of natural resources; air, land and water pollution; and increasing numbers and impact of invasive alien species.
Biodiversity issues need to be a much higher priority in policy-making and development planning at every level.
Biodiversity is ‘the heart not only of our survival, but of our cultures, identities and enjoyment of life’.
For Asia and the Pacific, the IPBES experts point to the success of countries that achieved rapid economic growth in gradually restoring and expanding protected areas – especially forests, but they emphasize that this alone will not be sufficient to reduce biodiversity loss caused by the negative impacts of monoculture.
In the EU only 7% of marine species and 9% of marine habitat types show a ‘favourable conservation status’, and 27% of species assessments and 66% of habitat types assessments show an ‘unfavourable conservation status’.
In Asia, marine protected areas in the region increased by almost 14% and terrestrial protected area increased by 0.3%. Forest cover increased by 22.9% in North East Asia.
Indigenous and local knowledge can be an invaluable asset as they have created a diversity of polyculture and agroforestry systems, which have increased biodiversity and shaped landscapes.
The IPBES is an independent intergovernmental scientific body that guides governments on sustainable development and strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Avaaz is a 46-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making.
Delegates attending the African Climate Talks II (ACT!-II) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia want Africa to change how it does business to reap the benefits of the Paris Agreement.
Lumumba Di-Aping
Attending the two-day talks dubbed “Market policy versus market mechanisms in the implementation of the Paris Agreement” that begun on Thursday, March 22, 2018, speakers called for an urgent shift in how the continent will forge ahead to escape the consequences of climate change.
Ambassador Lumumba Di-Aping, Sudanese diplomat and former chair of the G77, called for strengthening of the current regime, noting that the current Paris Agreement is fundamentally flawed and inadequate.
“The agreement will be the main basis for multilateral cooperation during the first period of commitments (2020-2030). The African Continent in this new architecture is tragically weaker than even before,” Di-Aping said.
He urged Africa to reinvent itself consistently through science.“We must think“out of the box” to build the framework for a more effective effort from 2025 onwards – one consistent with Africa’s survival and prosperity,” he said.
Dr James Murombedzi, the Officer in Charge of the Africa Climate Centre Policy (ACPC), noted that the continent needs to invest in strong evidence based African narrative.
“This narrative should have a science, research and policy interface. We also should invest in informed societies that participate in the shaping of policies and strengthen capacities of countries,” Murombedzi said.
Prof ZehurinWoldu, Acting Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, urged participants to devise ways and means of tackling climate change disruptions
“The temperatures are rising and Africa is suffering. Let us unite to save our continent. Let us develop sustainable ways of dealing with climate change,” Woldu said.
Di-Aping noted that Africa must move beyond the old dichotomy of “mitigation and adaptation.”
“We must look at each sector – agriculture, industry etc – and focus on integrating climate considerations into wider industrial and development planning in an integrated way. The climate regime must focus not just on “emissions reductions” but on the real solutions needed to achieve them,” Di-Aping said.
He urged for negotiations which provide a space where those with problems, with solutions and with money, can meet as part of a structured process.
“We need to make the UNFCCC more relevant to the real world. The Africa Renewable Energy Initiative is to be commended as an important step in the energy sector – we need matching initiatives in each other sector,” he said.
He called for technology and infrastructure marshal planwhich can implement solutions in practice to meet Africa’s development goals.
“Let us think about the financial sector and financial instruments and engineering. If we need a major plan to address 1.50C, the question arises how to fund it. Clearly the $10 billion in the GCF will not be enough; and developed countries have no intention of delivering $100 billion in practice,” Di-Aping said.
He called for apermanent negotiating forum supported by government missionsto enable more systematic discussion of solutions and how to implement them in practice.
“Meeting for a few weeks a year is simply not realistic if the objective is to stabilize the Earth’s climate and maintain the conditions needed for the continuation of civilisation,” Di-Aping said.
He called on African leaders to recognize that the continent faces an existential crisis that it cannot alone solve.
“Our survival is at stake. We must convince or find ways to pressure or coerce — other countries into doing their fair share,” he said.
He noted that Africa needsstronger science from an African perspective and Climate Institutions.
“We need an African Climate Science Working Group – an African IPCC led by and for Africans. We do not have an AU Commissioner for Climate Change. It is notable that there is no permanent secretariat supporting the African Group, and that we shamefully remain reliant on foreign donors for much of the support to our technical experts,” Di-Aping said.
He also urged Africa to find ways to exert greater pressure on all countries to achieve 1.50C and 20C goals.
“Our trade policies and foreign direct investments (FDI) cost structuresreflect the need for financing mitigation and adaptation in each sector. Can we make access to resources, including fossil fuels,conditional upon climate action and climate funding? he posed.
Prof Laban Ogallo of the University of Nairobi called for trans-boundary efforts to make sure that one country’s wrongs or rights do not affect neighbours.
“Many African countries share rivers, mountains, lakes, coastal lines among many resources. We need to work together so that we can achieve common goals across the continent,” Ogallo said.
Dr Adeniyi Asiyanbi of the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, said REDD+ is replete with severe rights abuses, safeguards notwithstanding.
“REDD+ is alive but certainly not dead. Communities participating in the scheme are disillusioned due to unmet expectations. However, carbon forestry logic will persist and will reflect emerging political trends. Governments and international institutions will also seek new alliances under this scheme,” Asiyanbi said.
Prof.Godwell Nhamu of the University of South Africa urged African negotiators to vigorously negotiate for all they want.
“Half a loaf is better than nothing” is a myth. Half a loaf remains half a loaf. Let us negotiate for a full loaf. If our negotiators can’t ask for what we want, they should give way for those who are willing to get what they ask for in the UNFCCC process,” Nhamu said.
He noted that agriculture is the backbone of African economies and countries should give it the prominence it deserves.
“There is minimal reference of agriculture on African NDCs. Rwanda mentions it 23 times while South Africa mentions it twice. If we forsake agriculture, then we have missed the point,” he said.
Prof David Lessole of the University of Botswana called for specific and urgent interventions to address effects of climate change.
“We run a workshop on $20,000 and end it at a talking point. If the $20,000 was given to a group of women to construct a sand dam, they could break the cycle of poverty,” Lessole said.
He added, “Seems in Africa, we do not have the mouth to eat the climate money. We use our mouths to talk too much when others are eating.”
Prof Cush Ngonzo of Health College of Kenge, DR Congo insisted on a research-based approach in addressing climate change shocks.
“Africa does not lack the capacity to deliver on its promises. We should talk about capabilities of implementing the same. The continent has a strong reservoir of research brains which we need to nurture and use in solving our problems,” Ngonzo said.
Prof Seth Osafo called on developed countries tomeet their pledges in climate change commitments.
“We need to quickly finish drafting the Paris Agreement rule book so that we implement the pact. African countries however, need to pursue policies that can be implemented as some of them are hard to implement,” Osafo said.
Dr Yitebitu Moges, national REDD+ coordinator, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in Ethiopia, said the country’s green growth path cuts across its seven economic sectors.
“We aim to achieve a 64 per cent reduction in national green house emissions by 2030. Agriculture and forestry contribute close to 85 per cent of the baseline emissions,” Moges said.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has confirmed that 2017 was one of the three warmest years on record and the warmest not influenced by an El Niño event.
WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas
In addition, the very active North Atlantic hurricane season, major monsoon floods in the Indian subcontinent, and continuing severe drought in parts of east Africa contributed to 2017 being the most expensive year on record for severe weather and climate events.
The high impact of extreme weather on economic development, food security, health and migration was highlighted in the WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2017. Compiled by the World Meteorological Organisation with input from national meteorological services and United Nations partners, the report provides detailed information to support the international agenda on disaster risk reduction, sustainable development and climate change.
The Statement, now in its 25th year, was published for World Meteorological Day on March 23 also examined other long-term indicators of climate change such as increasing carbon dioxide concentrations, sea level rise, shrinking sea ice, ocean heat and ocean acidification.
Global mean temperatures in 2017 were about 1.1 °C above pre-industrial temperatures. The five-year average 2013-2017 global temperature is the highest five-year average on record. The world’s nine warmest years have all occurred since 2005, and the five warmest since 2010.
“The start of 2018 has continued where 2017 left off – with extreme weather claiming lives and destroying livelihoods. The Arctic experienced unusually high temperatures, whilst densely populated areas in the northern hemisphere were gripped by bitter cold and damaging winter storms. Australia and Argentina suffered extreme heatwaves, whilst drought continued in Kenya and Somalia, and the South African city of Cape Town struggled with acute water shortages,” said WMO Secretary-General, Petteri Taalas.
“Since the inaugural Statement on the State of the Global Climate, in 1993, scientific understanding of our complex climate system has progressed rapidly. This includes our ability to document the occurrence of extreme weather and climate events, the degree to which they can be attributed to human influences, and the correlation of climate change with epidemics and vector-borne diseases,” said Mr Taalas.
“In the past quarter of a century, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have risen from 360 parts per million to more than 400 ppm. They will remain above that level for generations to come, committing our planet to a warmer future, with more weather, climate and water extremes,” said Mr Taalas.
Direct measurements of atmospheric CO2 over the past 800,000 years showed natural variations between 180 and 280 ppm. “This demonstrates that today’s CO2 concentration of 400 ppm exceeds the natural variability seen over hundreds of thousands of years, “ said the Statement.
Socio-economic impacts
2017 was a particularly severe year for disasters with high economic impacts. Munich Re assessed total disaster losses from weather and climate-related events in 2017 at $320 billion, the largest annual total on record (after adjustment for inflation).
Fuelled by warm sea surface temperatures, the North Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest ever for the United States and eradicated decades of developments gains in small islands in the Caribbean such as Dominica. The National Centers for Environmental Information estimated total U.S. losses from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria at $265 billion. The World Bank estimates Dominica’s total damages and losses from the hurricane at $1.3 billion or 224% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Climate impacts hit vulnerable nations especially hard, as evidenced in a recent study by the International Monetary Fund, which warned that a 1 °C increase in temperature would cut significantly economic growth rates in many low-income countries.
The overall risk of heat-related illness or death has climbed steadily since 1980, with around 30% of the world’s population now living in climatic conditions that deliver potentially deadly temperatures at least 20 days a year, according to information from the World Health Organisation quoted in the Statement. It also included a section on the relationship between climate and the Zika epidemic in the Americas in 2014-2016.
In 2016, weather-related disasters displaced 23.5 million people. Consistent with previous years, the majority of these internal displacements were associated with floods or storms and occurred in the Asia-Pacific region.
Massive internal displacement in the context of drought and food insecurity continues across Somalia. From November 2016 to December 2017, 892 000 drought-related displacements were recorded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In the Horn of Africa, the failure of the 2016 rainy season was followed by a harsh January-February 2017 dry season, and a poor March-to-May rainy season. In Somalia, as of June 2017, more than half of the cropland was affected by drought, and herds had reduced by 40-60% since December 2016 due to increased mortality and distress sales, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Food Programme.
Floods affected the agricultural sector, especially in Asian countries. Heavy rains in May 2017 triggered severe flooding and landslides in south-western areas of Sri Lanka. The negative impact of floods on crop production further aggravated the food security conditions in the country already stricken by drought, according to FAO and WFP.
The oceans
Global sea surface temperatures in 2017 were somewhat below the levels of 2015 and 2016, but still ranked as the third warmest on record. Ocean heat content, a measure of the heat in the oceans through their upper layers down to 2 000 meters, reached new record highs in 2017.
The Statement said that the magnitude of almost all of individual components of sea level rise has increased in recent years, in particular melting of the polar ice sheets, mostly in Greenland and to a lesser extent Antarctica.
For the second successive year, above-average sea surface temperatures off the east coast of Australia resulted in significant coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef.
The Climate Statement contained a special section on ocean acidification from the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. Over the past 10 years, various studies have confirmed that ocean acidification is directly influencing the health or coral reefs, the success, quality and taste of aquaculture raised fish and seafood, and the survival and calcification of several key organisms. These alterations have cascading effects within the food web, which are expected to result in increasing impacts on coastal economies.
Cryosphere
Sea ice extent was well below the 1981-2010 average throughout 2017 in both the Arctic and Antarctic. The winter maximum of Arctic sea ice was the lowest winter maximum in the satellite record. The summer minimum was the 8th lowest on record, but a slow freeze-up saw sea ice extent once again near record lows for December.
Antarctic sea ice extent was at or near record low levels throughout the year
The Greenland ice sheet mass balance change from September to December 2017 was close to average. Despite the gain in overall ice mass this year, it is only a small departure from the trend over the past two decades, with the Greenland ice sheet having lost approximately 3,600 billion tons of ice mass since 2002.
Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent was near or slightly above the 1981-2010 average for most of the year.
The Director-General, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Sani Mashi, has described 2017 as the warmest year without El Nino and one of the three warmest years on record.
Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Prof. Sani Mashi
He made this known when briefing newsmen to commemorate the 2018 World Meteorological Day with the theme “Weather Ready, Climate Smart’’ on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Abuja.
He said the long-term climate change as a result of greenhouse gas emissions had committed the earth planet to warmer future, with more extreme weather and water shocks.
He added that global leaders had raised concerns about extreme weather, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, major natural disasters, man-made environmental disasters, failure of climate-change mitigation and adaptation in Global Risk Report.
According to him, extreme weather events are seen as single most prominent risk.
He noted that “against the foregoing, NiMet embarked on regular weather and climate predictions to help the public to mitigate the effects of extreme weather events through Early Warning Systems (EWSs).
“The Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) constitutes decision support tool for Nigerians as it provides critical information to enhance informed decisions.
“It is mainly for planning purposes as it gives insight to expected rainfall distribution and provides necessary advisories to respective sectors.
“These sectors include agriculture and food security, water resources management, environment and disaster risk reduction, health, hydro-power generation and distribution.
“SRP gives comprehensive information on the onset and cessation of rains, duration or length of growing season and amount of rains annually; including the day and night temperature for assessing comfort level.”
Mashi said 30 per cent of agricultural yields could be achieved if relevant meteorological information was utilised.
He explained that the World Bank Report had shown that for every dollar invested in early warnings services on weather, about seven dollars could be saved from cost of disaster management.
According to him, studies have shown that in spite of increasing number of disasters, with innovative advancement in such EWS facilities, the number of casualties can be significantly reduced by 10 per cent.
He said: “NiMet has reliably established that available meteorological data in Nigeria show evidence of increasing air temperatures since 1920s, in addition to recurring droughts since 1960s.
“There are clear indications that other climate variables especially rainfall (both magnitude and distribution), atmospheric circulation patterns are changing, while extreme weather events and incidences of climate-related disasters are increasing.
“The projections of the IPCC Working Group-I predict that warming trend in this part of the world will become one and half (1½) times more than global trend.”
The Bauchi State Commissioner for Health, Zuwaira Hassan, on Friday, March 23, 2018 confirmed that 14 people died in the state following outbreak of cholera and Lassa fever.
Bauchi State Commissioner for Health, Zuwaira Hassan
Hassan made this known while briefing newsmen at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital (ATBU- TH) Bauchi during her visit to the cholera quarantine ward.
According to her, nine people died as a result of cholera outbreak, while Lassa fever claimed five lives.
She said: “Since the outbreak of these epidemics, we have had a total of 324 cases of cholera and recorded nine deaths.
“Right now, the cholera isolation centre is active and we have about 26 patients on admission who are being treated.”
On Lassa fever, Hassan said there were 44 suspected cases, nine confirmed cases, while five persons had been confirmed dead so far.
She stressed the need for proper hygiene and urged residents to avoid open defecation, saying faeces in open places could pass and mix with drinking water which was dangerous to health.
She said community volunteers were out on sensitisation to educate the people on hygiene and environmental sanitation, while the state Ministry of Health chlorinated water and decontaminated the environment.
According to the commissioner, five local governments affected by the cholera outbreak are Bauchi, Toro, Darazo, Tafawa Balewa and Ganjuwa.
She urged the people to come to treatment centres as soon as they started having symptoms of cholera as the treatment was free.
She commended Federal Government for quick intervention to support Bauchi State Government in tackling the outbreak.
Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang, on Friday, March 23, 2018 met with Cameroonian President, Paul Biya, and assured that China would help the Western African country’s sustainable economic development.
China’s Premier, Li Keqiang
During their meeting at the Great Hall of the People, Li said both China and Cameroon are developing countries that shared common interests in development.
China has provided Cameroon with assistance within its capability and never attached any political conditions, Li said.
The premier encouraged Chinese enterprises to invest in Cameroon and called for innovative cooperation in areas of infrastructure and construction of industrial parks.
Li called on both countries to safeguard liberalisation, trade and investment, abide by market principles and business rules and oppose protectionism.
Li also hailed the long-term friendship between the two countries, saying that China is ready to boost political mutual trust and beneficial cooperation in the hope of forging ahead bilateral ties.
Echoing Li’s remarks, Biya said Cameroon appreciated China’s great support and assistance in areas of economy, social development and culture.
Cameroon would continue to advance friendship and cooperation with China so as to lift bilateral relationship to a new height, he said.
Biya is paying a state visit to China from March 29 to 31 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping who talked with him on Thursday.
The two presidents witnessed the signing of agreements on economic and technological cooperation, human resources development, infrastructural construction and industrial cooperation.
