That the Federal Government hiked the import duty on tobacco is no doubt cheery news. The wider implication of the policy, announced by Finance Minister, Ms. Kemi Adeosun, is that imported tobacco products flooding the country would no longer be cheap and, on the long run, not easily accessible to the class of society that the tobacco industry wants to addict.
According to scientists, tobacco smoking is dangerous to health
While announcing the new rates, the minister had listed other products that would also be subject to the upward cost adjustment that will follow. They include rice, cassava, sugarcane, salt and categories of products identified as “luxury”.
Pundits would however insist that, without corresponding special levies and high excise on locally-produced tobacco products, the purpose of the initiative is dead on arrival.
This argument emanates from the belief that the ministries of finance and health may not have worked in harmony to ensure that while the nation generates revenue to pay salaries and implement capital projects, the health of the citizenry is not jeopardised. In unveiling a policy that could best be described as a revolving door, the government seems to have opened a wider door which indigenous tobacco firms have jumped into.
Evidence abounds that price increases on cigarettes effectively reduce demand and this on the long run induces cessation and initiation of tobacco use. This can however be achieved if price and tax measures are implemented holistically.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) which says that about six million deaths occur annually from tobacco consumption has consistently told governments that advertising bans and smoke-free public places discourage potential and even existing smokers. It asserts however that tax policies have proven to be the most potent initiative in this regard.
Some of the recommended taxes are excise taxes, value added taxes (VAT) or general sales taxes and import duties. Of these, it states that tobacco-product excise taxes are most important for achieving the health objective of reduced tobacco consumption since they are uniquely applied to tobacco products and raise their prices relative to the prices of other goods and services.
It is in this light that the call by public health for the immediate introduction of special levies and taxes on indigenous products in Nigeria would seem very appropriate and sensible if the government indeed prioritises health of its citizens over revenue.
This is particularly true when viewed from the prism that most of the tobacco products sold in Nigeria emanate from multinational companies that have relocated from their former bases in Europe where civilised laws have been introduced to significantly curb their reach for the lungs of citizens.
Unfortunately, in Nigeria and indeed across Africa, they have been welcomed with open arms and no form of regulation hence they see the continent as very “friendly”.
Their perception of “friendly” could however be interpreted without mistake to mean weak laws, public officials that are compromise-able, and a huge untapped market in the youth population. Nigeria, with a population of over 170 million people, most of whom are youths, therefore presents such a market.
It is anticipated that the Nigerian government would review the recently-announced hike in import duty on such a lethal product by extending it to cover indigenous tobacco products that are primed to cause more harm, increase the health burden and further decimate a population already reeling from a growing cancer epidemic.
Revenues from tobacco taxes would go a long way in assisting government fund public health schemes. In the United States it is believed that every state that has significantly increased its cigarette tax has enjoyed substantial increases in revenue. The average state cigarette tax in US is $1.69 per pack, with rates varying widely from 17 cents in Missouri to $4.35 in the city of New York.
For Nigeria, this should be a lesson as, on the long run, the multiplier effects would include a cleaner environment and a healthier citizenry.
By Okiemute Henry (public health advocate based in Warri, Delta State)
Corporate climate action is crucial to help governments achieve their central objective under the Paris Climate Change Agreement, which is to limit the global average temperature rise to as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
TJ DiCaprio (left), participating in the Momentum for Change: Climate Friendly Investments session at COP22, during which she also highlighted the launch of the latest Microsoft carbon program white paper, “Beyond carbon neutral: Expanding beyond our carbon neutral operations to accelerate global and local good.”
Microsoft has developed what is considered a trail-blazing emission reduction scheme which is exemplary for other companies. The innovation was showcased at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP22) in Marrakech, Morocco last November.
The company is a Momentum for Change Lighthouse Activity award winner for its carbon programme to reduce carbon emissions, and country delegates at COP22 had the opportunity to learn about the Microsoft internal carbon fee and how other companies and organisations could adopt its model to help reduce the emissions necessary for countries to achieve their “NDCs”.
NDCs are “Nationally Determined Contributions” – national climate action plans under the Paris Agreement that cover both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience to the inevitable impacts of climate change.
Since implementing its carbon fee in July 2012, Microsoft has reduced its emissions by more than 9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (mtCO2e), invested in more than 14 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of green power, and has had a positive impact on more than 7 million people through carbon offset community project investments.
As TJ DiCaprio, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability at Microsoft and the chief architect behind the company’s carbon fee, explains, “The fee has helped establish a culture of sustainability in our company: sustainability is now an expectation of our leadership for how we operate our datacenters and facilities.”
Microsoft introduced its carbon fee when it made a company-wide commitment to operate in a net carbon neutral way. The fee holds Microsoft internal business groups financially accountable for the carbon emissions associated with their operations. Through the fee, Microsoft generates the funds to pay for the cost of carbon neutrality. In addition, the fee is the tool by which the company works towards four desired outcomes, or goals, of its carbon programme, which is to:
Internalise the external cost of emissions, by making the company’s carbon impact understandable in business language.
Transform the culture of the company, by establishing an expectation for environmental and climate responsibility.
Catalyse and accelerate climate-neutral innovation, by investing carbon fee funds into internal and external climate-neutral projects.
Support the transition to a low-carbon economy, by prioritising investments that empower communities globally in the response to climate change.
Using these outcomes as a guide, Microsoft invests its carbon fee fund through four categories. First, the company dedicates a significant portion to renewable energy, helping to expand the renewable energy market worldwide. Second, it invests in carbon offset community projects – in particular in the areas where it operates data centres – to offset its emissions while supporting sustainable development. Third, it uses the fund to drive internal and external climate-related energy and technology innovation through a programme of Climate Grants. And finally, the company sets aside a portion for “track-and-report” projects, helping to ensure transparency and accountability through its carbon programme.
Microsoft designed its carbon fee model to be simple and easy for other organisations to replicate. The company has published several white papers describing its goals and providing detailed guidance for other organisations interested in using the model. Ms. DiCaprio has also participated in numerous speaking engagements and forums – including four sessions at COP22 – to share the company’s best practices.
“At Microsoft, we are committed to taking significant action to tackle climate change,” said Ms. DiCaprio. “We do this in part by carefully investing our carbon fee fund into carbon-neutral projects that will accelerate energy and technology innovation. We also do it by operating carbon neutral and running our business as efficiently as possible. And we do it by sharing the lessons we have learned over the years to help others benefit from our experience.”
The rise in prices of cooking gas and kerosene is creating a demand for charcoal, whose price is likewise escalating – a development that translates to an increase in the felling of trees, a raw material for charcoal.
Charcoal
The negativity in the use of charcoal surmounts the temporal alternative it serves in cooking. Felling of trees for production of charcoal is usually carried out without recourse to planting many more trees to replace the felled ones. This practice leads to deforestation which is a clear and present danger in the face of ever increasing risks of climate change.
For the past three weeks, cooking gas, which has been embraced by many in Benue State as a substitute to kerosene, has become a scarce commodity. The scarcity is said to be caused by the halt in production of gas in the country, thereby leaving only one avenue for its procurement through importation, a situation that looks to have skyrocketed the price. A 12.5 kg of cooking gas which went for N4,000 jumped to N5,000. Meanwhile, kerosene too went for as high as N270-N300 at filling stations and N350-N400 per litre at black market selling points.
To this end, many homes turned their focus to charcoal for cooking, which also shot the price up from N1,200 to N1,800 then to N2,000 per bag.
Away from the pricing mechanism which is hard to control, especially for cooking gas as it was recently confirmed by Secretary Petroleum Products Monitoring and Price Regulating Committee, Benue State, Mr Titus Dyaaiyol, in a monitored interview on radio not to be within their purview, there is need for the price of gas to reduce and be within reach of the common man. Invariably, if the price of cooking gas becomes affordable, more people will use it and desist from the use of charcoal with its harmful antecedents.
Charcoal is generally known as a dark or black form of carbon obtained by usually heating wood in an enclosed space without air. This charcoal is thereby used as fuel in cooking.
Not too long ago, many states such as Benue had forest reserves overlooked by the government, communities or certain families but all that is now in the past as scores of forest trees have been felled without replacement. In place of most forests in these areas are farmlands and homes.
In this regard, the expansionist need superseded the need of these forest owners in reserving the forests. They saw more gain in either felling the trees for timber, charcoal or simply expanding farmlands or homesteads.
As earlier stated, the rising cost of petroleum products such as kerosene and gas as well as the high cost of operating electric cookers obviously gave rise to Nigerians embracing the use of charcoal in locally made charcoal stoves popularly known as “Abacha Stove” since the mid-90s. These stoves have a hollow base where charcoal is stoked and lit. It usually takes a while for the embers to properly light but, once they do, they burn steadily. This process is said to cook food faster and better. Whether the aforementioned assertion is true or not, the use of charcoal in the long run attracts many environmental ills.
Charcoal making process is considerably easier and cheaper with little investment, hence, the rush by the private sector and locals into its production from the available resource in the environment. Most definitely, the cost of using charcoal may augur well for the community but the overall cost in terms of environmental damage cannot be overemphasised. Although, its use plays a major role in our economy and energy sector as an ideal fuel, charcoal is nevertheless a form of “dirty fuel.”
Suffice it to stress that charcoal is an in-efficient fuel to produce, and is un-clean. In comparison, charcoal stoves which are usually out-door used, in as much as they are more efficient to use than firewood stoves, still lag behind kerosene, electric and gas stoves.
In essence, the high use of charcoal according to experts results in the high consumption of wood which in turn results to more emission of CO2 (carbon dioxide) and CO (carbon monoxide). The question is how to produce sustainable basis charcoal without causing deforestation and create a neural carbon cycle. There is no gain saying the fact that deforestation comes with loss of wildlife and other environmental degradation ills such as desertification.
This booming charcoal business which is fueled by the poverty in the rural areas and sustained by the exploding population among the urban middle class and poor who find it cheaper to use charcoal in place of soaring kerosene and cooking gas price is not helping matters with climate change adaptation in Benue State. This brings to the fore the need for the National Environmental Standards Regulatory and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) under the Federal Ministry of Environment to step up its regulatory role of protecting forest resources as stipulated by the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife and Flora (CITES). The Benue State Government too needs to step up its regulating of felling of trees and encourage aggressive tree planting to curb desertification effects.
If mitigating moves are not put in place by appropriate authorities in checking the charcoal business, our forests would soon disappear and do away with the traditional role of trees providing living things oxygen in the course of photosynthesis. More so, this anomaly coupled with other human activities is responsible for far reaching impacts of global warming and climate change.
To buttress this point, experts assert that only five percent of the country’s forest resource is standing, as those felled have not been replenished, as it ought to. Little wonder, governments usually organise tree planting events year in, year out but do not put properly managed and supervised machinery in place to sustain the growth of the trees.
By and large, as a matter of urgency, the introduction of clean and efficient cooking stoves among the Nigerian populace, especially the local ones, which will cut down about 80 percent of the use of fuel, will spur the country on the way to sustainable development and a cleaner and more environment friendly cooking practice.
The Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea announced on Monday, 23 January that it has submitted its interest to join the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2017.
Gabriel Mbaga Obiang, Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea
Gabriel Mbaga Obiang, Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons, reportedly travelled to Vienna on January 20 to meet with OPEC officials and present the Government of Equatorial Guinea’s offer to become the 14th member of the cartel. With 32.5 million barrels per day of output projected this year, OPEC is the world’s largest organisation of oil producers. The Minister’s trip to Vienna follows the Fourth Africa-Arab Summit, which hosted last November several OPEC members in Malabo, under the patronage of President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
“For decades, Equatorial Guinea has achieved a sterling track record as a dependable supplier of petroleum to consumers in all corners of the world. We firmly believe that Equatorial Guinea’s interests are fully aligned with those of OPEC in serving the best interests of the industry, Africa and the global economy,” said the Minister.
On December 10, 2016, Equatorial Guinea agreed to join 10 other non-OPEC countries to reduce 558,000 barrels per day of total oil production in 2017. Equatorial Guinea’s share of the cut is 12,000 barrels per day. Even through a two-year sustained slump in oil prices, Equatorial Guinea has maintained liquid output levels at a competitive level.
“There is a consensus amongst producers that an oversupply of oil has been dragging down the price of the barrel,” the Minister said. “Equatorial Guinea is doing its part to ensure stability in the market and that the industry continues to invest in exploring and developing our resources.”
Equatorial Guinea is the third largest oil and gas producer in sub-Saharan Africa. Its $10.6 billion of annual oil and gas exports account for 95 percent of the country’s total exports, with shipments sold every day to China, India, Japan, Korea and many other countries. The country has remained committed to investing in the entire energy supply chain through landmark projects such as the Bioko Oil Terminal, the Fortuna Floating Liquefied Natural Gas project, the Riaba Fertilisers plant, compressed natural gas and LNG.
Equatorial Guinea is currently hosting its latest oil and gas licensing round, EG Ronda, putting on offer all of open acreage not currently operated or under direct negotiation. Equatorial Guinea has made 114 oil and gas discoveries to date with a drilling success rate of 42 percent.
Senegal’s Abdoulaye Bathily is the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) candidate hoping to take over from Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma when she steps down as Chairperson of the African Union Commission later this month. Bathily, who was at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP22) last November in Marrakech, Morocco, unveils his “Project for the African Union”
Dr. Abdoulaye Bathily
Meet the AU Chairperson candidate – Abdoulaye Bathily, whose campaign slogan reads: Let’s make this an African Union of the people.
“I intend to contribute to the rebirth of Africa in order to fulfil the founding fathers’ dream of a continent that is united, peaceful and empowered socially, politically, economically and culturally,” he says.
“The African Union has an important mandate, which consists of continuing to play a crucial role in steering the continent towards the Africa we want,” he adds, as he articulates the key objectives in his programme to fulfil Agenda 2063.
If elected, he reveals, he intends to build on the collective vision and aspirations of Africa’s people; to move beyond an African Union of States to an African Union of people; to reaffirm the leadership of the AU in global affairs; to facilitate regional and continental integration; to optimise collective resources and to build an effective and efficient AU Commission.
The prospective head of the AU lists restoring citizens’ trust in the AU among his top priorities as he defends the interests of the continent on the global scene.
“I want to encourage intra-African mobility of citizens, trade and investment in the making of a new, bold, and forward-looking African world, confidently powered by the innovative energies of its women, men, youth and children,” he says.
In his quest to transform the organisation from an African Union of States to “an African Union of the people” he hopes to see the continent (finally) being allocated a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. He is also a strong advocate of the principle of African solutions to African challenges and, as a peace mediator and peace builder, Bathily has participated in several conflicts and crisis management missions in Africa, including Mali, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Madagascar, Guinea and Central Africa.
The pan-Africanist, with more than 50 years of social, political, cultural and academic experience and a vast network across the continent and internationally, says that he is committed to bringing to the AUC “a combination of in-depth knowledge of the entire continent, a proven capacity to relate to all contexts and challenges and a clear vision and strategy.”
With PhDs in History and Human Sciences, Bathily has held senior political roles, most recently as Senior Minister in the Office of the President of Senegal. He is also a former Deputy-Speaker of the National Assembly. On the diplomatic front, Bathily has served as Special Envoy to the Chairman of the AU and he is currently the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Central Africa and Head of UN Regional Office for Central Africa.
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in this treatise published in Gulf News, describes the next two years as key in cementing global response to climate change
Patricia Espinosa convened her first COP in Marrakech, Morocco on November 2016 as Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC
In 2015, close to 200 countries – backed by cities, regions, businesses and citizens – agreed to work together towards a low carbon, safer and sustainable future via the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
Less than 12 months later, this remarkable agreement came into force as country after country transformed their pledges into national policies.
But the time has come to step up and accelerate that action even more and there is one profound and fundamental reason why.
The signals from planet Earth are becoming even more worrisome: Greenhouse gas concentrations, which cause global warming, are still rising and in recent months have crossed some key thresholds. The year 2016, for example, has been confirmed as the warmest on record, warmer than 2015 by almost 0.2 degrees Celsius, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The extent of Arctic sea ice – a key barometer of climate change – in December 2016 averaged 12.10 million square kilometres, the second lowest December extent in the satellite record, says the United States National Snow and Ice Data Centre. Seven countries in southern Africa have been experiencing serious drought and in Madagascar, an estimated one million people need food support after several years of failed rainfall. Summer temperatures in 2016 brought record heat to the Middle East. A site in Kuwait hit 54 degrees Celsius in July. The World Meteorological Organisation is investigating if that was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Just a few reasons why, over the next two years, real action is needed to implement national plans and pledges with a sense of urgency so that every person can be confident that a sustainable future with the minimum damage possible is a real possibility for over seven billion people.
This is no less than a transformational change in the way humans produce and consume power and resources. The costs of failure are unthinkable. The rewards of success – in lives saved, livelihoods secured and scarcity avoided – are universal.
There are three broad and interlinked avenues of effort that will get this unprecedented global job done most efficiently and quickly. This includes national climate action by all countries across public and private sectors, intensive international cooperation and a comprehensive shift in public and private investment towards clean, renewable energy and resilient infrastructures.
At this year’s Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, I was most encouraged to note that the UAE is among the many nations passionately embracing this positive future. From new standards for air conditioning to cutting-edge technologies demonstrated in Masdar City, the UAE has put efficiency at the heart of its domestic energy strategy and has also provided extensive support and investment for renewable energy in other developing countries.
The UAE is also developing a cross-governmental approach led at a high level and seeking to decouple economic growth from rising emissions and other negative environmental impacts through policies and targets across seven key sectors.
This sends a most important message that only a truly national response to climate change will be effective if mirrored North and South, East and West.
Globally, the news is also encouraging. Almost all countries submitted intended national climate plans in support of the Paris Agreement and almost 120 have now turned those intentions into firm plans under the Agreement. In addition, the first very long-term emissions reduction plans have started to appear, so far from Canada, France, Germany, Mexico and the United States, in response to the Agreement’s recognition that clarity and direction over decades is required.
Global finance flows for climate action continue to rise and should reasonably soon reach one $1 trillion (Dh3.67 trillion) per year. That is still not enough, though.
Approaching the scale required is underlined by the latest news from China alone, which said it will invest the equivalent of about $360 billion into renewable power by 2020, creating more than 13 million jobs.
Last November’s climate change conference in Marrakech, Morocco, also highlighted the growing alignment of government and “non-party stakeholder” action.
For example, a club of subnational governments, the Under2 Coalition, who have committed to reduce their emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050, announced their membership has grown to 165. It represents a third of the global economy and a population of around one billion people across North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia.
The Climate Vulnerable Forum of more than 40 nations issued a Marrakech Vision, committing themselves to ambitious aims, including 100 per cent renewable energy between 2030 and 2050.
International climate change negotiations under the United Nations, which this year will be hosted in Bonn, Germany, under the Presidency of Fiji, also need to make significant progress. Governments have indicated a fast-track date of 2018 for completion of the Paris Agreement’s international rule book.
Think of it as the operating manual to deliver a transparent global accounting of emissions reduction, provision for climate finance, technology development and transfer and adaptation needs. The details of the task are complex, but the principle is simple: Transparency builds trust that countries are delivering on their pledges which, in turn, generate the confidence for all countries to increase their own action on climate change to the best of their abilities.
In summary, the necessary pledges, plans and finance are growing across all levels of government, civil society and business.
As we begin 2017, the tipping points into a truly sustainable future look closer than ever so that, by the end of 2018, the foundations for the full transformation will be complete and unbreakable.
Energy Observer, the world’s first hydrogen ship, is set to make a six-year journey around the world to promote renewable sources of energy. The ship will be powered by electricity generated by the sun and wind, which will be used to convert sea water into hydrogen which can be stored on board.
Front view of the Energy Observer
Supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the vessel will travel around the globe, with 101 stops planned between 2017 and 2022 in the world’s maritime capitals, historic ports, nature reserves and at major international events.
The promising energy architecture of the boat aims to enable navigation that is 100% energy autonomous, without emitting any greenhouse gases or fine particles.
Design of Energy Observer
The journey aboard a laboratory floating in extreme environments will be carried out by those who first dreamed of the adventure: Victorien Erussard, offshore runner and merchant navy officer, and Jérôme Delafosse, explorer and documentary filmmaker.
The zero carbon footprint ship is a flag bearer for the potential of renewable energy in the shipping and transportation industries.
Making use of such innovative technology is crucial to make shipping sustainable and to limit the global temperature increase to below 2 degrees Celsius in accordance with the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Given that 90% of the world’s international trade travels by sea, shipping is an important sector in efforts to reduce emissions.
According to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), international maritime shipping emits around 1000 million tonnes of CO2 annually and is responsible for about 2.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Unless efficiency is improved, emissions are projected to increase between 50% and 250% by 2050, as shown in the graph below.
Maritime emissions projections
The transport sector as a whole contributes almost one quarter (23 percent) of the current global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions and is growing faster than any other end-use sector.
Transitioning to zero-emission vehicles and vessels not only makes environmental sense – it makes business sense. New research suggests that the electric shipping market could reach $20 billion by 2027.
The First Conference of the Parties (COP1) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury will take place in the week of 25 September 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has disclosed.
Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The first COP to the Minamata Convention on Mercury will take place in September 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo credit: OECD/Michael Dean
The disclosure is coming even as Costa Rica last week became the 36th Future Party to the Minamata Convention. On 19 January 2017, the Government of Costa Rica deposited their instrument of accession to that effect.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global treaty aimed at protecting human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury, was agreed at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) in Geneva, Switzerland on Saturday, 19 January 2013 – some four years ago.
Nigeria is one of the 128 signatories to the global treaty, but she is yet to ratify it. Ratification by Nigeria automatically makes her a Party to the Convention with the duty to domesticate its content.
A minimum of 50 nations are required to ratify the Minamata Convention to make it legally binding.
Charles Brown, president of the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry (WAMFD), said that the treaty’s emergence entailed a process of international meetings or INCs that held in 2010 – Stockholm, Sweden; 2011 – Chiba, Japan; 2011 – Nairobi, Kenya; 2012 – Punta del Este, Uruguay; 2013 – Geneva, Switzerland; 2014 – Bangkok, Thailand; and 2015 – Jordan. In 2013, a Diplomatic Conference held in Kumamoto, Japan.
While acknowledging the role of the Africa region towards making the Convention a reality, Brown opined that ratifying the treaty is a “great” opportunity for Nigeria to lead, even though several other African nations are already Parties to the Convention.
Leslie Adogame, executive director of SRADev Nigeria, said: “Nigeria has signed the treaty. But, by signing, it merely shows that you are part of the process and you stand by it. Ratification however means that you are now a Party and ready to domesticate it by, for example, making local legislations.”
According to him, Nigeria became a signatory to the Convention on 10 October, 2013. “The Convention highlights actions to reduce mercury emissions to the air from identified sources, reduce the use of mercury in products and industrial processes, and to address mercury supply and trade. In addition, it contains provisions to address the severe and growing problem of mercury use in artisanal gold mining,” he added.
Adogame pointed out that the signing of the Convention would enable Nigeria to:
Develop a National Implementation Strategy (NIS)/Action Plan to holistically address challenges relating to the reduction and elimination of Mercury;
Undertake a comprehensive inventory as a basis to develop and implement a more robust Mercury preventive programme which will include the identification and location, contaminated sites and extent of contamination, storage, handling and disposal to ensure that mercury related activities do not result in further damage to health and the environment;
Enhance national capacities with respect to human resources development and institutional strengthening, towards addressing concerns about the long-term effects of Mercury on both human health and the environment and also to ensure the effective domestication of the instrument that will be implementable at national level;
Sensitise the populace and policy makers on the hazards of mercury;
Develop and implement Mercury Release Minimisation Projects; and,
Control mercury supply and trade.
Nations that have ratified the Convention include: Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Chad, China, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Ecuador, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Gayana, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali and Mauritania.
Others are Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Samoa, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Uruguay and Zambia.
Major highlights of the Minamata Convention include a ban on new mercury mines, the phase-out of existing ones, the phase out and phase down of mercury use in a number of products and processes, control measures on emissions to air and on releases to land and water, and the regulation of the informal sector of artisanal and small-scale gold mining. The Convention also addresses interim storage of mercury and its disposal once it becomes waste, sites contaminated by mercury as well as health issues.
The vulture, a large, carnivorous bird that is most well known for its scavenging nature, caught the attention of the Nigerian nature conservation community last week in Lagos, where stakeholders reiterated their commitment to the upkeep of the endangered bird of prey.
Vultures fighting over an animal carcass
At the 15th Chief S. L. Edu Memorial Lecture held on Thursday, 19 January 2017 at the instance of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Minister of Environment and United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Designate, Amina Mohammed, while describing the vulture as nature’s most effective garbage disposal system, however lamented that vulture species are critically endangered.
In a presentation titled “Last Nigeria vulture: The consequences for health and the economy,” the minister, as guest speaker, estimates that a single vulture provides a scavenging benefit worth around $11,600 per year, adding Avian scavengers are capable of removing a thousand tons of carcasses per year.
Her words: “Without vultures to efficiently remove large amounts of decayed meat, both air and ground water would show increased contamination. Hence vultures are for want of a better word often referred to as our ‘sanitation officers’. The link between vultures and human health and their ecological and economic role (such as through eco-tourism), conservation of African vultures will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goals 2, 12, and 15 and The Aichi Biodiversity Targets 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 12 and 14.”
According to her, there are 11 species of vulture in Africa and seven of these are on the edge of extinction. Four, she adds, are now on the critically endangered list while another three are endangered.
In Nigeria, there were formerly six species of vultures, known as Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes manachus), African white-backed (Gyps africanus), White-headed (Trigonoceps occipitalis), Ruppell’s griffoo (Gyps rueppellii) and Palm-nut Vulture (Gypohierax angolensis). Out of these, five species are close to extinction in some parts of the country, she discloses, adding that the only two thriving species are Hooded and Palm-nut Vultures and they are being threatened by loss of habitat and indiscriminate hunting.
“The threat facing vultures are diverse and challenging. Africa continues to have the highest global rate of primary forest loss. Therefore, habitat loss degradation poses some levels of threat to vultures,” she says, listing challenges faced by the vulture to include:
Vultures are being hunted and killed as a result of targeted poisoning of carnivores using baited carcasses often in response to predation of livestock.
Elephant or Rhino poachers who deliberately poison vultures, which draw attention to poaching activities, or vultures may ingest poison used to kill the elephants.
Vultures often suffer mortality caused by collision with or electrocution by power generation and transmission infrastructure such as power lines and wind turbines.
Vultures are also used as traditional medicine. The feathers and head are used for ritualistic purposes and export to countries around the globe.
Vultures are also delicacy to some communities. They often serve as alternative to chicken in some parts of Nigeria.
Nigeria’s population has more than doubled in the last 50 years. This has caused land to become stressed with habitat under threat further exacerbating the future of birdlife.
The minister suggests that improved partnerships which cut across public and private sector will be key to putting a stop to making vultures a thing of history. She believes that collaboration with state governments and supporting the preservation and repopulation of vultures is important as well as encouraging states and local governments to own the conservation agenda by underscoring the economic and health gains is vital to achieving the desired goal.
Private sector investment in vultures, she insists, should not be overlooked. According to her, investing in the conservation of the vulture and other endangered species will support a better ecosystem and provide new economic opportunities in eco-tourism.
“The National Domesticated Reviewed Endangered Species Act, (CITES) signed on the 30th of December 2016 by the President is a clear example of government’s commitment to protecting endangered species. Hooded vulture is listed in schedule II,” she contends, adding that, in addition to strengthening regulatory frameworks, Nigeria is signatory to a few Conventions such as Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Ramsar Convention of Conservation of Wetlands International, Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), and has thus adopted the Africa-Eurasian Migratory Landbirds Action Plan (AEMLAP).
She ponts out that the 2016 United Nations Environment Assembly led to the implementation of a new resolution on wildlife crime and trade, implying that African governments can now act to prevent the poisoning of vultures.
Chief Ede Dafinone, Chairman, National Executive Council of the NCF, states that the has been carefully selected because of the danger posed by the declining population of vultures.
“This situation is scary since it could lead to a major human disaster if solutions are not provided on time. This issue, though universal, must have national actions to reverse the trend as some nations all over the world are already acting, and Nigeria must not be left behind. The good news is that, we are still alive, so I believe the disaster could be avoided once we promptly take the necessary actions,” he says, adding:
“As NCF, we have recognised the danger and we are willing to deploy all within our means to fight for the protection of vultures. We are open to collaboration both with the Ministry of Environment and other stakeholders to ensure the survival of vultures in our environment.
In implementing our advocacy programmes, we would deploy all available mechanism, and partner with willing organisations and individuals. Our doors are always open for collaboration, hence a clarion call to all meaningful Nigerians, both corporate and otherwise, to support this cause.”
Mr Adeniji Karunwi, Director General of the NCF, reveals that, over the years, the NCF recognised the dangerous trend of declining population of vultures, a development he discloses led NCF, the BirdLife Partner in Nigeria, into collaborating with both local and international partners, notably BirdLife International, to bring the plight of vultures into global focus. “This has resulted into more awareness about vultures and their importance in the ecosystem,” he adds.
“Locally, we have developed a ‘National Vulture Advocacy Plan’, which we are hoping the Federal Ministry of Environment will partner with us to launch and will drive all plans into action. This well-articulated advocacy plan cuts across different aspects that will help bring the plight of Nigerian vultures into the public space for discussion to further promote their conservation.”
He notes that the occasion of the lecture also serves as the platform for the presentation of awards to the two grantees of the Chief S. L. Edu Memorial Research Grant for PhD studies. The two winning proposals, Karunwi stresses, were chosen out of 37 research proposals received from all the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
“With this year’s award, Chevron Nigeria Limited has sponsored, without break, the Research Grant for 15 years, thereby tremendously strengthening research in biodiversity conservation in Nigeria by building the capacity of young conservation professionals. I want to specially acknowledge Chevron Nigeria Limited, a company that has shown its great support for NCF’s conservation activities over the years.”
Mr. Esimaje Brikinn, General Manager Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Chevron Nigeria Limited, describes the topic of the lecture as very apt as, according to him, it captures the interdependent relationship between a scavenging species in the natural habitat and human health plus economy.
His words: “As we all know, Health and the Economy are two areas that are very essential to the survival of the human race. Without a healthy society, humanity will gradually walk into extinction; and without a good economy the survival of the human race is laden with questions. Yet these two – health and economy – are dependent on nature. Healthy businesses lead to healthy economies and healthy businesses are built on healthy people.
“Businesses are built on resources that have been provided by nature, and most of the things needed to maintain a healthy life is sourced from the same nature. It is this understanding that drives our business operations at Chevron. We seek to preserve nature in its fullest as we do business. We believe in sustainable development.
“We continuously evaluate and strive to improve our processes to ensure a healthy and sustainable environment. Our Environmental Stewardship Process aids in identifying, assessing and managing environmental concerns in a manner that ensures the protection of human health and nature. We believe in the global initiatives against climate change; in this regard, we have developed and have started implementing a strategy towards eliminating flared gas. We are firmly committed to this resolve. We also believe research is important in our quest to sustain and preserve this beautiful world we live in.”
A call has gone to the Federal Government to reverse permits issued to Monsanto by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) to bring in genetically modified (GM) cotton as well as two varieties of maize. Government was likewise urged to restrict genetic engineering to laboratories in the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) and universities.
Nnimmo Bassey, guest lecturer at the 18th Bassey Andah Memorial Lecture (right), in a warm handshake with Prof Emeritus Alagoa Alagoa, an historian and Chair of the Board of the Bassey Andah Foundation, organisers of the lecture, in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, on Saturday, 21 January 2017. Bassey calledfor the reversal of permits issued by NBMA, and restriction of genetic engineering to laboratories in NABDA.
Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), who made the submission in a presentation at the 18th Prof Bassey Andah Memorial Lecture on Saturday, 21 January 2017 in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, stated that the nation cannot afford the risks and health/environmental challenges associated with “the needless” genetically modified organisms (GMOs). According to him, national interest must trump other considerations.
Speaking on “Nigeria and Prodigal Environmental Stewards” as a guest lecturer at the event hosted by the Bassey Andah Foundation, Bassey lamented an emerging scenario he termed “a rapidly emerging threat to our agriculture and food systems” which, according to him, “is coming especially with the opening of the doors to flood Nigeria with GMOs by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA).”
He said: “Within a year of the NBMA Act coming into effect, the agency received and rapidly issued permits to Monsanto to bring in genetically modified cotton as well as two varieties of maize. Although GMOs are presented as a panacea to hunger and malnutrition, these claims have not been shown to be true in reality. On the other hand, Nigeria can be sure of rapid erasure of crop varieties once the genetically modified ones are released into the environment and this directly threatens our food sovereignty, environmental and human health, as well as culinary heritage. Varieties that have been developed by our farmers and preserved over the centuries should not be lost simply to enhance corporate profit portfolios.”
He however stresses that public agencies responsible for protecting the environment and related artefacts should be adequately funded and supported to perform their duties. “If this is not done, we may as well be in dreamland concerning halting our prodigal destruction and consumption of our inheritance,” he noted.
While emphasising that the nation’s ecological heritage is closely bound to its cultural heritage, the activist added that protecting and preserving the environment is the duty of every Nigerian.
“We all have the duty of bequeathing our environmental legacy to future generations. Consume less, protect more, and replenish the Earth. It is time to halt our profligate tendencies and think beyond ourselves. The proverb says: he that burns his father’s house inherits ashes. We certainly do not want that.”
Bassey insisted that communities should be empowered to manage the forests because, according to him, they (the communities) have the knowledge and the passion to preserve local biodiversity as well as the customs and traditions associated with such forests.
“Threats of displacement of forest communities without free prior informed consent and without regard to climate impacts, endangerment of biodiversity and destruction of watersheds must end. Deforestation, for any reason, must be halted. Trees and associated ecosystems cannot be replaced by planting two or more saplings for every one established tree felled. Trees are not carbon stocks and forests are not a mere collection of trees. Forests are arenas of life and theatres of culture,” he said.
He submitted that, beyond the environmental audit, a programme for national environmental remediation should be mapped out and commenced. “We believe that this would not only assure us of a healthy environment, but would be a veritable means of creating jobs and rebuilding livelihoods.”
He concluded: “Unless we know our heritage, we may not know what we have lost and are losing. There is an urgent need for an inventory of environmental assets in Nigeria. We urgently need to institute a regular assessment of the state of the Nigerian environment as a means of revealing threats and fashioning the means for tackling the threats. The last assessment was almost a decade ago, and it was more or less an inconclusive exercise.”
Keynote address was presented by Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, immediate past Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State. Prof. Oladele Osibanjo, Chairman/CEO of Jawura Environmental Services Ltd., chaired the occasion.
