32.3 C
Lagos
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Home Blog Page 2014

Lagos storm destroys Makoko Floating School

admin
-
0
Lagos storm destroys Makoko Floating School

Tragedy struck in Lagos on Tuesday when the world famous Makoko Floating School went down like a pack of cards as a heavy rain storm hit the bustling coastal city. The building had overtime survived several storms, but the already battered structure finally caved in around 12 noon on 07 June, 2016.

The Makoko Floating School, Lagos
The Makoko Floating School, Lagos

However, none of the pupils were hurt. Due essentially to the fact that they were not there at the time of the incident – they had all been moved to a different location months earlier due to what looked like the deteriorating condition of the building. Nonetheless, the about 300 children mainly from the nearby Makoko waterfront community have now been left without a school.

According to the Head Teacher of the school, Noah Shemede, many of the children are in despair and hoping that something is done urgently to enable them complete their last term of the 2015/2016 academic year.

He said: “The school collapsed between 11am and 12noon. This was after we noticed some cracks on the building. I moved my pupils from the school in March to Wainaina Nursery and Primary School due to severe weather condition that was making learning difficult and not conducive for the children.”

The Head Teacher expressed joy that none of the pupils were hurt. “My joy is that none of the children was in the school when it finally collapsed. I pray we can get our school back and in a better condition. How will I cope with these children? We need help to ensure these children have the best of education,” he lamented.

The Floating School since its construction in 2013 has become one of Lagos’ iconic structures seen from the Lagoon. The school, which was built as an adaptive structure for coastal communities in developing countries that are grappling with rapid urbanisation, was supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and international NGOs.

Collapsed...
Collapsed…

 

Prior to the commencement of the project, the children of Makoko only had access to one primary school which was considered inadequate, built on reclaimed land and was frequently threatened by recurrent flooding. The old school which had only four classrooms was grossly overpopulated. The new school thus came as a huge relief for the teeming population of primary school students in Makoko, where Wainaina was hitherto the only primary school of the waterfront community.

In 2013, an architect, Kunlé Adeyemi of NLÉ, proposed to transform the water slum status of the Makoko waterfront community to a floating island by creating a functional building prototype. He collaborated with organisations such as the Heinrich Böll Foundation, UNDP, Federal Ministry of Environment’s Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP), Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and Makoko waterfront community to execute the project.

Down, but not out?
Down, but not out?

The floating school comprises alternative sustainable buildings and structures designed to adapt to the resident communities’ aquatic lifestyle. The floating school utilises local materials such as bamboo, timber and resources to produce architecture that applies to the physical, social needs of people and reflects the culture of the community.

Wood is used as the major material for the structure, support and finishing of school building. The form of the school building is a triangular A-Frame section with about 1,000-square-foot play area. The classrooms are located on the second tier and are partially enclosed with adjustable louvered slats. The classrooms are also surrounded by spatial public greenery. There is a playground below the classroom while the roof contains an additional open air classroom. The classroom spaces are used for communal functions especially during out-of-school hours. Sustainable features include application of solar cells to the roof, rainwater catchment systems and composting toilets.

Bird's eye view of the school
Bird’s eye view of the school

The structure was also designed to use about 250 plastic barrels to float on the waters and be naturally ventilated and aerated. There are considerations to use the building prototype to provide additional infrastructure for the community including an entertainment centre, a community hub and health clinics.

The floating school design won the 2013 AR+D award for emerging architecture and was shortlisted for the London Design Museum’s 2014 Design of the Year award. It also received a nomination for the 2015 International Award for Public Art.

By Augustina Armstrong-Ogbonna

Nigeria ready to tackle illicit wildlife trade – Mohammed

admin
-
1
Nigeria ready to tackle illicit wildlife trade – Mohammed

The Federal Ministry of Environment with the collaboration of sister agencies has spread its tentacles across the nation’s borders to check the illegal trading in wildlife.

Environment Minister, Amina Mohammed
Environment Minister, Amina J. Mohammed

Minister of the Environment, Amina J. Mohammed, who announced this in a message to commemorate the World Environment Day celebration in Lagos, also enjoined all Nigerians to join in the war against the illegal trading in endangered species of fauna and flora, to conserve them for the future generation, as well as generate revenue for host communities and the nation.

The minister, who was represented by the Controller, Federal Ministry of Environment (FME) in Lagos, Agbenla Oluwatoyin, assured that the country would fully meet the recommendations by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), which it is a signatory to.

Mohammed explained that through the collaboration of the Nigerian Immigration Service and other institutions, traders in engendered species are being intercepted and handed over to the police for prosecution.

“The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) is the enforcement arm of the FME. We are investing hugely on monitoring. Once any one runs fowl of the law, apart from the fact that the animal or animal parts are seized from him or her, the person is handed over to the police for prosecution. Nigeria is signatory to many conventions on wildlife protection, one of which is the CITES. So we are compelled by law to enforce it,” she said, adding:

“Illegal trade in wildlife is the exchange of undomesticated animals and plants from their natural habitat against established rules and regulations. This has led to wildlife crime which covers different kinds of criminal activities such as poaching, capture/collection of fauna and flora from the wild, smuggling, possession, and illegal import or export of endangered species of wild fauna and flora. The criminal activities differ from country to country depending on the fauna and flora available. Some of the world’s Illegal trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora include: poaching of elephants and rhinoceroses in Africa for ivory and horn respectively; smuggling rare parrots captured in the rain forests of Brazil, tortoise, turtles and other reptiles; collection of eggs of wild birds; trafficking in bears’ gall bladder and tiger parts, etc.

“Illegal wildlife trade is a challenge because it has the potential to be very damaging. Population of species on earth declined by an average of 40% between 100 and 2000; and the second biggest direct threat to species survival, after habitat destruction, is wildlife trade. However, the most obvious problem associated with illegal wildlife is that it can cause over exploitation to the point where the survival of a species hangs in the balance. Such exploitation has caused extinction or severely threatened species, and as human population increases, the demand for wildlife also increases.

“Wildlife is a very important component of the ecosystem and it is expedient to stop its illegal trade in order to conserve wildlife for posterity and ecological balance. It is important to note that different species in nature are connected through various food webs, and the disappearance of one species could affect several others down the line. For example, overfishing does not only affect individual fishing communities and threaten certain fish species, but also causes imbalance in the whole marine system. As human life depends on the existence of a functioning planet earth, careful and thoughtful use of wildlife species and their habitats is required to avoid not only extinction, but also serious disturbances to the complex web of life.”

In a lecture, a Deputy Director of Forestry at the FME, Dr. Elizabeth Ehi-Ebewele, said the collaboration with communities in checking the killing and smuggling of wildlife should be strengthened.

“They go to all the nooks and crannies destroying our forests. They collaborate with community people, and gain access to the bush. They kill any elephant, any mammal, including the young ones and those that are pregnant. To them, what is important is money. They have no regard for the future,” she stated.

This, according to her, is necessary because wildlife traffickers from China and others succeeded because they collaborate with local people.

In an address, Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Lateef Suberu, a wildlife expert, advised the authorities to give more impetus in enforcement of laws against poaching and illegal trading to secure its wildlife.

He said: “What is the need for laws when they are not enforced to the letter? Nigeria really needs to wake up, else we will just wake one day and see that the wildlife has all disappeared. Illegal trade in wildlife as you know is not a new practice, it has been in occurrence for many years and is still booming. It is fully detrimental to our beautiful heritage. UNEP states, ‘The killing and smuggling is also undermining economies and ecosystems, fuelling organised crime and insecurity across the globe’.

“It is for these reasons that we are gathered here to create awareness on how best to fight this war against global menace. This year’s theme of world Environment Day, “Fight against the illegal trade in wildlife” and slogan “Join the race to make the world a better place” carry a clear message and ask everyone to get involved in making the world a better place to live in.”

The event featured the exhibition of body parts of wildlife animals including ivory from elephants and rhinoceros, the skins of python, tiger, and crocodile, and the shells of sea turtle, to the admiration of many school children.

Some of the students and pupils said they were happy to see how the animals look like in real life, and called on government to ensure the proper conservation of the wildlife so that the future generations will see them.

“I am really happy to see these animals because I have not seen them before. What I learnt is that these animals deserve to live so that school children will know more about them and also the future generations will see them not to only read about them in books,” said a student.

Another one stated: “I learnt there are different species of snakes and that it is such a big animal that no other animal can kill easily.”

Yet another disclosed: “I have never seen an elephant before neither have I seen the tusk. So, It is very interesting to see one today.”

By Innocent Onoh

NESREA seeks support to curb poaching, wildlife trade

admin
-
0
NESREA seeks support to curb poaching, wildlife trade

Communities in Nigeria have been urged to support efforts to preserve the remaining wildlife resources from extinction by guarding their forests against poachers.

Director-General, National Environmental Standard & Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr. Lawrence Anukam. Photo credit: dailypost.ng
Director-General, National Environmental Standard & Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr. Lawrence Anukam. Photo credit: dailypost.ng

The call was made by the Lagos State Coordinator, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Mr Nosa Aigbedion, at an event on Monday 06 June 2016 by the Federal Ministry of Environment (FME) to mark this year’s World Environment Day.

He explained that exotic wildlife including species of elephants, gorillas, crocodiles, tigers, pythons, mahogany plants, among others, are on the verge of extinction due to the activities of illegal hunters, who kill and smuggle them to enrich themselves, thus denying the host community and the nation the huge revenue from the resources.

Mr. Aigbedion stressed that although most of the people arrested for illegal trading in endangered species and animals were foreigners, added that they succeeded nonetheless because some people in the host communities assisted them.

“Most of them arrested for illegally trading in wildlife are not actually Nigerians but have Nigerian collaborators who help them to either poach, collect, process and baggage for export,” he disclosed, adding that NESREA, being an enforcement arm of the FME, has been working in collaboration with the Nigerian Customs Service to ensure a zero trade on exotic wildlife, especially those in the Annex A of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES).

His words: “We have been trying our best to see that we curtail this business. The tracking down of illegal traders and the trafficking of CITES materials, exotic plants and animals considered endangered or near extinction is part of our activities. Our border agencies like the Nigerian Customs and others have been part of these collaborative efforts to ensure that we track down these illegal traffickers. It is illegal.

“And the reason to ensure that the environment is safe and our resources – the bio-resources of Nigeria are also safe is very important. That’s why we go about looking for these illegal traffickers and discouraging prospective buyers from going into the business.”

According to him, many traders in wildlife resources have been arrested, and are being penalised accordingly.

“The penalty depends on the level of involvement. It ranges from fine to imprisonment on conviction. We don’t impose penalty. As a matter of fact, we arrest and hand over to the police and the prosecution team takes over. They are either fined or imprisoned, depending on the level of involvement,” he pointed out.

He however noted that because of the nation’s border is so large policing it against illegal wildlife traders has not been easy.

Aigbedion said: “The Nigerian boarder is so wide. We have so wide land border that even the entire nation will take half of it to man the entire border. But we have trafficking routes, market routes where these traffickers go through.

“Ours is to identify those routes and put personnel on the tracks to ensure that, as much as possible, we track them down, we prosecute them and discourage trading on CITES materials particularly elephant tusk which is almost nearing extinction, rhino tusk and pangolin scales, and some other exotic animals that are classified as being the Annex A of the CITES convention.”

He described the World Environment Day as a programme designed to raise awareness on the need to protect the environment and its resources.

He stressed: “A programme like this World Environment Day is important in spreading the message for the protection of wildlife. The need to seek knowledge and get information should be everybody’s responsibility. That animals are approaching extinction, that some animals are difficult to get these days that were sometime in the past very common, is no news in so many quarters.

“We go about creating awareness particularly as this World Environment Day theme suggests that we particularly stop illegal wildlife trading. Programmes like this benefit a lot and we educate the people to ensure that exotic wildlife plants and animals classified as Annex A of the CITES convention are not traded at all, not traded upon, not traded in and not traded with.

“Proper licensing should be obtained and you work through the requirements as given, which always stipulated in the silences. There are so many programmes, awareness programmes, and sensitisations to discourage the use and trade in plants and animals classified as nearing extinction.

“We have arrested several people. Some have gone through the prosecution process. A lot have been arrested in the process of tracking down illegal trade in CITES materials. So many have been arrested over the years and we are still arresting others even today, sensitising people and creating as many engagements as possible.

“To our knowledge, the trading in wildlife has gone down. Possibly, they must have devised another way of trading in the business that we don’t know about yet.

“I think it has gone down drastically and we are still trying to block some holes here and there. The borders are so wide. If not for the efforts of some of our sister agencies, which helped us to police them at the border points, some of them would have gone through our hands. But, to a large extent, the business has come down but we hope that it continues to go down so that we can curtail this spate of illegal trade in CITES materials.”

By Innocent Onoh

Climate change threatens South Asia’s security, warns Military report

admin
-
0
Climate change threatens South Asia’s security, warns Military report

A new report has warned that a recent drought in India which has affected over 330 million people – causing displacement and threatening the livelihoods of millions farmers – is just the first hint of how climate change could destabilise the South Asian region, unless steps are taken to address the threat posed by a warming, resource-scarce world.

Maj. General A.N.M. Muniruzzaman (Ret.) of Bangladesh
Maj. General A.N.M. Muniruzzaman (Ret.) of Bangladesh

In the report, “Climate Change and Security in South Asia: Cooperating for Peace,” Global Military Advisory Council on Climate Change (GMACCC) authors Lt. General Tariq Waseem Ghazi (Ret.) of Pakistan, Maj. General A.N.M. Muniruzzaman (Ret.) of Bangladesh, and Air Marshall A.K. Singh (Ret.) of India recommend that the region’s leaders strengthen cooperation to reduce the potential for widespread human suffering and further instability.

The report also calls for better data collection and sharing to inform policies to prevent climate risks leading to conflict, humanitarian crises and the spread of extremism by groups that exploit opportunities in times of crises and instability.

Air Marshall A.K. Singh (Ret.) of India
Air Marshall A.K. Singh (Ret.) of India

In South Asia, climate change will result in more frequent and more intense natural disasters, spurring water and food shortages, mass displacement and migration and competition over land and natural resources.

With more such impacts on the horizon, the compounding effects can have far reaching consequences undermining economic stability, increasing societal tensions and threatening regional and international security, the report warns.

“The recent drought has illustrated just how climate change creates chronic economic problems in South Asia such as unemployment. These conditions can contribute to militancy, terrorism and organised crime, aggravating existing conflicts and giving rise to new ones,” Air Marshall A.K. Singh (Ret.) from India said.

Lt. General Tariq Waseem Ghazi (Ret.) of Pakistan
Lt. General Tariq Waseem Ghazi (Ret.) of Pakistan

“While South Asia has a long history of regional instability, the challenge of addressing climate change actually represents an opportunity to catalyse long term peace in the region through continuous dialogue and cooperation. If South Asia succeeds in joining forces against this common and urgent challenge, it would be a model for other parts of the world,” Maj. General A.N.M. Muniruzzaman (Ret.) from Bangladesh stated.

Lt. General Tariq Waseem Ghazi (Ret.) of Pakistan added: “South Asia is an example of a region where climate impacts are already affecting security – other countries would benefit from watching closely, and moving to integrate climate change in their security planning. If addressed jointly across borders, we can increase stability and save lives, for example by coordinating in response to natural disasters and water shortages. This report is about militaries cooperating for peace.”

The report comes days after the Pacific Islands called for the creation of a UN Special Representative on Climate and Security at the World Humanitarian Summit. In addition, last week G7 leaders meeting in Japan missed an opportunity to scale up their plans to address the implications of climate change for security, despite a year-long work plan by those governments on the issue.

Why piecemeal approach won’t deliver on Ogoni clean-up

admin
-
0
Why piecemeal approach won’t deliver on Ogoni clean-up

Dr Godwin Uyi Ojo, Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), attempts an appraisal of Federal Government’s effort in environmental protection and sustainable livelihoods of rural communities

From right: Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo; Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers; Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; and Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Mohammed, during the launch of ‘Clean-up of Ogoniland and other oil-spill affected communities in the Niger Delta’ at Bodo Town in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State
From right: Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo; Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers; Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; and Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Mohammed, during the launch of ‘Clean-up of Ogoniland and other oil-spill affected communities in the Niger Delta’ at Bodo Town in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State

Environmental degradation has been limited to narrow ethnic lens hence the polarity and lack of a national holistic approach to address them. Environmental challenges have been politicised along ethnic lines. The failure of natural resource management in Nigeria is the failure of governance in the lack of compliance and enforcement of the extant laws. To Go Wild for Life, we hereby make a strong call for Environmental State of Emergency in order to address the parlous state of the Nigerian environment.

In the North, desertification has ravaged the environment and livelihood sources hence the Fulani herdsmen are migrating in droves to the South in search of grazing vegetation for their cattle. The Fulani-herdsmen conflict persists, claiming lives and property due to scare lands for farming and grazing. In the south, deforestation, frequent oil spills and gas flaring have also ruined the environment and destroyed rural livelihoods and marine ecosystems. Persistent corporate impunity holds sway and this means that there is no environmental justice for the poor who suffer the impacts of environmental degradation most. Whether in the north or south the threat to rural livelihoods has resulted in natural resource conflicts and impoverishment of the local people.

Nigeria needs a new economic pathway that is not dependent on fossil fuels. The significant drop in oil pricing requires an alternative economic blueprint that is envisaged within a post petroleum economy for Nigeria. Let’s put a halt to the plundering of natural resources in the name of foreign exchange earnings. This has so far been counter to local production and consumption.

Two profile cases are worthy of mention: The Petroleum Industry Governance Bill 2015, and the implementation of the United Nations Environmental programme (UNEP) Assessment on Ogoniland Report.

First, the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill 2015 (PIGB) for oil sector reform currently before the National Assembly falls short of peoples’ expectation because it does not recognise local participation in the management of natural resources. The 10% equity devolved to the community in the previous Bill has been deliberately left out and environmental protection is not provided for. The Bill is not comprehensive and highly deceptive because although it anticipates other Bills, yet the timing, shape and content of such future bills are virtually unknown. The Bill should not be passed by the lawmakers unless the promoters put all the cards on the table in respect to other expected bills and incorporate critical views from the impacted communities and civil society groups.

On the implementation of the UNEP assessment and recommendations on the clean-up of the Ogoniland, we are pleased by the fulfilment of President Buhari’s pledge to implement the UNEP report with the public flag off of the clean-up process in Bodo City, Rivers State on June 2, 2016. But the Federal Government approach is rather shaky, piecemeal, lacking a holistic approach and without timelines for clean up. In August 2015, the government had promised $10m for commencement of the clean up of Ogoni, and an inauguration of the Governing Council to provide for an institutional framework to drive the process. Unfortunately, these warm words have not been implemented.

We urge a clear and unambiguous commitment on the part of government and Shell that this process will not be a repeat of its previous modus operandi where it had become adept at covering up oil spills instead of actually cleaning it. Almost five years on from the submission of the report (August 4, 2011), no clean up has taken place. Spill sites identified by UNEP remain heavily contaminated even after claims by Shell that it has carried out clean-up operations. The Ogoni environment is worse off, and the people are dying in droves on a daily basis in a place where life expectancy is shortest in Nigeria.

To reiterate, the high point of the president’s speech delivered on his behalf by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, was the approval he gave for the setting up of the structures such as the Governing Council and the Board of Trustees recommended for driving the clean-up process. But recall that the president had given the same approval in August 2015 for the constitution of the structures and nominations were made by different parties to the negotiation. One year on, that order had not been implemented. He has been forced to give another approval for the constitution of the same structures. From this trend, we see lots of motion with little or no movement.

Furthermore, the Gazette that would provide legal backing and clear delineation of the roles and responsibilities of various parties during the implementation process has not been scrutinised publicly nor signed into law and made easily accessible to the general public. We had called for the signing of the gazette to be one of the critical pre-launch activities with amendments such as removing Shell and other oil companies from the Governing Council because they could unduly influence the clean up process and frustrate the establishment of a full-fledged Ogoni Environmental Restoration Authority. The role of NOSDRA to have oversight functions over the clean up and supported by the UNEP technical team should be an opportunity to empower the agency because it neither has the capacity to detect oil spills nor respond to them. This means the immediate dissolution of Hyro-Carbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP).

Some questions are left unanswered. When will the actual clean-up of Ogoni commence, and when will environmental justice be done such as compensation for lost livelihoods as recommended by the UNEP report?

When will the clean-up of the Niger Delta begin? The clean up of the Ogoni messed environment is a metaphor for the clean-up of the oil spills and remediation for the entire Niger Delta. We urge the FG to establish a Clean-Up and Restoration Fund of $100 billion for the entire Niger Delta.

The Theme of the 2016 World Environment Day is Go Wild for Life. Nigeria can emerge stronger by curbing oil-dependency, breaking free from fossils, and embracing renewable energy sources that are decentralised, non-grid and socially controlled so that individuals and communities are co-producers of energy and share in the benefits. The option of leave the oil in the soil means taking an alternative pathway to sustainable development that is powered by renewable energy, the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity. For Nigeria’s environment and economy, let’s Go Wild for Life.

The Federal Government should:

  • Provide the institutional framework and inaugurate the Governing Council and Board of Trustees to drive the process of clean up and environmental remediation.  It should amend the HYPREP gazette to provide the legal backing to the clean up process.
  • Implement the UNEP report recommendations in a holistic manner and should not be selective or manipulated but should be a comprehensive clean up, environmental remediation including biodiversity restoration, and compensation for loss of livelihoods.
  • Ensure the inclusion of civil society representatives in the Governing Council.
  • Ensure the Establishment of Ogoni Environmental Restoration Authority as a means of empowering the Ogonis as part of the other structures to be set up.
  • Shell and its joint venture partners Agip and Totalfinaelf as major polluters in the oil industry are shielding themselves and representing their own interests by lobbying to be part of the proposed Governing Council. We demand that they should be removed forthwith from the proposed Governing council so that the council is free to operate professionally and without the overbearing influence of the oil multinationals. The oil companies’ role should be restricted to providing their own share of the funds needed for the clean-up process under the Polluter Pays Principle. Shell and its joint venture partners should not be allowed to drive a process in which they are chief culprits and violators.
  • Immediately draw up and publish firm timelines, commencing from June 2 2016 for each step in the implementation process in conjunction with all interested parties in the clean-up process and to be made public.
  • Provide a clear Clean-Up and Remediation Fund. The clean up process is not covered in the national 2016 budget. The $10 million fund announced by the president last year should be made available to the constituted board of trustees and governing council to facilitate work. UNEP report recommended an initial set up of US$ 1 billion to commence clean up. Nothing should be short of this.
  • Set up a new structure called the Technical Partners unit headed by UNEP and other interested institutions with expertise in complex multi-disciplinary clean-up processes. This Unit will undertake the monitoring of the implementation processes and provide technical support to ensure that standards are maintained during the clean-up process.
  • The clean-up is an opportunity to empower NOSDRA that currently lacks the capacity to detect spills, conduct clean up, or monitor clean up independently.
  • Put in place structures for a Clean-Up and Restoration Fund of $100 billion for the entire Niger Delta.

Cities commit to combating emissions

admin
-
1
Cities commit to combating emissions

Through bold climate commitments, 228 cities around the world are taking the lead on climate action

Rotterdam in the Netherlands emitted 29.8 tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent per capita in 2005
Rotterdam in the Netherlands emitted 29.8 tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent per capita in 2005

Over 200 cities have set greenhouse gas reduction goals or targets. Action in these cities, which represent a combined population of 439 million people, could propel countries to meet their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) – the national greenhouse gas reduction pledges embodied in the Paris Agreement. According to “Can a City Be Sustainable?”, the latest edition of the annual State of the World series from the Worldwatch Institute, cities and their inhabitants are playing a lead role in achieving global climate action goals.

“Can a City Be Sustainable?” examines the core principles of sustainable urbanism and profiles cities that are putting them into practice.

“The challenge over the next several decades is an enormous one,” write Michael Renner and Tom Prugh, contributing authors and co-directors of the report. “This requires not change around the edges, but a fundamental restructuring of how cities operate, how much they consume in resources and how much waste they produce, what they look like, and how they are structured.”

Growing numbers of cities have pledged themselves to climate commitments and sustainability goals. The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group has expanded to over 80 cities. The Compact of Mayors, launched at the 2014 United Nations Climate Summit, is the largest coalition of city leaders addressing climate change. ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability works with more than 1,000 cities around the world.

Cities today host more than half of the earth’s human beings and represent about 70 percent of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. If trends continue, urban populations are expected to increase to six billion by 2045, at which point two-thirds of all people will live in urban environments. “If current trends in urbanisation continue unabated, urban energy use will more than triple, compared to 2005 levels, by 2050,” write Renner and Prugh.

It is no surprise that cities collectively account for a large share of greenhouse gas emissions, because they concentrate economic activity. But cities vary widely in their per capita emissions. Rotterdam in the Netherlands, for example, emitted 29.8 tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent per capita in 2005, whereas Paris emitted just 5.2 tons per capita. Many variables, such as climate, urban form, and primary energy source, affect a city’s level of emissions. Economic factors, such as the wealth and income of residents and the level and structure of economic activity, also play a major role.

“Only demand-side policies that succeed in sharply reducing energy consumption in transport, buildings, waste handling, and agriculture can address the urgent need to decarbonise energy,” write Renner and Prugh. “It is cities that must step up to the front lines of that battle.”

In conjunction with policy changes, cities’ success will depend on having both comprehensive data and financial support. Current protocols, such as one developed by the World Resources Institute, C40 Cities, and ICLEI, can be used to measure or estimate greenhouse gas emissions in cities worldwide. Financing sustainability in cities may be easier in some cities than in others. Among the C40 cities, only three-quarters have budgetary control over property or municipal taxes. In poorer cities, multilateral development banks and a variety of donors may play an important role.

The Worldwatch Institute is an independent research organisation based in Washington, D.C. that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues.

WED 2016: Ogun raises concern over desert encroachment

admin
-
0
WED 2016: Ogun raises concern over desert encroachment

In the light of threats posed by climate change, the Ogun State Government has called on residents to desist from acts that can lead to desert encroachment.

Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Bolaji Oyeleye
Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Bolaji Oyeleye

Commissioner for Environment, Bolaji Oyeleye, who stated this on Monday in Abeokuta, the state capital, while briefing newsmen in commemoration of the 2016 World Environment Day (WED), added that desert encroachment was a critical environmental challenge that the state has had to deal with in recent time.

Oyeleye cited areas that have been seriously affected by the environmental hazard in the state to include Ipokia, Imeko Afon, Yewa South, Yewa North, Abeokuta North and Odeda Local Government areas.

“The people of Ipokia, Imeko-Afon, Yewa South, Yewa North, Abeokuta North and Odeda LGAs are vulnerable to this environmental hazard and we will ensure all our ability to curtail the effect of climate change in those areas,” he stated.

He urged the people of the state, particularly the affected areas, to cultivate the idea of tree planting, cautioning against indiscriminate felling of trees so as not to jeopardise the ecosystem.

Oyeleye said the state was not unmindful of the human tendencies of extracting earth resources without recourse to preservation of the environment, adding that government had been monitoring activities of industries to ensure proper disposal of waste.

He enjoined residents of the state not to dispose their wastes in drainage channels as this could cause flooding especially, in the rainy season.

“We have warned our residents to desist from dumping refuse in our drainages so as to avoid flooding that could cause loss of lives and properties in our state,” the commissioner warned.

Nigeria, others tackle continental water, food insecurity challenges

admin
-
0
Nigeria, others tackle continental water, food insecurity challenges

In the light of the food security and the water-food-energy-ecosystem nexus, some nine nations embarking on a new initiative in collaboration with the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Africa

GWPNigeria and eight other African countries have begun an operation that will address continental challenges related to water and food security in the light of an increasingly erratic global weather pattern.

In sub-Saharan Africa, climate change appears to be worsening an already alarming situation vis-à-vis food security and water resources and, according to stakeholders, everyone has a responsibility to develop as well as utilise appropriate means to remedy the situation.

Consequently, nine countries in Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan and Uganda) have carried out national consultations on water and food security whose outcomes were used by the United Nations Committee on Food Security (UN CFS) to issue recommendations on Water and Food Security and Nutrition at the end of 2015, offering a strong basis for a new momentum.

According to the Global Water Partnership (GWP), issues raised in the nine countries are illustrative of the diversity of challenges faced by the African continent, raising concern on the need for them to be part of the initiative based on the “Partnership for Development” principle in the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number 17.

The aim, the GWP adds, is not only to support governments in addressing one particular challenge of managing water and food security in an integrated holistic manner but also for all the countries involved across Africa to exchange experiences, learn from each other and eventually disseminate good practices for improved livelihoods.

Globally, the initiative will contribute towards the SDG Number 2 to End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.

The initiative is promoted by the governments of the countries through Ministers of Agriculture and Ministers of Water and by Country Water Partnerships, and is supported by the GWP Network and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Each country was represented at a gathering that held May 18-19 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, whereby delegates met, interacted and designed the national components of the programme based on the consultation held in the country in 2015. They identified areas for regional and continental experience sharing.

The next step is to pursue the discussion with all stakeholders at country level in order to fine-tune the project in an inclusive manner and with all relevant partners.

WED 2016: Crusaders charge FG to commence concrete actions to save environment

admin
-
0
WED 2016: Crusaders charge FG to commence concrete actions to save environment

To save Nigeria’s diverse ecosystems from further ruin, the Federal Government must go beyond mere words on the issue of transiting from fossil fuels-based economy and put in place the relevant laws to checkmate the activities of the extractive corporations, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria(ERA/FoEN) has said.

L-R: Mrs Warder Ayibakuro, women activist from Ikarama; Dr Godwin Uyi Ojo, ERA/FoEN Executive Director; Dr Sofiri Peterside of the University of Port Harcourt; and Celestine Akpobari of the Ogoni Solidarity Movement
L-R: Mrs Warder Ayibakuro, women activist from Ikarama; Dr Godwin Uyi Ojo, ERA/FoEN Executive Director; Dr Sofiri Peterside of the University of Port Harcourt; and Celestine Akpobari of the Ogoni Solidarity Movement

ERA/FoEN’s recommendation is coming as Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the World Environment Day (WED) on Sunday. The WED is celebrated June 5 annually. To mark the event, ERA/FoEN organised a workshop in Abuja with the theme: “Natural Resource Governance: Bridging the Gaps versus Break Free from Fossils.”

The workshop brought together community-based groups, civil society, the academia, legal experts, the media, and government representatives to brainstorm on oil-induced conflicts and disempowerment of local communities as well as recommendations on the way forward.

ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Godwin Uyi Ojo, said: “We are delivering this message straight to our government. The era of sloganeering on preserving the environment is over. This year’s commemoration helps us mirror the local picture of ruined environments, livelihood losses and systematic depletion of wild life.  Our government must now go beyond mere talk, to taking concrete actions that will reverse the chaos that has been unleashed on us under a regime of fossil-fuels dependence.

“Nigeria is yet to come up with a new economic pathway that is not dependent on fossil fuels. The significant drop in oil pricing requires an alternative economic blueprint that is envisaged within a post petroleum economy for Nigeria. There is also the misdirection in policy such as opening discussions with the Russian government on building nuclear power plants here in Nigeria. This, no doubt, is very disturbing.”

Ojo noted that the current administration may have demonstrated willingness to tackle some of the identified issues such as the Ogoni clean-up which was flagged off on June 2.

He added, however, that for it not to have given concrete time lines on commencement of the Ogoni clean-up and to deliver on any of the set objectives of the UNEP report is worrisome.

Re-echoing ERA/FoEN’s argument that Nigeria must look away from dirty energy, he insisted that the ecological disasters caused by fossil fuels dependence makes it imperative for the current administration to declare an Environmental State of Emergency in order to address the situation.

“The Federal government must demonstrate the political will to save our environment through conscious and deliberate adoption of clean and safe renewables. The option of leave the oil in the soil means taking an alternative pathway to sustainable development that is powered by renewable energy, the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity. This is non-negotiable for a new world economic order,” Ojo declared.

World ‘goes wild for life’ on 2016 Environment Day

admin
-
0
World ‘goes wild for life’ on 2016 Environment Day

Marking World Environment Day, which this year focuses on the illegal trade of wildlife, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is calling on everyone to “go wild for life” and take action to help safeguard species under threat for future generations.

Environment Minister, Amina J. Mohammed, goes wild as an elephant on World Environment Day 2016
Environment Minister, Amina J. Mohammed, goes wild for life as an elephant on World Environment Day 2016

“We have chosen this theme because damage from this trade has become so serious and so far reaching that urgent action is needed to reverse it,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said in a video message on the occasion of the Day, celebrated annually on 5 June.

The UN official underlined that the effects of wildlife trade include the destruction of natural capital in which many nations could build healthy tourism industries; the spread of corruption and the undermining of the rule of law all around the world; and the “fattening of purses” of the international crime syndicates.

“This must stop and the time to take action is long overdue,” he insisted, calling on all individuals to use their “spheres of influence” to help end the illegal trade in wildlife by engaging in the “Go Wild for Life” campaign.

With the aim of reducing the demand for illegal wildlife products, the campaign stresses that that greed, fashion, ignorance, indifference, investment, corruption, pseudo medicinal use and cultural belief should not be allowed to endanger any species of animal or plant or tree.

It is giving special attention to eight species in particular: orangutans, sea turtles, pangolins, rosewoods, helmeted hornbills, tigers, elephants and rhinos.

Noting that Angola is this year’s host country for World Environment Day, Mr. Steiner announced that the country is making strong commitments to combat wildlife crime by shutting down its domestic ivory trade and taking action to stop smuggling over its borders.

“We support the actions of countries like Angola to join this fight,” he said. “We must be united in this cause, we must think globally, but also act locally, and we must have zero tolerance for poaching and illegal trade in wildlife.”

In a similar message, Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Ofice on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said criminal networks and poachers have scant regard for biodiversity, or the terrible impact their actions have on our fragile environment and vulnerable communities. Every country suffers either as a source, transit or destination for these products. UNODC’s World Wildlife Crime Report shows that 7,000 species were found in more than 164,000 seizures affecting 120 countries.

“The global nature of this crime compels us to stand united and to promote global solutions to halt the catastrophic poaching and trafficking of wildlife. Our Wildlife Report is helping by providing a global assessment that will allow the international community to design effective and efficient solutions,” he said, stressing that wildlife crime deprives people of a sustainable livelihood. “These crimes are also closely connected to fraud, money laundering, human trafficking, corruption and brutal violence, among other crimes,” he said.

As such, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged governments and citizens everywhere to help end the practice, noting that there is “great cause for alarm,” as elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory, rhinos for their horns, and pangolins for their scales.

“The United Nations and its many partners have resolved to tackle this illicit trade, including by setting clear targets to put an end to poaching in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted last year by all 193 Member States,” he recalled.

Meanwhile, UNEP is underlining five quick steps that citizens can take action, including through arts and crafts exhibitions, film festivals, flash mobs and social media activities.

1...2,0132,0142,015...2,216Page 2,014 of 2,216

TV Report

Archives

2025 EnviroNews Nigeria. All Rights Reserved.

×