President Barack Obama of the United States on Wednesday hailed the fact that enough nations have ratified the Paris climate accord for it to enter into force, telling reporters gathered in the Rose Garden, a garden bordering the Oval Office and the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC: “Today is a historic day in the fight to protect our planet for future generations.”
President Barack Obama of the United States addressing leaders at COP21 in Paris, France
The European Parliament voted on Tuesday by a wide margin to join the agreement, taking the participation level past the threshold required for the treaty to take effect.
Ratification by at least 55 countries representing 55 percent of global emissions was needed for the agreement to enter into force. Before the Tuesday vote, 62 nations accounting for 52 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions had joined; seven members of the European Union have now individually ratified the accord, including Germany and France, which will ensure that it crosses the 55 percent threshold. There is a 30-day period before the agreement takes effect.
“Today the world meets the moment,” Obama said. “And if we follow through on the commitments that this Paris agreement embodies, history may well judge it as a turning point for our planet.”
The president said the United States had played a pivotal role in brokering the agreement through both international diplomacy and the adoption of domestic regulations that have “changed, fundamentally, the way that we consume energy.”
“One of the reasons I ran for this office was to make America a leader in this mission,” he said.
Obama noted that the voluntary targets that nearly 200 nations agreed to as part of last year’s deal will not be sufficient to keep global temperature rise to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), compared with pre-industrial levels: “Even if we meet every target embodied in the agreement, we will only get to part of where we need to go.” But he added that the agreement will avert some of the worst climate impacts and send a powerful signal that could “open up the floodgates” to new investment in renewable energy and other technologies that will cut the world’s carbon output.
“So this gives us the best possible shot to save the one planet we’ve got,” Obama said.
But Republicans, including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wisconsin), said the voluntary carbon reductions the United States has agreed to could lead to curbs on energy exploration that could punish poor Americans much more than the rich.
“The Paris climate deal would be disastrous for the American economy. It carelessly throws away the great gains that the United States has made over the past decade in energy development,” Ryan said in a statement. “The abundant, low-cost energy that we have unlocked will now be shut in the ground, eliminating the economic growth and jobs that come with development.”
Obama appeared undaunted by such criticism. In the weeks ahead, he said, international negotiators are focused on finalising new agreements that would impose limits on the airline industry’s greenhouse gas emissions and on hydrofluorocarbons, which are used in refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, “all of which will help build a world that is safer and more prosperous and more secure and more free than the one that was left for us.”
“That’s our most important mission, to make sure that our kids and our grand-kids have at least as beautiful a planet, and hopefully even more beautiful, than the one that we have,” Obama said. “And today, I’m a little more confident that we can get the job done.”
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has lauded the initiative by the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) to deploy web-based system to track and report on the implementation of global and regional commitments on water and sanitation in Africa.
Mohammed El Azizi, Director of the Water and Sanitation department of the AfDB (left), with the AMCOW Executive Secretary, Dr. Canisius Kanangire
Mohammed El Azizi, Director of the Water and Sanitation department of the AfDB who also doubles as director of the African Water Facility Trust Fund, disclosed this on Friday while welcoming the AMCOW Executive Secretary, Dr. Canisius Kanangire, to the AfDB headquarters in Abidjan for the training on the web-based M&E system for stakeholders and member-states from francophone countries in Africa.
While restating the bank’s commitment to supporting the continent’s quest to achieve the sustainable development goals ahead of the 2030 target, El Aziz affirmed that “the development of a Web-based Monitoring and Reporting System marks a new milestone in the water and sanitation sector in Africa in line with the global quest for data revolution and evidence-based policy making.”
“We express our readiness to support AMCOW in monitoring and reporting on progress towards achieving not just African commitments, for which efforts to monitor progress towards attainment are constrained by the lack of baseline data, but also the SDGs which provide a great opportunity to establish baselines for both regional and global indicator frameworks,” El Azizi added.
Responding, AMCOW’s Executive Secretary Dr. Canisius Kanangire, acknowledged AfDB’s longstanding commitment to the development of the African water and sanitation sector as evidenced through the Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Initiative (RWSSI), the African Water Facility, and several others which go a long a way in increasing access to the clean and safe water on the continent.
“With more support and cooperation of the AfDB, we will be able to strengthen the AMCOW secretariat in its mission of providing effective political leadership in the Water and sanitation sector as well as achieving the Africa Water Vision 2025,” Dr. Kanangire said.
The African Water Facility (AWF) is an initiative led by the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) to mobilise resources to finance water resources development activities in Africa. It is hosted and managed by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Over its past decade of operation, the AWF developed a portfolio of grants covering 104 projects in 52 countries including Africa’s most vulnerable states.
The AWF strives to mobilise and apply financial and human resources in ensuring water security in Africa, thereby contributing to meeting the targets and goals established by the Africa Water Vision 2025 and the Millennium Development Goals.
The AWF supports the delivery of the Africa Water Vision 2025 which will result in enhanced equitable and sustainable development and management of African water resources for poverty alleviation, socio-economic development, regional cooperation, the environment and resilience to water-related disaster and climate change.
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, the leading Pan-African financial institution, through its Foundation, has renewed its partnership with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for a further three years. The relationship between the two organisations began in 2011, and the new agreement formalises Ecobank’s support for the Global Fund’s work in Africa.
Ade Ayeyemi, Ecobank Group Chief Executive Officer
A selected high-level audience composed of business leaders and development experts were present at the signing ceremony on September 16 2016, in Montreal, Canada. The event, “Changing Africa: Enabling growth through the private sector”, led by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ecobank Foundation, Ms. Julie Essiam, took place on the side-lines of the Global Fund’s Fifth Replenishment Conference. According to the terms of the agreement, Ecobank Foundation will work with the Global Fund to build the partnership into an engagement and advocacy platform for organisations and individuals who share a vision of accelerating the transformation of Africa.
Ade Ayeyemi, Ecobank Group Chief Executive Officer, pledged $3 million at the Global Fund’s Fifth Replenishment Conference in Montreal. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hosted the event attended by Heads of State, government officials and hundreds of private sector and development leaders from across the globe. The Fifth Replenishment raised $12.9 billion with a goal of saving eight more million lives.
Mr. Ayeyemi said, “Our job as bankers is to build the technical infrastructure that brings tens of millions more Africans into a more formal financial system. Ecobank’s founding fathers established a Pan-African bank to support Africa’s transformation. We are pleased to renew our productive partnership with the Global Fund. I am confident that we are a step closer to enabling prosperity across Africa.”
Through its Foundation, Ecobank will continue to take a prominent role with the Global Fund To Fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on the African continent.
Julie Essiam, Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank Foundation signed the agreement with Mark Dybul, Executive Director, Global Fund.
She said, “The Ecobank Foundation is pleased to be part of a historic moment with the Global Fund and what we are trying to do in Africa, which is to create a ‘thriving Africa’, and a prosperous continent. It is important for the private sector to collaborate to ensure that we use our platforms to unlock funds which will deliver sustainable progress and prosperity to Africa.”
Programmes supported by the Global Fund partnership have put 9.2 million people on antiretroviral treatment for HIV, provided 15.1 million people with TB treatment and distributed 659 million mosquito nets to protect families from malaria.
Mark Dybul, Executive Director, Global Fund, said, “We are excited about the Ecobank partnership, which improves the impact of our grants in numerous ways. When you workto advance financial management, all the way down to sub-recipients in rural areas, that’s hugely important for development.”
The Global Fund is an organisation designed to accelerate the end of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria as epidemics. As a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and people affected by diseases, the Global Fund mobilises and invests nearly $4 billion annually to support programmes run by local experts in more than 100 countries and supports attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations.
Ministers and Heads of Delegation from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group have welcomed a new initiative designed to scale up renewable energy and energy efficiency for the world’s poorest and least developed countries.
Chair of the LDC Group, Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu
The new initiative, called the “LDC Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Initiative (REEEI) for Sustainable Development”, is to be launched at the next UN climate change conference to be held in Marrakech this November.
“This Initiative is a bold, collaborative effort by the LDCs to drive the global charge towards clean, renewable energy future. It will enable LDCs to leapfrog fossil fuel based energy by providing modern, clean, resilient energy systems that will generate prosperity and safeguard our futures,” said the Chair of the LDC Group, Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu.
Mr. Mpanu-Mpanu presented the Initiative to LDC Ministers and Heads of Delegation, which was met by broad support. “The adoption of the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals are propelling the world towards a phase of global action and implementation. The LDC REEEI is an important part of this process, providing concrete action to address climate change while empowering the world’s most vulnerable communities” said Mr. Mpanu-Mpanu.
“Most of the world’s 1.3 billion energy-starved people live in LDCs. The LDC REEEI will ensure no LDC is left behind by strengthening the capacity of African LDCs to take advantage of the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative, while providing similar support structures for Asian and other LDCs.”
The Ministerial meeting was one of a number of discussions held during the gathering of LDC negotiators in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, in preparation for COP22. The meeting provided an important opportunity for the LDCs to share knowledge and expertise and to further elaborate their common needs and interests in the lead up to the negotiations.
The endorsement of LDC Ministers and Heads of Delegation builds on international support for the Initiative during the May UNFCCC negotiations in Bonn, Germany, where leaders of key negotiating blocs called for global action on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Mr. Mpanu-Mpanu also presented the Initiative at a High-Level event at the UN Headquarters in New York City on 21 September.
“As we head towards COP22 in Marrakech, the LDC REEEI is an opportunity for our developed country partners to fulfil their support responsibilities under the Paris Agreement and is a key example of the actions that can and must be taken to achieve the important goals we all set in Paris.”
At the meeting, LDC Ministers also noted the tremendous amount of work to be done to agree upon a comprehensive rulebook for the implementation of the Paris Agreement in preparation for the entry into force and operationalisation of the Agreement, and recognised the need to capitalise on mounting political will amongst all countries to take ambitious action on climate change.
Canada has taken a remarkable step in the drive towards realising its climate change commitments, thanks to a fresh resolve to provide a yardstick to price carbon.
Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada. Photo credit: AFP / Geoff Robins / Getty Images
In March 2016, the First Ministers committed to putting the country on a credible path to meet or exceed its national target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The First Ministers agreed that this would require transitioning to a low-carbon economy by adopting a range of measures, including carbon pricing, adapted to the specific circumstances of each province and territory. Federal, provincial and territorial governments are developing a Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change to implement these commitments, for adoption at the First Ministers Meeting in fall 2016.
Economy-wide carbon pricing is the most efficient way to reduce emissions and, by pricing pollution, will drive innovative solutions to provide low-carbon choices for consumers and businesses. British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, representing over 80 percent of the population, have already introduced carbon pricing. More action is needed, however, to expand the application of carbon pricing across Canada and ensure that it plays a significant role in reducing GHG emissions by increasing its stringency over time, says Government in a recent statement.
The Government of Canada says in the release that it supports the following principles, which are based on those proposed by the Working Group on Carbon Pricing Mechanisms:
Carbon pricing should be a central component of the Pan-Canadian Framework.
The approach should be flexible and recognise carbon pricing policies already implemented or in development by provinces and territories.
Carbon pricing should be applied to a broad set of emission sources across the economy.
Carbon pricing policies should be introduced in a timely manner to minimise investment into assets that could become stranded and maximise cumulative emission reductions.
Carbon price increases should occur in a predictable and gradual way to limit economic impacts.
Reporting on carbon pricing policies should be consistent, regular, transparent and verifiable.
Carbon pricing policies should minimise competitiveness impacts and carbon leakage, particularly for trade-exposed sectors.
Carbon pricing policies should include revenue recycling to avoid a disproportionate burden on vulnerable groups and Indigenous peoples.
The Government proposes a pan-Canadian benchmark for carbon pricing that reflects these principles and the Vancouver Declaration. Its goal is to ensure that carbon pricing applies to a broad set of emission sources throughout Canada with increasing stringency over time to reduce GHG emissions at lowest cost to business and consumers and to support innovation and clean growth.
The benchmark includes the following elements:
Timely introduction. All jurisdictions will have carbon pricing by 2018.
Common scope. Pricing will be based on GHG emissions and applied to a common and broad set of sources to ensure effectiveness and minimise interprovincial competitiveness impacts. At a minimum, carbon pricing should apply to substantively the same sources as British Columbia’s carbon tax.
Two systems. Jurisdictions can implement: (i) an explicit price-based system (a carbon tax like British Columbia’s or a carbon levy and performance-based emissions system like in Alberta), or (ii) a cap-and-trade system (e.g. Ontario and Quebec).
Legislated increases in stringency, based on modelling, to contribute to our national target and provide market certainty. (a) For jurisdictions with an explicit price-based system, the carbon price should start at a minimum of $10 per tonne in 2018, and rise by $10 per year to $50 per tonne in 2022. (b) Provinces with cap-and-trade need: (i) a 2030 emissions reduction target equal to or greater than Canada’s 30 percent reduction target; (ii) declining (more stringent) annual caps to at least 2022 that correspond, at a minimum, to the projected emissions reductions resulting from the carbon price that year in price-based systems.
Revenues remain in the jurisdiction of origin. Each jurisdiction can use carbon pricing revenues according to their needs, including to address impacts on vulnerable populations and sectors and to support climate change and clean growth goals.
Federal backstop. The federal government will introduce an explicit price-based carbon pricing system that will apply in jurisdictions that do not meet the benchmark. The federal system will be consistent with the principles and will return revenues to the jurisdiction of origin.
Five-year review. The overall approach will be reviewed by early 2022 to confirm the path forward, including continued increases in stringency. The review will account for progress and for the actions of other countries in response to carbon pricing, as well as recognition of permits or credits imported from other countries.
Jurisdictions should provide regular, transparent and verifiable reports on the outcomes and impacts of carbon pricing policies.
The Government will work with the territories to address their specific challenges.
The pan-Canadian approach to carbon pricing is described as a practical and cost-effective way to address climate change and will contribute to substantial emission reductions, stimulate innovation, clean growth and jobs for the middle class to support the transition to a low-carbon economy.
The Government says it is committed to continuing to work with provinces and territories to implement carbon pricing as a central component of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. It will also continue to engage with Indigenous peoples, it adds.
“By acting now and acting together, we will build a better Canada for our children and grandchildren,” says the Canadian government.
Analysis of Colombia, Brazil and Bolivia finds land rights for indigenous communities in the Amazon is key to sustainable economic development, slowing deforestation and curbing climate change
Andrew Steer, President and CEO, WRI. Securing land tenure in the Amazon, he says, is not only the right thing to do, it’s also one of the world’s most cost-effective climate mitigation strategies
A report released in Washington DC on Thursday by the World Resources Institute (WRI) offers new evidence that the modest investments needed to secure land rights for Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon will generate billions of dollars in returns – economically, socially and environmentally – for governments, investors and communities.
“We now know that there is a clear economic case to be made for ensuring that Indigenous Peoples have secure rights to their land. Not only is securing land tenure the right thing to do, it’s one of the world’s most cost-effective climate mitigation strategies,” said Andrew Steer, President and CEO, WRI. “National governments should take note – and move quickly – to secure Indigenous lands and incorporate land rights into their climate change strategies and commitments to the Paris Agreement.”
“In the pursuit of inclusive growth and climate action, we must recognise the profound value of securing land rights for those communities who best protect our forests,” said Lord Nicholas Stern, Chair, Grantham Research Institute, London School of Economics. “Rising to the challenge of the climate crisis requires that we find new and sustainable ways to develop and grow.”
Previous WRI research found that when Indigenous Peoples and communities have secure rights to land, both deforestation rates and carbon emissions in those lands often go down significantly. In the new report, matching analysis data show that the average annual deforestation rates in Bolivia, Brazil and Colombia were significantly lower in tenure-secure indigenous forests than in similar areas without secure tenure: 35% lower in Bolivia, 40% lower in Brazil, and 50% lower in Colombia.
Building on this analysis, the authors calculated the economic value of carbon and other ecosystem services benefits of secure indigenous lands in the Amazon and found billions of dollars in value. The report finds the total estimated benefits of secure indigenous lands in Bolivia are $54 to 119 billion, Brazil $523 billion to 1.165 trillion, and Colombia $123 to 277 billion over the next 20 years, when factoring in global carbon benefits and ecosystem services like clean water, soil retention, pollination, biodiversity, flooding control, and recreation and tourism fees.
The numbers are even more staggering because the costs to secure indigenous land rights in the Amazon are just a few dollars per hectare of forest per year – less than 1 percent of the total economic benefits. The report did not include additional social benefits such as job creation and increased social services, like healthcare and education for local communities.
Moreover, WRI’s report finds that securing indigenous and community lands is cost-effective when compared with other climate mitigation options like carbon capture and storage (CCS). Analysis shows that using CCS to reduce emissions costs five to 29 times more in coal-fired power plants and seven to 42 times more in natural gas-fired power plants than achieving the same emissions reductions through securing indigenous forestland tenure.
“Indigenous Peoples and local communities have a long history in using natural resources wisely and adapting to the changing climate in an integrated and sustainable manner,” said Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). “Protecting and enhancing the land rights of Indigenous Peoples is a necessary step towards greater economic prosperity and safeguarding our global commons.”
As attention shifts toward implementing the Paris Agreement, too few national climate contributions take secure land rights into account. The new report finds indigenous lands with secure tenure can reduce deforestation and sequester carbon, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and helping curb climate change. The report estimates avoided emissions over 20 years would be at least 31.76 Mt CO2 per year in Brazil, the equivalent to taking more than 6.7 million cars off the road per year. Estimates for Bolivia are 8.04 Mt CO2 per year and for Colombia 3.01 Mt CO2 per year. Had the Indigenous Peoples in these countries not maintained secure tenure over their lands, the CO2 emissions of each country would be higher – about 9 percent more per year in Bolivia, and 3 percent more per year in Brazil and Colombia.
Securing indigenous lands is an effective and cost-effective carbon mitigation strategy that can help countries meet their contributions to the Paris Agreement. However, analysis by RRI found that only 21 of 197 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) included clear commitments to implement community-based tenure or natural resource management strategies as part of their emissions reduction plans; including only Bolivia and Guatemala from Latin America. The only country to set a measurable target for the expansion of secure tenure rights was Cambodia.
WRI’s new report shows that securing indigenous land rights could help Colombia meet its national climate commitment. Colombia committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2030, a total of 67 Mt CO2. The authors calculate that through avoided deforestation on indigenous lands, Colombia could save a minimum of 45 Mt CO2 between 2016-2030, which could achieve 69 percent of its NDC emissions reduction target.
“Securing land rights for indigenous communities in the Amazon truly would have a global impact,” said Helen Ding, lead author and Environmental Economist, WRI. “At the local level, secure land rights would mean clean water, reduced pollution, revenue from ecotourism and forest products, and more. In terms of global carbon mitigation, there are billions of dollars to be gained from slowing deforestation and sequestering carbon in Indigenous forests.”
The report sets forth recommendations for decision-makers from government and other sectors who can establish laws and direct resources toward titling and protecting indigenous and community lands. It also recommends that donors, international development funds and climate finance mechanisms have a role to play to direct new resources in order to secure indigenous and community lands.
The WRI is a global research organisation that spans more than 50 countries, with offices in the United States, Brazil, China, India and Mexico, among others. The body’s over 550 experts and staff work closely with leaders to turn big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity and human well-being.
As the world is confronted with the most threatened and complex challenges of climate change, developing countries are the most vulnerable and heavily impacted by climate variability, lacking the political and economic will to reduce and cope with the changes. These inadequacies often characterise the bloc’s negotiation setback among other world region in reaching a global climate agreement, though this is not the focus of this article.
The climate variability impact on Lake Chad has also worsened the abundance and conservation status of biodiversity. Photo credit: UNEP
A case in point is the most rapidly growing populous country in sub-Sahara Africa with about 180 million people and projected to over-double to 400 million by 2040, Nigeria is struggling with the everyday reality of climate-induced challenges. Most of these challenges are weather-pattern dependent cutting across the ecological zones of the country resulting in conflicts and insecurity, flooding, food shortage, environmental degradation and habitat loss of wildlife species, drought, rural-urban migration, disease and infection. These climate-induced challenges are exacerbated by the complex issue of poverty as Nigeria’s poverty level index worsened to 72% record-high in August 2016 from 60% in 2015 with an average citizen living on $.05 per day compared to $ 1.1 per day respectively within the last five years according to a 2016 Fitch International report.
One obvious victim of climate change that has impacted Nigeria’s ecological and socio-economic landscape is the Lake Chad Basin – a trans-boundary wetlands covering Cameroun, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria with extension to Central African Republic. The Lake Chad Basin is one of Africa’s largest closed sedimentary groundwater basins and encompasses three climate zones: the Saharan desert climate in the north, the Sahel in central Chad with its wet and dry seasons, and the Sudan zone in the south with a hot, wet-dry tropical climate. This results in marked regional and season variation in rainfall. A 2004 UNEP Global International Water Assessment report shows evidence of the shrinking of the surface area of Lake Chad Basin from an approximately 25,000 km2 in the 1960s to 1,350 km2 in the 2000s. The two major causes of this reduction are climate variability and increase use of inflows from tributaries for irrigation and household needs of the growing population of 17 million in 2005 to 34 million within the past five years.
In 2012, the United Nations alerted on the severe implication and current impact of the vanishing Lake Chad on the rural livelihood of Nigerians dwelling in the region, calling on actions to halt the “ecological catastrophe”. Regional terrorism has typified the entire cross-boundary countries resulting from the drying Lake Chad which used to be the irrigation source for agriculture in the region. Unfortunately, it cannot ensure continued provision of this ecosystem services making locals find alternative source of livelihood resorting to Boko Haram – the deadly terrorist group that operates in the north-eastern Nigeria, Cameroun and Chad with questionable links with other international terrorist group. Aside financial gratification which comes with joining the terrorist group, easy marriage, government neglect as a result of oil boom are factors that have contributed to the proliferation of the terrorist group as a result of the vacuum created by the drying lake chad National Social Violence Research project.
Pastoral farmers/herdsmen in this region and other part are also forced to migrate down south where they can access greener pasture for their herds usually on farm land, leading to severe crisis among smallholder farmers and herdsmen. This has been a daily occurrence in Nigeria’s agricultural space, claiming an alarming number of lives and properties as pastoralists now carry dangerous weapon/armoury purportedly as self-defence to inflict pain on harmless farmers who do not allow such act.
The climate variability impact on Lake Chad has also worsened the abundance and conservation status of biodiversity that utilise the wetlands as refugia for their ecological activities. The number of endemic and migrant birds on the lake continues to decrease over the year due to water loss in the lake leading to aqua-resource degradation.
Already there is a very high infestation of some channels that feed the lake with water, by an invasive plant – Typha. This phenomenon over the years have limited the fish catch affecting the rural economy of the community. The success of 17-year-old conservation and livelihood effort of Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and its international partners – WWF, IUCN and BirdLife International, in the Hadeija Nguru Wetlands – a section of the Lake Chad basin in Nigeria, have a significant positive impact on wildlife and people in the region. NCF re-afforestation and livelihood projects have contributed to reduce the pressure of climate change on migratory birds and poverty.
Sea level rise has resulted in flooding occurrence dotting the agricultural and built-environment landscape in Nigeria, and affecting people in thousands from rural to urban centres. Okun Alfa community in Lagos is at the verge of extinction and the authorities are considering the relocation of the people as sea level continues to rise in the area. Similarly, farmers are worried and uncertain about the future of their investment in agriculture as farmlands are destroyed by flooding events in most agrarian states in Nigeria causing displacement of people. This becomes a severe threat to food security, thereby limiting Nigeria’s production capacity to meet the national demands which is exhibited in high cost of food import.
Among the numerous international government-assisted adaptation programme for Lake Chad Basin is an on-going five-year Germany-funded “Adapting to Climate Change in Lake Chad Basin” led by the Lake Chad Basin Commission to incorporate climate smart agriculture practices into farming/harvesting practices, storage practices, and value chain diversification for smallholders farmers who largely practice rain-fed agriculture making them vulnerable to climate variability.
Building Resilience
In order to forestall difficult times for Nigeria as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change impact, there is need for the implementation of climate actions at all levels. Nigeria is committed to reduce carbon emission by 20% unconditionally and 45% conditionally by 2030 as stated in the country’s Nationally Determined Commitment (NDC), which is one of the roadmaps to keeping temperature well below 2oC targeting 1.5oC.
As the world passes the 400ppm threshold of CO2e in September this year, Nigeria must pursue a low carbon development pathway without compromising its developmental priorities through the implementation of climate actions. Everyone has a responsibility to cool the earth with our lifestyle if we do not want to leave a destroyed planet for our future generation.
Just recently at the UN General Assembly in New York, nine African nations joined the front runners to ratify the Paris Agreement signalling a genuine commitment in the regional bloc to fight climate change. This very commendable effort will engender Nigeria’s promptness to do the same as the Paris Agreement enters into force as 73 countries already deposited their ratification instruments representing about 57% of emission reduction commitment, and surpassing the required threshold of 55%.
The innovative financing approach of issuing green bond by the Federal Ministry of Environment to finance the $142 billion NDC could be a great start to this process but must also be planned carefully to reduce the risk of the current economic recession competing with reality of its achievement.
However private sector players must be ready to drive a low carbon pathway within their business operation to reduce their carbon emission with a larger effect on reducing global temperature.
A national Afforestation and forest regeneration effort that could nosedive the global temperature is one action among many others that will save Nigeria from current climate-induced disasters. NCF is ready to drive such with its greenery initiative which will bring back Nigeria’s forest cover from current 4% to the FAO-recommended 25% forest cover in the next few decades. It will accommodate current tree planting initiatives of most State government in Nigeria, thereby feeding the long term goal of this initiative.
By Solomon Adefolu, Climate Change Coordinator, Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF)
“Wild animals are confused, they see light for 24 hours and cannot understand what is going on. Children in Turkey are suffering from asthma as a result of pollution in the atmosphere. Ecosystems have changed and are still changing, glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, the climate is obviously changing and at very rapid rate. Scientists have attributed all these changes majorly to the activities of fossil fuel companies that has brought upon the world climate change.”
Greenhouse gas increases are leading to a faster rate of global warming and polluters are asked to pay. Photo credit: earthtimes.org
This is just to mention a few of the negative impacts of the fossil fuel industries activities to mankind and the environment.
Investigations and reports have proven that the fossil fuel industry knew that their activities caused climate change more than three decades ago, but what did they do about it? Pay for campaigns to spread the wrong information. The technology of avoiding carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere by seizing it (carbon capture and storage) was discovered and used in the 1970s.
Instead of fossil fuel industries instilling it in all operations, to stop greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere, it was mainly used to make profit while gas flaring continued. For many years the oil giants invested millions in watering down the fact that burning of fossil fuels is one of the major causes of climate change, depriving the world of the opportunity to take action earlier.
According to Inside Climate News, a presentation was made to Exxon’s top management in 1977 highlighting the fact that burning of fossil fuels released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere thereby tampering with the climate.
The big oil companies or the fossil fuel giants have often been likened to the tobacco industry, both powerful, with the same motive and history of concealing important information, that links and proves that their activities are very detrimental to human health and environment respectively.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission Filings for Exxon Mobil 1999-2005 Gross Annual Profit, stated: “Just as Big Tobacco lied about the risks of addiction and Cancer, Exxon orchestrated a campaign of doubt and deception, making hundreds making hundreds of billions at the cost of people’s lives- now it’s time for them to face the consequences.”
In the same vein, it is not out of place for the same punitive measures expended on the tobacco industry by the World Health Organisations (WHO) convention to be used for the fossil fuel industry by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Framework Convention for Tobacco Control succeeded in not only restricting the tobacco industry from participating in the negotiations, but made them pay for the harm they had caused. With the Paris Agreement entering into force just in time for the Conference of Parties in Marrakech, Morocco from the 7th to 18th of November 2016, the UNFCCC should start limiting the influence and participation of fossil fuel lobbyists.
They need to be brought to book, by starting to pay compensation to developing countries, and should be mandated to contribute to the climate finance goal (towards the mobilisation of $100 billion till 2025 by the UNFCCC). What happened in Paris should never happen again, where fossil fuel industries sponsored the conference, thereby influencing decisions. They should be restricted from being part of the climate negotiations. The UNFCCC should urge G7 countries and world leaders that are parties to the convention to stop funding fossil fuels and redirect that money to renewable energy.
By Chinma George (Climate finance consultant, @Chimz_green)
Two young climate activists from Tunisia and Vietnam who tell their inspiring stories of climate action and building public awareness have been selected as the winners of the 2016 Global Youth Video Competition on Climate Change.
UNFCCC Spokesperson, Nick Nuttall. He says that young people around the world, such as the victorious climate activists from Tunisia and Vietnam, are intensely engaged in helping to construct greener, safer and more prosperous societies
The winners, chosen through online public voting, are Faouzia Bahloul from Tunisia and Phuong Vu Hoang from Vietnam. They will travel to the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech in Morocco in November and will work with the communications team of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in covering highlights of the meeting.
The video “Think Renewable” by the young Tunisian Faouzia Bahloul is about the need to increase the use of renewable energy, and explains the research she has been doing on biogas produced with the help of microalgea. In his video entry, Phuong Vu Hoang talks about the vulnerability of Vietnam to climate change explains how he deploys his graphic design skills to make posters to inform the public about more sustainable lifestyle choices.
UNFCCC Spokesperson Nick Nuttall said: “In Marrakech, countries will be celebrating the entry into force of the historic Paris Climate Change Agreement, and taking the next crucial steps towards low carbon and resilient societies. As they do so, they can be heartened by the enthusiasm and commitment of young people working on concrete ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
“The video contributions underscore the fact that governments are not alone in constructing a more sustainable world – civil society, cities, businesses, investors and not least young people around the world are intensely engaged in helping to construct greener, safer and more prosperous societies and envision a better world for their communities and for the globe.”
Young people between the ages of 18 and 30 took part in the competition, with entries submitted from young people in 77 different countries, from France to Fiji.
The competition was launched by the UNFCCC secretariat’s “Action for Climate Empowerment” initiative, in partnership with Television for the Environment (tve) and supported by the Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme, which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme.
Following his nomination and subsequent approval as AMCOW Executive Secretary by African Water Ministers during the last 10th General Assembly of the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Dr. Canisius Kanangire has affirmed his readiness to stimulate the dawn of a new era for the African water and sanitation sector.
Dr. Canisius Kanangire, AMCOW Executive Secretary
Declaring his agenda on Thursday in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire during the training workshop on web-based monitoring and reporting framework for stakeholders and francophone member-states that coincided with his assumption of duties as the head of the continent’s highest decision-making body on water and sanitation, Dr. Kanangire restated his commitment to “strengthening AMCOW’s capacity to provide the needed political leadership and direction for the sector as well as reinforce its fiduciary mechanisms to achieve more accountability, transparency and value for money.”
The new Executive Secretary believes that strengthening AMCOW in its mission of ensuring the effective and efficient management of the continent’s water resources directly translates to the provision of adequate and equitable access to safe water and sanitation for all.
This, according to him, “carries the possibility of making critical contributions to Africa’s progress towards sustainable growth and development and setting us on the on the path to actualising the Africa Water Vision 2025.”
Dr. Kanangire who hails from Rwanda is the immediate past Executive Secretary of Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) Kisumu, Kenya and he brings to AMCOW over two decades of experience in integrated water resources management and transboundary natural resource management. He succeeds Bai Mass Taal, whose tenure ended August 2016.
Established since 2002, the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) seeks to promote cooperation, security, social and economic development and poverty eradication among member states through the effective management of the continent’s water resources. As the Specialised Technical Committee for Water and Sanitation of the African Union, AMCOW contributes to Africa’s progress towards sustainable growth and development by providing political leadership in the continent’s efforts at achieving effective and efficient management of water resources through the provision of adequate and equitable access to safe water and sanitation.
