A new study of the forest and peatland fires that burned across maritime Southeast Asia in 2015 has found that the carbon emissions were the largest since 1997, when an even stronger El Niño also resulted in extended drought and widespread burning.
Forest fire in Indonesia
Using a pioneering combination of regional satellite observations, on-the-ground measurements in Kalimantan, Indonesia, and the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) modelling framework, the study’s authors determined that the daily carbon emissions released by the fires in September and October 2015 were higher than those of the entire European Union (EU) over the same period.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, was carried out by a team led by Vincent Huijnen of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute and Martin J. Wooster of King’s College London and the NERC National Centre for Earth Observation, and included Daniel Murdiyarso and David Gaveau from the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).
In September and October 2015, dry conditions and the delayed onset of seasonal rains contributed to extensive landscape fires, with the resulting smoke strongly impacting air quality in the region and the health of millions of people.
This research team is the very first to have measured the ground-level smoke composition from active peatland burning in the region. They combined that data with satellite information to derive the first greenhouse gas emissions estimates of the 2015 fires, finding that 884 million tons of carbon dioxide was released in the region last year – 97% originating from burning in Indonesia. The corresponding carbon emissions were 289 million tons, and associated carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions 1.2 billion tons.
Satellites provided data on the heat output being radiated by the fires, as well as information on the amount of carbon monoxide present in the surrounding atmosphere. From this, the total carbon emissions were calculated by combining those measurements with the newly determined emission factors of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane measured at fires burning in October 2015 outside of Palangka Raya in Central Kalimantan province – one of the hardest-hit fire sites.
“There have been some isolated studies before where people artificially set fires in the lab to try to understand the chemical characteristics of peatland fire smoke in Indonesia. But no one had done this on natural fires, and especially not on the kind of extreme fires seen in 2015. We are the first people to do that,” said Wooster.
The results indicate that regional carbon dioxide emissions from landscape fires were 11.3 million tons per day in September and October 2015, exceeding the EU’s daily rate of 8.9 million tons. Further, 77% of the regional fire carbon emissions for the year occurred during that time – at the peak of the fires.
The scientists also compared their results to those of the 1997 El Niño-related fires in the region.
“In 1997 the drought lasted longer, the fires were more severe and a lot more forest burned. In 2015, fires mostly burned on degraded peatland covered with shrubs and wood debris,” said CIFOR scientist David Gaveau.
The study’s results have wide implications for future research, whether it is in respect to studies of landscape burning or the impacts of fire emissions on climate and public health, and they contribute to better understanding the need for fire prevention and improved landscape management.
“What is important is the applicability of a study like this in helping policy makers to use more accurate fire emission factors to design policy and act to prevent further fires and greenhouse gas emissions,” CIFOR scientist Daniel Murdiyarso said.
The Melka group has unveiled plans to sell off controversial oil palm plantations in the Peruvian amazon. Public auctions will be held in Lima, Peru, over the next few weeks as the Melka group decides to sell land in Ucayali.
Peruvian amazonian indigenous people
A public notice placed in the Jakarta Post on June 23 outlined plans to sell the estate and plantations on the estate in public auctions on June 30, July 7 and July 14. Interested parties were invited to make contact in order to hear further details of the property.
The properties in question are said to be highly controversial and subject to numerous challenges and complaints in the Peruvian courts, at the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and by investment regulators. The Peruvian government has investigated these properties and already ordered the suspension of operations as the owners failed to secure the relevant authorisations prior to clearance of the forest.
Satellite imagery has shown that these companies are clearing primary forests without permits and contrary to Peruvian laws and RSPO norms.
The RSPO itself has insisted on a suspension of operations as indigenous peoples have filed complaints accusing the company of taking their lands without their consent.
The same indigenous people have filed a lawsuit in Peru in which they are suing both the regional government and the company called Plantaciones de Pucallpa for the illegal acquisition of their traditional lands. Meanwhile, the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange is investigating the complaint by more than 60 Peruvian organisations which requests the delisting of United Cacao Ltd, which is also part of the same consortium operating in Peru.
According to Marcus Colchester, senior policy advisor at Forest Peoples Programme, “The proposed sale of these properties in Peru reflects the dark side of the palm oil sector whereby companies professing to uphold sustainability and business ‘best practice’, in line with RSPO and IFC standards, choose to sell off their properties when they are caught violating the standards or the law. When the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was challenged over its financial support for Wilmar in Indonesia in 2009 and found to be in violation of its own Performance Standards, it promptly divested from all its other palm oil properties in Indonesia. When Jardines was challenged over its palm oil property in Tripa, it sold the company off instead of sorting out the problems on the ground.”
Additional government regulations, in both host and home countries, are needed to hold transnational companies to account for their legal, human rights and environmental violations.
Forest Peoples Programme has contacted the Jakarta Post, urging further investigations of the Peru case and prospective buyers to be aware of these ‘trash and run’ practices.
Solar Impulse, a zero-fuel aircraft powered entirely by the sun, made history last Thursday morning by completing its crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. It had taken off days earlier from New York to cross the Atlantic on a trip around the world.
The Solar Impulse in flight
The pilot, Bertrand Piccard, was able to reach Seville in Spain in about four days. Solar Impulse, the experimental, sponsor-funded airplane, is said to be wide as a Boeing 747 but only as heavy as an SUV.
The UN’s top climate change official Christiana Figueres congratulated the Solar Impulse team, which includes the pilot André Borschberg, in flying the aircraft to circumnavigate the globe.
Alluding to Solar Impulse and the potential of solar energy to replace the bulk of polluting fossil fuels world-wide, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Christiana Figueres, said: “Solar Impulse is breaking through self-imposed barriers of possibility. We did not think before that it would be possible to traverse long distances with zero emissions in any flying vehicle. The fact that the two pilots have proven that this is possible, the fact that they are up in the air again and finishing the around the world flight they initiated proves that impossible is not a fact, it is an attitude.”
With the recent Atlantic crossing, observers say the Solar Impulse team are popularising renewable energy technology and energy efficiency. Borschberg disclosed in a tweet: “Making the #impossible possible is a question of mindset: seeing obstacles as opportunities, welcoming #change.”
Solar Impulse gets its energy from 17,000 photovoltaic cells that cover the top surfaces of the craft. These cells power propellers during the day, but also charge batteries that the vehicle’s motors can then use during the night.
Bertrand Piccard and his team tried to circumnavigate the world last year, but the vehicle’s batteries overheated during the trip, forcing the project to layover on the Pacific archipelago while repairs were conducted.
The plane is now expected to return back to Abu Dhabi, its point of departure.
Once again, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State is blazing the trail. Recent report in Environews Nigeria including other local Nigerian daily newspapers gave prominence to the news item concerning the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Lagos State Government and Dubai authority (represented by Smart City Dubai, a company) for the creation of Africa’s first smart city, the Smart City Lagos. It was a news item with euphoria and one that gladdens the heart, in the sense that, finally, Lagos is swimming with the tidal wave of contemporary urban development instead of remaining stagnant and be left at the base of progress among other world Mega Cities.
With the aid of an impression of the development, a representative of Smart City Dubai explains details of the proposed Smart City Lagos to state officials
The snippets from the news item about the MOU covered the anticipated benefits: “…. it is expected to bring multi-billion-dollars investments to the city, create thousands of jobs and transform the Ibeju-Lekki axis in particular and the entire Lagos State in general.” (Steve Ayorinde, Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy). The reasons for Smart City Lagos: “…. a deliberate attempt by us to establish a strong convergence between technology, economic development and governance,” and “…. part of the larger vision to make Lagos cleaner, safer and more prosperous.” (Governor Akinwunmi Ambode). The import of the project: “…. Lagos will become an important center for innovations in smart technologies, wellness and destination for green tourism.” (Governor Ambode). The anticipated feat of the project. “…. the project would become world’s first carbon neutral city.” (Governor Ambode). Lastly, the features: “…. 12-lane road, hotel resorts, world-class technological education facilities and a rail metro line.” (EnviroNews, Friday, June 24, 2016).
Clarity of the operative word. The operative word being referred to here is “smart city.” What exactly is smart city? A search by this writer brought to the fore a few of the following definitions among several others: “A city equipped with basic infrastructure to give a decent quality of life, a clean sustainable environment through application of some smart solutions.” (Smart Cities website). “Smart City is an invention arising from the NEED to live a good, healthy life, intelligently, by solving most of our problems that we face today and fulfilling our needs for the future.” (City Urbanes). “Smart cities are cities of the future where technology will be used to improve efficiency of infrastructure and public services.” (IBM). A city can be defined as “smart” when it fulfills the need of a high quality of life with the help of modern technology.” (Infographic).
When the different definitions cited above are further deciphered, the common thread is the ubiquity of ICT and its application to facilitate high quality of life premised on advanced social, cultural, economic, environmental development, infrastructural development and efficient delivery of urban basic services. Therefore, the MoU that the LASG signed with Smart City Dubai is to introduce a “new urbanism” as a way of life, by creating a city that “works” and where life more abundant is guaranteed for its residents. This of course is a clear departure from what obtains in present day municipal Lagos, where uncontrolled urbanisation has taken its toll on city planning, service delivery, security, environment and the economy. As a first step, Governor Ambode should be commended for having the laudable vision for “Future Lagos” both in words, deeds and actions.
Where is the geographic location of the Smart City Lagos? While the objectives and beneficial impacts of the Smart City Lagos project are unambiguous, there is a cloud hanging over the form the development of the Smart City will take. Is it going to take the form of a new city to be developed from scratch on a tabula rasa location (undeveloped/pristine land). If yes, where is the intended area located? Or is it a “vest pocket” development in the midst of a sparsely populated rural area at the outlay of the Mega City? Or is it a blanket urban renewal and rejuvenation project that would touch every nook and cranny of the Mega City Region? Or is it a twin development of the on-going Eko Atlantic City (a prospective smart city) whose site preparation and sand filling had already taken off at the Lagos Bar Beach? Would the Smart City Lagos have any affiliation with the Lagos Free Trade Zone (FTZ) along the Ibeju- Lekki axis of the Lagos Mega City?
A specific answer needs to be provided by the LASG for the reading public in order to sensitise Lagos residents about the ambitious project. If the Smart City Lagos is going to be developed at a new site, definitely a large parcel of land would have to be acquired for the purpose. For this reason, the LASG would need to be proactive about how to deftly handle the issue of Omo onile, who are likely to be antagonistic of government for usurping their ownership of their ancestral land, whenever the project is about to kick off. The recurring issue of Omo onile which snowballed into unending/fatal fracas between this group of people and the LASG officials at the site acquired for the development of the Lagos Free Trade Zone is a sad reminder that should never be repeated in the course of developing the proposed Smart City. Therefore, the government should go the extra mile in properly sensitising the locales (villagers) where the project will be located, through their village heads so that their support could be made facile. This is necessary to be done and must be done in order to avoid any hitches that could delay the project or scare off prospective foreign investors. Government must not portray itself as a brazen usurper of people’s land or underrate the reaction of the people when treated shabbily, no matter the goodness of government intention to bring development to the specific location, for the benefit of the residents. Once the approach is inclusive and participatory by involving all concerned, particularly the local communities, the project would have a smooth sail. This is a first assumption to one of the questions asked earlier in this piece.
The second option is premised on the assumption that, if the government chooses to develop the Smart City as an “oasis” of modern/affluent settlement, amidst existing impoverished village settlements, which are unplanned and lacking the trappings of modernity in terms of road infrastructure, electricity and social amenities. We try to hazard this guess, purposely to zero in on the implications of such decision or choice by the government. In the case of the painted scenario, the issue of accessibility to the new site of the Smart City should be a major consideration. Government would need to provide high grade road connectivity to the new city such that its accessibility from any directions of the Mega City Region would not be a challenge. Excellent road accessibility is one of the determinants that investors would consider in making the right decision whether to be a willful participant in the joint venture to establish a business concern in the Smart City.
The Lagos-Lekki Expressway seems to be the only carriage road that would serve as arterial link to the Smart City site. That stretch of road has been “a-work-in-progress” for unduly long time and still is. Second, the carrying capacity of the road is far inadequate for the present volume of vehicular traffic along that axis and, as a result, it is always plagued with daily traffic congestion. Road users are often held in traffic most especially during the morning and evening rush hours, wasting a lot of man-hour struggling to get to their work places on the Island, Victoria Island, Mainland and Ikeja.
The Lagos-Lekki Expressway is going to play a pivotal in the success of the Smart City project, because of the road’s usefulness as a major link road along the presumed axis where the new Smart City is likely to be developed. This being so, it logically follows that the LASG would need to embark on massive rehabilitation of that expressway through expansion and addition of more lanes to enhance ease of vehicular passage. The construction would involve large scale demolition of all the eyesore mumbo jumbo developments which impede smooth traffic flow on the expressway. It is the only solution that would allow for the acquisition of more land space for additional right of way for the road expansion. This seems a herculean task in construction time and cost, which can neither be ignored by the state government nor procrastinate the rehab work, for reasons of the country’s parlous economy, paucity of funds and galloping inflation. As they say in local parlance, delay is costly.
For space constraint, I will fast forward this piece and focus on other very important aspects and offer useful tips (though unsolicited), which the core group of Smart City Lagos may find worthy of consideration. I am bringing my random musing to the fore of public conversation on the Smart City Lagos project as an engaged citizen (citizen participation) of Lagos and also from the perspective of a professional Urban Planner who views the city with “trained eyes.”
There is no template for developing a Smart City. The approach that works well in one city might fail in another city. Ask the Indian Government. India is home to over 100 pilot Smart Cities and what the officials of the participating cities found out is that the success or failure of a Smart City basically depends on the level of development of the city, willingness to embrace change and reform, available resources and aspirations of the city residents. Another research finding concluded as follows: “In order to compete in the international economy, cities…must demonstrate the availability of certain key assets, including a better educated and more highly educated workforce; globally linked telecommunications; efficient air and surface transportation; knowledge-based research institutions; flexible, mission-oriented, public and private organizations; an attractive quality of life; and fiscal soundness.” (N.R Pierce, 1993).
I strongly recommend to Governor Ambode and cerebral Pat Utomi with his Team in charge of the Smart City Lagos project to diligently take stock of each of the key assets listed above as they relate to the situation in Lagos and do a critical analysis of them as part of the preparatory stage for the take-off of their assignment. The review of the key assets would guide the Group to take informed decision as appropriate, instead of making decision in a vacuum of information.
Learning far and near. There is no monopoly of knowledge about what makes a Smart City works well. Inter-city cross pollination of ideas, collaboration, and exchange programme, C2C or city consultancy is perfectly okay. We make bold to say that the LASG’s MoU with Smart City Dubai is a leap in the right direction. It is spot on. But what the LASG must begin to understand is that the height Dubai attained today among notable global cities, to the level of a “poster child” of a successful Smart City, was not a sudden flight. It was through a diligent urban planning exercise that was embarked upon in the early 1990s, which the kingdom/emirate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tenaciously and committedly followed through with the elements of the plan. There was no undue interference from any “strongman” or sheik to distort the course of the plan, unlike what obtains in the Abuja Master Plan, which every appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (except El-Rufai, who restored sanity to the implementation of the plan circa 2007) distorted the master plan with impunity.
The level of governmental and citizen discipline regarding obedience of the law and stickler to development regulations in Dubai, with due respect, is not what we are used to in Nigeria, albeit we all know the adverse effect of our aversion to government regulations. It is an ill-wind that does no good to our cities’ development and the quality of life of the people that live in these cities. What works in other cities, miraculously does not work in Nigerian cities because the government lacks the political will to obey its own laws while the citizenry lacks the discipline to comply with development regulations. Let us cast our minds back to the incidences of collapse buildings in Lagos and other parts of the country over the years, to buttress the point being advanced in this piece. Many of the causes were attributed to violation of set rules and building regulations.
The LASG will surely learn the know-how or the rudiments of a Smart City development, from the Dubai experience; but the political will and discipline to practice the ideas undiluted, is another topic for another day.
By Yacoob Abiodun (Former Secretary, National Housing Policy Council; Urban Planner; Planning Advocate)
The Earth passed another unfortunate milestone on May 23 when carbon dioxide (CO2) surpassed 400 parts per million (ppm) at the South Pole for the first time in four million years.
South Pole
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the South Pole has shown the same, relentless upward trend in CO2 as the rest of world, but its remote location means it’s the last to register the impacts of increasing emissions from fossil fuel consumption, the primary driver of greenhouse gas pollution.
“The far southern hemisphere was the last place on earth where CO2 had not yet reached this mark,” said Pieter Tans, the lead scientist of the NOAA’s Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network. “Global CO2 levels will not return to values below 400 ppm in our lifetimes, and almost certainly for much longer.”
Over the course of the year, CO2 levels rise during fall and winter and decline during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer as terrestrial plants consume CO2 during photosynthesis. But plants only capture a fraction of annual CO2 emissions, so for every year since observations began in 1958, there has been more CO2 in the atmosphere than the year before.
Last year’s global CO2 average reached 399 ppm, meaning that the global average in 2016 will almost certainly surpass 400 ppm. The only question is whether the lowest month for 2016 will also remain above 400.
Upward trend continues
And the annual rate of increase appears to be accelerating. The annual growth rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii jumped 3.05 ppm during 2015, the largest year-to-year increase in 56 years of monitoring. Part of last year’s jump was attributable to El Nino, the cyclical Pacific Ocean warming that produces extreme weather across the globe, causing terrestrial ecosystems to lose stored CO2 through wildfire, drought and heat waves.
Last year was the fourth consecutive year that CO2 grew more than 2 ppm – which set another record. This year promises to be the fifth.
“We know from abundant and solid evidence that the CO2 increase is caused entirely by human activities,” Tans said. “Since emissions from fossil fuel burning have been at a record high during the last several years, the rate of CO2 increase has also been at a record high. And we know some of it will remain in the atmosphere for thousands of years.”
Paris is this year’s Global Earth Hour Capital. WWF’s Earth Hour City Challenge recognises the “City of Light” as a role model for climate action and awards Paris for its ambitious vision and successful engagement with business, civil society and other cities on its journey toward sustainability.
Paris, France
Paris hosted last year’s historic global climate summit and has shown strong climate leadership, creating a model for other city governments to replicate. In addition to setting up an effective centralised Climate Agency, ensuring clean vehicles, extending public transportation and developing waste-to-fuel conversion, Paris has also incorporated a regular review process to ensure that the city is on track to meet its sustainability goals as well as the current and future needs of its citizens.
“As the world works to bring the Paris climate agreement into action, the ‘City of Light’ is leading by example,” said Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International. “Winning WWF’s Earth Hour City Challenge reflects Paris’ commitment to inspire global action to reduce emissions and build environmental sustainability through green urban development.”
Selected from a shortlist of 18 national finalists, Paris impressed the international jury with its innovative actions, long-term vision and willingness to collaborate and share knowledge capital with cities around the globe.
WWF’s Earth Hour City Challenge 2016 saw participation from 125 cities representing 21 countries. Cities were evaluated on their level of ambition and innovation in developing climate-smart solutions that advance sustainable development under local circumstances.
National winners included Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Boulder, USA; Chiangrai, Thailand; Edmonton, Canada; Hue City, Vietnam; Jakarta, Indonesia; Lappeenranta, Finland; Montería, Colombia; Murcia, Spain; Petaling Jaya, Malaysia; Quito, Ecuador; Rajkot, India; Santa Rosa, Philippines; Shenzhen, China; City of Singapore, Singapore; Tshwane, South Africa and Umeå, Sweden.
Paris now joins the ranks of previous global Earth Hour City Challenge winners such as Vancouver, Cape Town and Seoul, all of whom have shown extraordinary leadership in developing innovative solutions for tackling climate change and reducing the ecological footprint of urban lifestyles.
“Paris, as a member of ICLEI, is a global forerunner in sustainability. The city’s ambitious, long-term, holistic vision, supported by concrete climate actions and ambitious targets set the bar high for the Earth Hour City Challenge this year. Paris has demonstrated its commitment to inspire, collaborate and exchange knowledge with cities around the world, taking this to new heights as the host of the COP21 last year,” said Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI.
WWF works closely with ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability to mobilize cities to participate in the Earth Hour City Challenge. ICLEI provides the use of its carbon Climate Registry as the reporting platform for the initiative.
“I am very happy and honoured to see Paris and Parisians being rewarded with the prestigious Earth Hour City Challenge award by WWF. As Paris acts in concrete terms against air pollution, this recognition encourages us to go further in linking public health and protection of the environment,” said Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris. “Cities have always been on the front line of change, and have always foreseen, prefigured and pre-empted the future. This makes them key actors of the ecological transition. Paris will take up this 21st century challenge,” continued Hidalgo.
Separately, on 30 June, WWF will announce the winner of the We Love Cities campaign – the public engagement arm of the Earth Hour City Challenge – on welovecities.org and through social media. The We Love Cities campaign engages citizens around the world to express their support for cities committed to sustainability through votes, tweets and Instagram pictures. To date, more than 230,000 people have voted for their favourite urban area from the 46 cities profiled on the campaign’s website. Voting closes on 26 June 2016 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
Around five per cent of the adult population, or nearly 250 million people between the ages of 15 and 64, used at least one drug in 2014, according to the latest World Drug Report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, with President Muhammadu Buhari
Although substantial, this figure has not grown over the past four years in proportion to the global population. The report, however, suggests that the number of people classified as suffering from drug user disorders has increased disproportionally for the first time in six years. There are now over 29 million people within this category (compared to the previous figure of 27 million). Additionally, around 12 million people inject drugs with 14 per cent of these living with HIV. The overall impact of drug use in terms of health consequences continues to be devastating.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, in his message to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking commemorated yearly on June 26, said: “The challenges posed by the world drug problem require a global response that is simultaneously effective, compassionate and humane.”
He stated further that “addressing the world drug problem demands a considered and unified response by Governments. The illicit trade in drugs fosters transnational organised crime networks, systemic corruption and widespread violence. It is also a major public health menace. Millions of people are directly affected, especially the poor, vulnerable women and children, and those living in fragile communities.”
In Nigeria, the European Union funded project “Response to Drugs and Related Organised Crime in Nigeria” being implemented by UNODC is supporting national efforts in fighting drugs trafficking, preventing drug use and curbing organised crime through strengthening policy formulation, legislation and coordination; enhancing law enforcement capacity and inter-agency coordination and supporting relevant bodies to provide enhanced drug prevention, treatment and care services.
The project has supported the formulation of National Drug Control Master Plan 2015-2019, a strategy document driving the response of the Nigerian government to drugs and related issues in Nigeria. It was publicly launched on June 26, 2015.
Closely related to this is the finalisation and commencement of the field testing of the draft national guidelines for quantification of narcotics and estimation of precursors and psychotropic substances for medical and research purposes; development of national minimum standards of drug dependence treatment in 2014; the development of national policy guidelines for drug counseling for NDLEA in 2015; assessment of 17 drug treatment facilities and the subsequent development of 11 Model Drug Treatment Centres and seven Regional Training Hubs including the development of national minimum standards on drug treatment; and commencement of pilot drug treatment at one prison in 2016. The project has trained over 1,000 health practitioners in drug treatment and over 800 law enforcement officers from seven agencies in law enforcement techniques.
This is the first International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking since the adoption last year of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Goal 3 calls on countries to strengthen the prevention and treatment of narcotic drug abuse, end AIDS and combat hepatitis. Goal 16 is designed to help to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies and institutions that can address illicit drugs, crime, corruption and terrorism.
The SDGs also informed the deliberations of the UN General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem in April 2016. They support the founding principle of the International Drug Control Conventions, which is to ensure the health and well-being of humankind. This requires a balance between interrupting drug supply and preventing and treating the harmful impact of drugs on people’s health.
The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Mr. Yury Fedotov, observed that “UNODC’s World Drug Report 2016 advances further understanding of the problem. In alarming detail, the report shows a rise in the number of problem drug users from 27 to 29 million people aged 15-64; the disastrous resurgence of heroin in some regions; the appalling loss of life due to overdoses, and the disproportionate impact illicit drugs have on women, among many others challenges.”
He added that “one of the key recommendations of this year’s World Drug Report is that achieving sustainable development and countering the world drug problem must not exist as distant cousins. Illicit drugs threaten the security and health of people, while weakening both communities and institutions. If targets of the Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved under Goal 3 on health, and Goal 16, on peaceful societies, as well as many other goals, drug-related development initiatives should be mainstreamed into general development efforts.”
Characterised by limited access to modern energy services with majority of the population relying on the traditional solid fuels (biomass) to meet their cooking and heating needs, the villages of Gaya Silkami and Fa’a Gaya are beneficiaries to a power non-grid rural communities with solar based energy services.
Courtesy of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) under the Sustainable Energy for All (Se4All) initiative, the two neighbouring rural communities in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State who are still smarting from the effects of an attack last year by the Boko Haram sect, have been given an energy lifeline that is improving health services, providing potable water, illuminating the community and boosting mobile communication.
Outdoor community lighting in Gaya SilkamiSolar panels on the roof of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) Arewa Diocese Gartsanu Maternity Clinic, Gartsanu GayaSolar fridge-freezer at the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) Arewa Diocese Gartsanu Maternity Clinic, Gartsanu GayaSolar freezer at the Gaya Silkami Primary Health Care CentrePatients at the Gaya Silkami Primary Health Care CentreWater supply in Gaya SilkamiAlhaji Abba Saleh, a representative of the Head of Service of Hong LGA (left) with Manaseh Gachanunaya, a junior community health extension worker (JCHEW) at the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) Arewa Diocese Gartsanu Maternity Clinic, Gartsanu Gaya
Project signpostYoung faces at Gaya SilkamiL-R: Mallam Ja’afaru Biyma, a representative of the village head in Gaya Silkami; Alhaji Abba Saleh, a representative of the Head of Service of Hong LGA; Javan Zakaria, clinic-in-charge at the Gaya Silkami PHCC; and Sunday Igoche, project contractorOkon Ekpenyong, an engineer and deputy director with the ECN (right) sharing a point with Mallam Ja’afaru Biyma (left) and Javan Zakaria
Two rural communities in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State in Northeast Nigeria are effectively recovering from the ravages of insurgency, thanks to an energy lifeline that is improving health services, providing potable water, illuminating the community and boosting mobile communication.
The water supply facility in Gaya Silkami
In February 2015, rampaging Boko Haram militants invaded the villages of Fa’a Gaya and Gaya Silkami. While the former was caught unawares and suffered considerable human and material casualty, the latter had gotten wind of the attack and villagers sought refuge in the nearby mountains for some days before trekking for hundreds of kilometres – in the dead of the night on foot – to Hong. Some were able to make it to Yola, the state capital.
With the insurgency subsiding, normalcy now appears to be returning to the communities as the villagers are returning to their homes, and picking up the pieces of their lives.
But the darkness awaiting them is, to their relief, being lit up, courtesy of an initiative aimed at expanding access of local communities to modern energy services (such as solar energy) under the Sustainable Energy for All (Se4All) programme being promoted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN).
Most of the houses in both villages – predominantly Kilba tribe – are built with mud blocks and thatched roof, and the villagers live in a cluster. While Gaya Silkami has a population of about 1,345, Fa’a gaye has 830. They are mostly into cattle rearing and cultivation of crops such as maize, groundnut and millet.
The major sources of water supply in the villages include manual water pump, stagnant ponds, run-off streams and rain water. But Se4All has enabled the installation of a solar-powered water borehole along with two 10,000-litre capacity overhead tanks providing clean and potable water supply for the villagers.
Similarly, the villages are not connected to the national grid, making them very dark at night. Residents lack access to – and can’t afford to buy – kerosene to fuel their lamps for night lighting, spend huge amount to purchase batteries for torchlight and very few can afford a generating set. However, 267 solar home systems have been provided the households (167 in Gaya Silkami and 100 in Fa’a Gaya) to provide lighting in the night for security, reading and enable users to charge their mobile phones.
Just like the single Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC) in Fa’a Gaya, one of the two PHCCs in Gaya Silkami was burnt down by members of the Boko Haram sect during the attacks. While the one in Fa’a Gaya has not been rebuilt since the return of the indigenes, Gaya Silkami’s PHCC has however been reconstructed. Consequently, Solar PV Systems were installed on the roofs of the two PHCCs in Gaya Silkami, and a solar-powered freezer/fridge provided for each of the centres. The systems were installed to provide lighting and power the freezer/fridge in the clinics.
Javan Zakaria, clinic-in-charge at the Gaya Silkami PHCC, said: “Before now, we used to go to Kuva which is about 50km away to get our vaccines. The vaccines can be stored here now because of the solar freezer given to us by the UNDP at no cost. We also have light 24 hours a day.
“We are very grateful for this kind gesture. We didn’t expect to benefit from such a programme because we are in the village. We now have more patients coming to us. In fact, we are now a big clinic.”
Ja’afaru Biyma, a representative of the village head in Gaya Sikalmi, stated: “We are very grateful for the lamps, which we also use to charge our handsets. It has been useful in many situations because it can run for 24 hours after full charge. However, we will very much appreciate it if UNDP and government can provide us with an ambulance.”
Alhaji Abba Saleh, a representative of the Head of Service of Hong LGA, submitted: “We hereby thank the UNDP and ECN for providing us with energy sources to power borehole for water supply, to preserve drugs in the clinics, light our homes and the community and charge our phones. The Pumping machine and the freezer were also provided at no cost. All these will go a long way in improving the quality of life.”
Aliu Idris, Chief Imam of Guw Dutse community, which is several kilometres from Gaya Silkami, said: “Our people come from our village that is over 2km away from here to fetch water from this new facility in Gaye Silkami. We are pleading with the UNDP and ECN to extend this gesture to us as well because we do not have water and we trek a long distance to come here to fetch water.”
Because the PHCCs are government facilities and have the tendency to go on strike at intervals, the Se4All programme has therefore equipped a nearby missionary clinic at Gartsanu Gaya – the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) Arewa Diocese Gartsanu Maternity Clinic – with a solar-powered fridge-freezer that is used to preserve vaccines and drugs, as well as light up the rooms in the health centre.
Manaseh Gachanunaya, a junior community health extension worker (JCHEW) at the clinic, disclosed: “Before now, we had nowhere to store the vaccines so we brought them from Mijidi or Hong which is about two and half hours’ journey from here. Our immunisation was not so good then. But all these have changed as we can now preserve drugs here. We immunise close to 100 children in a day.”
Okon Ekpenyong, an engineer and deputy director with the ECN, said: “Communities that have been driven away by insurgents are now returning. And now that they are returning, it’s like going back into darkness. And when these people return from exile, we at the UNDP/ECN now decided that they want to change the standard of living of the community by providing them with necessary energy for daily living, which include energy for lighting, energy for water supply, energy for primary health care delivery. In that case now we decided that we are going to provide them solar energy because in this case they will not need petrol or kerosene but they will use the natural sunlight. So now we are using this solar to provide them water supply. We are also providing them solar lightening with which they can use to charge their phones.
“In Gaya Silkami, the project has successfully provided about 167 households with over 1,345 people with solar lighting systems which would enable the villagers perform domestic duties effectively at night, charge their mobile phones in the convenience of their homes and help children read at night. With this, the villagers do not have to worry about buying kerosene or dry cell batteries for lighting. The portable water supply would help to improve the health condition of the villager by reducing cases of infection from water-borne diseases, and reduce the number of hours needed by women and children to fetch water from the stream.
“The project also trained some youths in the installation of the solar home systems, and the installation and maintenance of the solar powered borehole. This is a form of job creation for the youths who can now install and maintain some of these facilities for other communities.”
Following in the footsteps of Stockholm and several others, the German city of Berlin is the latest city to pull out of fossil fuels
Aerial view of Berlin skyline
Berlin’s parliament voted on Thursday to pull its money out of coal, gas and oil companies.
The new investment policy, part of the German capital’s goal of completely weaning off carbon by 2050, will force the city’s pension fund – worth $852.8 million, or €750 million – to divest from shares of German oil giants RWE and E.ON, as well as the French behemoth Total.
The move comes a week after Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, vowed to end its investments in fossil fuels companies, making Berlin the seventh major Western city to join a divestment movement that already includes Paris, Copenhagen, Oslo, Seattle, Portland and Melbourne. In September, New York Mayor Bill de Blasiourged the city’s five pension funds – worth a collective $160 billion – to sell their $33 million exposure to coal, by the far the dirtiest fossil fuel.
A handful of smaller U.S. cities have pledged to curtail fossil fuel investments, too.
“Berlin’s decision to blacklist fossil fuel companies is the latest victory for the divestment movement, which serves to remove the social license from companies whose business model pushes us into climate catastrophe,” Christoph Meyer, a campaigner with environmental non-profit 350.org’s Fossil Free Berlin project, said in a statement. “We will keep a close eye on the administration to make sure it upholds today’s commitment and urge the city to now take quick steps to break its reliance on coal power.”
The decision, hailed as a victory for environmentalists, comes as the divestment movement gains steam in the wake of the historic climate treaty brokered in Paris in December. About 170 nations signed the accord at the United Nations in New York two months ago. More than 500 institutions – including well-endowed universities, pension funds and religious organizations collectively representing $3.4 trillion – have agreed to stop investing in fossil fuels since the campaign began.
The divestments put pressure on fossil fuel companies to take serious steps to reform their businesses as world leaders try to dramatically slash carbon emissions. Without that, global temperatures are likely to rise well above 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, by the end of the century, altering the climate enough to jeopardise the future of human civilisation.
It’s not a particularly contentious move for Berlin. For much of the last decade, Germany has aggressively pushed to transition from an economy powered by fossil fuels to one propelled by clean energy under a policy called Energiewende. As of 2014, the country – considered the economic powerhouse of Europe – generated 26.2 percent of its power from renewables, according to Strom-Report, a project run by a group of German data journalists.
“We’re not alone anymore,” Charly Kleissner, the founder of the KL Felicitas Foundation, a group pushing for divestment from fossil fuels, told the German business newspaper Handelsblatt last week. “The next generation is all in.”
