Who would have thought that one of the best Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in the U.S. would be in its most crowded, congested, sprawling city? Well check this out. It’s really fabulous.
An Orange Line bus operating under the LA BRT
In October 2005, the Los Angeles County Metro Authority (or Metro) debuted a new 14-mile BRT system in the San Fernando Valley using a former rail right-of-way. Unlike many “rapid” bus transit systems in the U.S., the Orange Line is true BRT – it features a dedicated roadway that cars may not enter, has a pre-board payment system so buses load quickly and efficiently, and uses handsome, articulated buses to transport passengers fast – sometimes at speeds approaching 55 mph! The roadway is landscaped so ornately you could almost call it a bus greenway.
But that’s not all. The corridor also boasts a world class bike and pedestrian path which runs adjacent to the BRT route for nearly its entire length, giving users numerous multi-modal options. Each station has bike amenities, including bike lockers and racks, and all the buses feature racks on the front that accommodate up to three bikes.
Perhaps the biggest problem is its soaring success: ridership numbers have some calling for the BRT to be converted to rail, and Metro is exploring ways to move more passengers, including buying longer buses. Plus: expansion plans are underway. Whatever way you slice it, this is truly a hit with Angelenos. A formerly 81-minute trip now takes 44-52 minutes – over an hour in round-trip savings – making a bona fide impact in the lives of commuters.
Latest IRP report lists 12 ways to use natural resources more efficiently, improve human health and reduce the environmental damage caused by food systems
Achim Steiner of UNEP
A major overhaul of the global food system is urgently needed if the world is to combat hunger, use natural resources more efficiently and stem environmental damage, the International Resource Panel (IRP) has said.
In a report unveiled on Wednesday, the IRP – a consortium of 34 internationally renowned scientists, over 30 national governments and other groups hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – is calling for a switch to a “resource-smart” food system that changes the way food is grown, harvested, processed, traded, transported, stored, sold and consumed.
Current food systems, which the IRP says are “inefficient” and “unsustainable”, are responsible for 60 per cent of global terrestrial biodiversity loss and about 24 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. They are also responsible for the overfishing of 29 per cent of commercial fish populations and the overexploitation of 20 per cent of the world’s aquifers.
Although food production has increased across the world, more than 800 million people remain hungry, more than two billion suffer from micronutrient deficiencies – mainly vitamin A, iodine, iron and zinc – and more than two billion people are overweight or obese, the report notes. Compounding the problem, pressure on natural resources is expected to rise as populations grow and demand for food increases.
To combat these problems, the IRP says a “resource-smart” food system should be adopted, a system that adheres to three principles: low environmental impacts, the sustainable use of renewable resources and the efficient use of all resources.
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, “We have the knowledge and the tools at our disposal to feed all the people in the world while minimising harm to the environment. A better, more sustainable food system can allow us to produce and consume food without the detrimental effects on our natural resources. The environment is not the only beneficiary of this system. More sustainable consumption and production of food will also be a boon to human health and the goal to end hunger throughout the world.”
To help the world shifts to a more sustainable food system, the IRP has come up with a list of 12 key recommendations for governments, private companies, civil society and citizens.
They are listed to include:
Reduce food loss and waste.
Move away from resource-intensive products such as meat, ‘empty calories’ and highly processed food.
Connect rural and urban centres, especially in developing regions, where urban actors (e.g. supermarkets) could invest in regional supply chains and improve the position of smallholders.
Connect urban consumers with how their food is produced and how it reaches their plates, and inform them about both the health and environmental consequences of dietary choices.
Protect peri-urban zones around cities and use them for local food production.
Decouple food production from resource use and environmental impacts, and replace certain inputs (such as pesticides) with ecosystem services.
The IRP report also recommends removing harmful subsidies, such as fossil fuel subsidies, that encourage unsustainable production and practices.
Compounding current problems, rising wealth in developing countries will lead people to adopt diets that are richer in resource-intensive products – meat, fish, fruits, vegetables and highly processed foods – at a time when climate change will make producing food increasingly difficult.
As per-capita income rises, people’s diets change from one that is largely rich in carbohydrates to a diet richer in calories, sugars, and lipids, with more livestock-based products. In combination with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, this has led to a sharp increase in obesity, the report states.
It blames the high consumption of animal-based products and highly processed foods for triggering “disproportionate environmental costs” while undermining public health due to obesity related disease.
Globally, chicken meat and dairy consumption are expected to increase by 20 per cent over the next 10 years while the consumption of pig meat and beef is also projected to increase, both by around 14 per cent, according to data reviewed in the IRP report.
A combination of the various options listed in the IRP report, at different points of intervention and by diverse actors throughout the system, could lead to resource efficiency gains of up to 30 per cent for certain resources and impacts.
Some of these options include:
Sustainable intensification’ of crop production – higher yields without increasing environmental impacts
Better feed conversion and higher productivity of pastoral systems
Higher nutrient efficiency along the food chain – better recycling of minerals in animal manure and use of by-products or food waste as feed or compost
More efficient aquaculture systems – lower nutrient losses and less impact on coastal systems
Reduction of overconsumption and change of unhealthy dietary patterns – shift in affluent societies from animal-based to more plant-based diets
“If the above changes are not made, land degradation, the depletion of aquifers and fish stocks and contamination of the environment will lower future food production capacity,” the report warns. “It will undermine the food systems upon which our food security depends, as well as cause further degradation of other ecosystem functions.”
Lagos State Government on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to kick-start the construction of the 38km 4th Mainland Bridge, expected to bring a 14-year-old dream to reality.
An impression of the Fourth Mainland Bridge
The bridge, which is geared towards economic growth in the state, is expected to gulp N844 billion in a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative and would be delivered in three years.
Speaking at the signing of the MoU held at the Banquet Hall, Lagos House, Ikeja, Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, said that the need for the bridge had become imperative following the phenomenal growth of the state with a population of over 21 million people, which has in turn increased commercial activities and traffic gridlock.
“This has made it imperative for us to have a 4th Mainland Bridge that will serve as an alternative route to the eastern axis and decongest traffic in the state.
“More importantly this bridge will provide the required transportation compliment to the rapidly growing industrial activities on the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe corridor of the state,” Ambode said.
He said the proposed alignment of the bridge will pass through Lekki, Langbasa and Baiyeiku towns along the shoreline of the Lagos Lagoon estuaries, further running through Igbogbo River Basin and crossing the Lagos Lagoon estuaries to Itamaga area in Ikorodu.
The governor said the alignment would also cross through the Itoikin Road and the Ikorodu-Sagamu Road to connect Isawo inward Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at the Ojodu Berger axis.
He said the bridge would be made up of eight interchanges to facilitate effective interconnectivity between different parts of the state.
“This structure will be a four-lane dual carriageway with each comprising three lanes and two metres hard shoulder on each side. The bridge will be constructed to have a generous median to allow for both future carriageway expansion and light rail facility. There is no gainsaying the fact that huge benefits will be derived from this project but most importantly, make life more comfortable for Lagosians,” he said.
Expressing confidence that the project would be delivered on a win-win framework for all investors, the governor said that, for the first time in the history of the state, the government was embarking on the construction of a long-span bridge and expressway without federal funding as the project is to be solely funded by the private sector.
“I am delighted that this project which has been on the drawing board for quite some time is now set to become a reality. This again, is the continuity with improvement which we promised Lagosians.
“We have started the process with the signing of this MOU which is an expression of the commitment of major stakeholders including the government and the consortium of consultants and investors to the delivery of the project within the scheduled time frame,” the governor said.
The bridge, among others, will accommodate cyclists and pedestrians and feature two service areas as well as additional pedestrian crossing.
It will also accommodate three toll plazas which are still being tested from financial point of view and serve as a major boost to the actualisation of the Lekki Master Plan.
The project is to be financed by Africa Finance Corporation, Access Bank and other private investors who have already signified intention to be part of the construction, while Visible Assets Limited will be the coordinating firm.
In his remarks, Executive Chairman of Visible Assets Limited, Mr. Idowu Iluyomade, said the project would go a long way to reduce traffic gridlock in the state and provide job opportunities for Lagosians.
He said aside improving the quality of life of the people, the bridge would also be a big asset to be handed to the Lagos State Government at the end of the concession, assuring that it would be delivered on schedule.
Earlier, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ganiyu Johnson, said that the bridge, when completed, would utilise state-of-the-art tolling system that will ensure free flow of traffic.
Prior to the proposed overpass, three bridges had previously been built in Lagos within 90 years to connect the Island to the Mainland.
The first of the three bridges connecting the Lagos Island to the Lagos Mainland is the Carter Bridge. Built in 1901, it was constructed by the British colonial government, prior to the Nigerian independence in 1960. After independence, the bridge was dismantled, redesigned and rebuilt during the late 1970s. The Alaka-Ijora Flyover, on the Iddo end of the span, was completed in 1973.
This was followed by the Eko Bridge, which is the shortest of three bridges connecting the Island to the Mainland. It starts from Ijora on the Mainland and ends at the Apongbon area of the Island. The bridge and its landward extension of 1,350 metres were constructed in phases between 1965 and 1975. It serves as the preferred access point for vehicular traffic approaching Lagos Island from the Apapa and Surulere areas of Lagos.
In the bid to further ease the increasing stress resulting from commuters’ accessing the Island from the Mainland, the Federal Government embarked on the ambitious Third Mainland Bridge, which turned out to be not just the longest of the three bridges connecting the Island to the Mainland, but in fact the longest bridge in Africa.
The 11.8km long structure takes off from Oworonshoki which is linked to the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island. There is also a link midway through the bridge that leads to the Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba. Built by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, the bridge was opened by President Ibrahim Babangida in 1990.
Ghana plans to install a total of 56,000 solar systems, two million solar lanterns and 200 mini-grids in pursuance with achieving the global target of access to affordable and clean energy by the year 2030. The country has already 80 percent energy access, acting Director, Renewable Energy at the country’s Energy Commission, Kwabena Otu-Danquah, has disclosed.
An impression of a mini-grid solar system
Otu-Danquah, who represented Ghana’s Ministry of Power, stated this at the opening of a Smart Villages West Africa Regional Workshop organised by the Smart Villages Initiatives in collaboration with SNV, a Netherlands Development Organisation on Monday in Accra, Ghana.
According to him, 2,400 systems had been installed in public facilities, where the country targets 6,000 systems; 16,800 solar home systems had been deployed with a target of 50,000 and 70,000 solar lanterns had been deployed with a target of two million lanterns by 2030.
“Under the Standalone Renewable Energy-based electrification options, solar systems for public facilities, including schools, clinics and security outposts, are being deployed and to date, about 2,400 systems have been installed. The target is to install 6,000 systems by 2030. Deployment of solar home systems for lighting and phone charging in rural off-grid households is also ongoing. Over 16,800 systems have been deployed to date. The target is to deploy 50,000 by 2030.
“Under the programme to replace kerosene lanterns with solar lanterns nationwide, 70,000 solar lanterns have been deployed since 2013. The target is to replace two million kerosene lanterns by 2030,” Otu-Danquah stated.
In addition, Otu-Danquah disclosed that in order to deploy 200 mini-grips by 2030, Ghana had received funding from the Scaling-up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP) to the tune of US$17.5 million to implement 55 solar Photo Voltaic (PV)-based mini-grids in the next three years.
While admitting that there were communities that might not be electrified in the near future as a result of difficult terrain, he explained that government policy had provided for the deployment of decentralised renewable energy-based interventions; adding that the current energy access rate in Ghana stood at 80% through grid extension. “In our mini-grid electrification schemes (solar, wind or diesel hybrids), four demonstration mini-grids have been installed to provide energy access in densely populated remote islands and lakesides communities.”
To address the question of affordability, Otu-Danquah stated that Ghana had introduced uniform tariff both for grid and off-grid electrification.
“To ensure that the poor majority who live in the rural areas are not disadvantaged, the tariff has been structured such that the high consuming residential households subsidize the low consuming households. Government has a lifeline tariff scheme in place for consumers below 50kWh/month,” he stated.
He added that for the 72 percent population that still used firewood and charcoal for cooking, which in turn, have negative effects on the country’s forest and health of women and children, “the Ghana SE4ALL Action Plan seeks to ensure the use of clean cooking fuels and efficient end-use devices.
Dr. Bernie Jones, Project Co-Leader of Smart Villages Initiatives, said that the West Africa Regional workshop objectives included what the major barriers of improving energy access for remote rural communities in West Africa are and how public, private and multilateral investments and actions could complement each other to support energy projects aimed at off-grid rural communities.
Others are how local community participation could improve sustainability of off-grid energy programmes and how improved energy access could increase opportunities for gainful employment, improved productivity and new businesses in remote rural communities.
The workshop is attended by participants from West African countries of Nigeria, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’ Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo; with others from Canada, France and Kenya.
Ban Ki-moon, Gisele Bündchen, Yaya Touré and Ian Somerhalder among those aiming to spur action to protect endangered species
Four-time African Footballer of the Year Yaya Touré (Manchester City, Ivory Coast), is backing elephants
The United Nations, backed by A-list celebrities from across the globe, has launched an unprecedented campaign against the illegal trade in wildlife, which is pushing species to the brink of extinction, robbing countries of their natural heritage and profiting international criminal networks.
“Each year, thousands of wild animals are illegally killed, often by organised criminal networks motivated by profit and greed,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “I call on all Governments and people everywhere to support the new United Nations campaign, Wild for Life, which aims to mobilise the world to end this destructive trade. Preserving wildlife is crucial for the well-being of people and planet alike.”
#WildforLife, launched on Wednesday, May 25, 2016 at the second United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2) in Nairobi, Kenya in front of environment ministers from every corner of the planet, aims to mobilise millions of people to make commitments and take action to end the illegal trade.
The campaign is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and World Bank are also on board as supporters.
UNEP Goodwill Ambassadors are lending their weight to the cause. These include Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen, who is fighting for sea turtles; four-time African Footballer of the Year Yaya Touré (Manchester City, Ivory Coast), who is backing elephants; and actor Ian Somerhalder (Vampire Diaries, Lost), who is rooting for pangolins.
They are being joined by major celebrities from China, India, Indonesia, Lebanon and Viet Nam battling to conserve species such as orangutans, tigers, rhinos and helmeted hornbills and calling for citizen support to end the demand that is driving the illegal trade.
“It saddens me that in the 21st century, with all our knowledge and power, we are still hearing stories of wildlife facing the possibility of extinction at the hands of man,” said Gisele Bündchen. “It is clear to me that a radical global shift needs to occur and it will take everyone accepting the challenge to support the UNEP Wild for Life campaign.
“Knowledge is power and now is the time to set our minds to ending all illegal wildlife trade before the choice is no longer in our hands. Today, I am giving my name to change the game for sea turtles.”
Between 2010 and 2012, 100,000 elephants were killed for their ivory in Africa. Three rhinos are killed every day, and the Western Black Rhino has already gone extinct. Pangolins – scaly anteaters – are the most illegally trafficked mammal in the world. Great apes are already locally extinct in several African nations.
The campaign asks participants to find their kindred species and use their own spheres of influence to end the illegal trade, however it touches or impacts them.
Profits from the illegal wildlife trade sometimes go into the pockets of international criminal networks, threatening peace and security, and damaging the livelihoods of local communities who depend on tourism.
Stopping this trade is also crucial to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as it threatens countries’ biodiversity and people’s livelihoods, and disturbs peace. SDG 15 in particular calls for the protection of wild fauna and flora as well as the ecosystems that they depend on – including targets on combatting and addressing the supply and demand of illegal wildlife products.
Politicians, celebrities and business leaders will be making pledges during UNEA-2 and in the run-up to World Environment Day (WED), which is themed “Go Wild For Life” to tie in with the campaign. Angola, the global host of WED, will be making significant pledges to tackle the illegal ivory trade at the event.
Steppenwolf’s lead singer, John Kay, donated the use of Born to Be Wild – one of the top three international music licenses of all time for Universal Music – to the campaign.
Celebrities taking part in the campaign:
Lebanese singer and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Ragheb Alama (Helmeted Hornbill)
Chinese actress and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Li Bingbing (Elephant)
Brazilian model and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Gisele Bündchen (Sea Turtle)
In Ghana, many people, especially women, who live along the coastal areas, are engaged in fish smoking, known as “Namhowfo” in Akan, one of the languages spoken in the country. As a means of living, fish smoking was done by traditional, energy inefficient and smoking stoves. This method affects both human health and the environment, say observers.
Fish being smoked with the improved Morrison stove
According to the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), in Ghana like in other countries, traditional fish smoking stoves expose women to harmful smoke. This causes 16,600 deaths annually, in addition to environmental degradation, which comes in form of mangroves destruction. Mangroves are the sources of fuelwood for fish smoking.
A survey by SNV gives 120,000 as the number of traditional and Chorkor fish smoking stoves that are used in coastal regions for fish smoking. The survey states: “The smoke from these stoves affects people’s eye-sights and also causes lung-related diseases.”
This development informed SNV’s decision to develop the Morrison Improved Fish Smoker that seeks to attain 40 percent efficiency in fish smoking. Today, many communities are enjoying the new technology along with the FAO Thiaroye Technology (FTT) stove, transferred to Ghana from Cameroon.
Also, in order to improve the livelihoods of women involved in fish smoking and combat the deforestation associated with their activities, the Renewable Energy sector of SNV got funding from DGIS for a two-year Improved Fish Smoking and Mangrove Restoration project (IFS) to support sustainable energy value chain in fish smoking markets in Ghana by improving both supply and demand side activities.
A field visit to Anyakpor coastal village by participants of the Smart Villages West Africa Regional workshop, organised by the Smart Villages Initiatives in collaboration with SNV was an eye-opener. Participants listened to women who smoke fish expressing their happiness for the introduction of the Morrison stove. They counted benefit to include increased volume of processed fish, increased profit, and minimal hazard caused by smoke.
Mrs. Helen Afiagbedefu smokes fish in Anyakpor village. She used the Chorkor before the introduction of the Morrison Fish Smoking Stove. In an interview, she disclosed that the process of smoking fish was now faster, less hazardous and more money-yielding. She told of how, after switching to the Morrison stove, women in Anyakpor noticed the difference, especially in terms of reduced health hazards caused by the smoke and increased income as a result of the volume of fish smoking, compared to the traditional method hitherto used.
“Fish smoking has become faster for us now. I now smoke 10 25-litre containers of fish in two to three hours by using Morrison stove. I used to smoke the same quantity in three days by use of traditional method. Now, if I want to smoke fish, I arrange wire mesh in layers. I then spread the fishes on each of the mesh, numbering three, four or five. I would then place a chimney on top of the wire meshes rails to reduce the smoke, which negatively affects our health,” Afiagbedefu said through an interpreter.
She said that, with the new stove, “women in Anyakpor are now making more money because we spend less time to smoke fish using this new stove than when we were using the traditional stove,” she further said adding that “prices of smoked fish range between 40 and 100 Cedis, depending on the size of the fish. I make an average profit of between 30 to 50 Cedis a month.”
It therefore means that if governments in West Africa would promote the use of renewable energy in smoking fish, Mangroves would be preserved and the health hazard caused by smoke would be averted.
In this regard too, the West African sub-region, experts say, should design reforms that would promote renewable energy sources, in which case the private sector would play a more active role.
Akinbode Oluwafemi (director of corporate accountability at Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria) and Kelle Louaillier (president of Corporate Accountability International, based in Boston, in the United States) in this treatise utilise the cities of Flint and Lagos as a case in study to demonstrate challenges related to public water system administration
Kelle Louaillier, President of Corporate Accountability International
Although separated by continents and oceans, the people of Lagos understand how our destinies are closely linked to those who live in Flint, Michigan in the United States. Just as the private water industry seeks to exploit and capitalise on the horrific tragedy of lead poisoning of the water in Flint, so too are the forces of privatisation threatening Lagos’ public water system. And just as the people in Flint are demanding more democracy – not less – over how their water is governed, so too are the people of Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, the most populous black nation on earth.
Since 2014 a movement of civil society and labour groups have been mobilising against a planned privatisation of Lagos’ public water systems supported by the World Bank.
The World Bank had spent decades laying the groundwork for water privatisation in Lagos, but it was defeated by the robust civil society movement for public water in Lagos. First, the World Bank’s private arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), was forced to cancel its proposed advisory contract with the Lagos government. Then, the World Bank was compelled to abandon its push for a privatisation project as part of a $200 million loan.
But, while intense pressure from the civil society groups forced World Bank to walk away from privatisation, the threat for Lagos’ water system still looms. Conflicting public statements by officials would seem to indicate that the Lagos State Government is not set to halt the experimentation of a failed model of water privatisation called Public Private Partnerships (PPP).
Akinbode Oluwafemi, Director of corporate accountability at Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria
Activists believe the Lagos government with a monthly internally generated revenue (IGR) put at about N30 billion can very well fund water without inviting privatisers into the system. But the recent, rumoured secret concessioning of some public water infrastructure managed by the Lagos State Water Corporation (LSWC) would seem to lend credence to the belief that the rights of Lagos citizens to a free gift of nature may soon be violated.
Campaigners, however, insist they will not let up in their advocacy to stop the planned PPP in Lagos, and they can point to the situation in Flint as an example of the urgent need for democratic control of water.
The root of Flint’s water woes has been traced to the state of Michigan’s anti-democratic emergency management system, a demonstration of systemic racism at work. It forced a corporate model on a mostly black city, giving emergency managers near-absolute power to balance the budget by whatever means they deemed necessary. It was under this system that Flint’s emergency manager made the disastrous decision to change its water source from Detroit Water and Sewerage Department water, sourced from Lake Huron and the Detroit River, to the Flint River. Yet, the Flint River was heavily corrosive and improperly treated, causing lead from aging pipes to leach into the water supply, and leading to extremely elevated levels of the heavy metal. An estimated 12,000 children have been exposed to water with high levels of lead, which can cause a number of serious health problems including permanent brain and nerve damage leading to learning disabilities, attention problems, and behavioural issues.
It may come as no surprise that the private water industry had a hand in this appalling crisis. After the switch to the Flint River, when residents began sounding the alarm about their water quality, the city’s emergency manager brought in the private sector. He hired Veolia, one of the world’s largest water corporations, to review the city’s water treatment process and evaluate its compliance with regulations. But Veolia raised no flags on lead poisoning when it discovered the lack of corrosion control in the water system. It even downplayed residents’ health concerns, stating that “some people may be sensitive to any water.” Because of role in prolonging the time people in Flint were exposed to lead, the corporation is now named in multiple lawsuits filed by Flint residents.
But perversely, the private water industry is pouncing on the tragedy in Flint to position itself as the solution. Just a few weeks after news about Flint’s water broke nationwide, The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) released a statement to assure the public that private water corporations “stand ready to offer expertise and solutions to local, state, and federal officials.”
At the same time, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez from New Jersey – the U.S. home of Suez, another of the world’s largest private water corporations – introduced a bill that would allow Suez, Veolia and their cohort to access unlimited municipal bond money – a corporate subsidy that would promote privatisation and cut into tax revenue. Similar, bills have failed in the past four sessions of Congress, but the private water industry is taking advantage of the crisis in Flint to try to push through this bill.
And, pouring salt into the wound, private water corporations are seeking a contract with the city of Flint, threatening to reproduce their track record of dangerous, corner-cutting recommendations, and potentially leading to the privatisation of the water system. All this, in the face of opposition from the residents of Flint, who are demanding the accountable, democratic control of their water system that they have been so long denied.
Just like in Flint, the private water industry is jockeying to position itself as the solution in Lagos and other parts of Africa.
In Lagos, as in Flint, our public officials have failed us. The state of our water infrastructure is the result of years of mismanaging funds and loans for expansion of existing water infrastructure in Lagos. But instead of investigating the managers of such funds, the state government (backed for decades by the World Bank) is pushing forward privatisation as a solution.
The people of Lagos, like in Flint, want to have democratic control of water. But rather than heed the demands of the public, outrageously, the Lagos government has let the system deteriorate to unacceptable levels, and has pushed the public to accept the flawed – and false – argument that the state has no money to fund the public water system, hence the need for privatisers to come in.
In Lagos, official corruption was allowed un-reigned to pave the way for privatisers to take over the system. But learning from examples like Flint, we should be investing our tax revenue in our public water infrastructure – not offering it up to private entities. Bringing in the private sector will only lead to less democracy and transparency. Residents of Flint are clear that they do not want the private water industry to step in. They are demanding the federal government free up funds to fix their water system – and keep it public. Lagos residents also reject water privatisation and demand the state government fund the expansion of water infrastructure from its hundreds of billions of Naira of IGR.
Let us all, from Flint to Lagos, from the U.S. to Nigeria, recognise that we need more democracy, not less, when it comes to making sure people have clean, safe water. We must treat water access as the human right it is and prioritise the democratic control of water over private profit and financial gain.
Globally, two million poor and marginalised women and girls suffer from Obstetric Fistula, a preventable and treatable condition as a result of hole or tear between the birth canal and the rectum or bladder that results in chronic incontinence and dangerous infections. It afflicts those who do not have access to good quality maternal health care.
A woman suffering from inconvenience caused by obstetrics fistula. Photo credit: who.int
Added to the pain and suffering is the stigma and discrimination that surrounds Obstetric Fistula in many communities around the world because it is almost entirely a condition of the poorest, most vulnerable and most marginalised women and girls; sufferers of this condition often live with it for years because they cannot afford to get treatment.
The theme for this year’s International Day to End Obstetric Fistula is: “End fistula within a generation”. Celebration of the Day, the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, remarks: “The persistence of fistula in some countries and regions is an indicator of very poor access to quality maternal health services. To end it, we must strengthen health systems and address broader development and human rights issues affecting women and girls: poverty, gender inequality, early marriage, early childbearing, and lack of education. Fistula has virtually been eliminated in most high- and middle-income countries around the world, so we know that it can be eliminated in every country.”
Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, in his statement, acknowledges the need to accelerate efforts towards ending Obstetric Fistula.
His words: “For UNFPA, ending fistula remains one of our highest priorities, and we will continue to accelerate efforts, both in our own work and within the United Nations system. The global Campaign to End Fistula, launched in 2003 by UNFPA and partners, has made significant progress towards eliminating fistula and supporting its survivors through prevention, treatment, social reintegration and advocacy. UNFPA has supported more than 70,000 fistula repair surgeries for women and girls in need, and Campaign partners have enabled many more to receive treatment.”
As the world takes action against polio, HIV/AIDS, female genital mutilation and several other forms of health issues, observers urge commitment to stepping up efforts to end fistula, once and for all.
This, they add, implies heeding the call of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind, especially those most neglected, invisible and powerless, including the women and girls living with fistula.
“Now is the time, and I am confident we can do it,” adds Dr Osotimehin.
International Day to End Obstetric Fistula is celebrated on May 23rd every year. It aims to raise awareness about, generate new support for, and speed up efforts to end an injury that harms women physically, socially and economically.
Mixed progress on air quality still falls far short of what is needed to save seven million lives each year
Formal opening of the second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2)
As global air quality declines, threatening to add to the seven million people air pollution kills each year, increased action in some air quality areas points to political will to tackle this “global public health emergency,” according to reports released Tuesday, 24 May 2016 at the second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2) holding in Nairobi, Kenya.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), global urban air pollution levels increased by 8 per cent between 2008 and 2013. More than 80 per cent of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO limits, threatening lives, productivity and economies.
However, Actions on Air Quality, a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), found improvements in areas such as access to cleaner cooking fuels and stoves, renewables, fuel sulphur content and public transport – pointing to a growing momentum for change.
Executive Director of UNEP, Achim Steiner, said, “A healthy environment is essential to healthy people and our aspirations for a better world under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“We are indeed making progress on air pollution, but the fact remains that many people are still breathing air outside of WHO standards. The health, social and economic costs are massive and rising. UNEP’s study on ten areas for policy intervention provides a roadmap for countries to follow as they look to reduce air pollution, and we will support them every step of the way.”
For example, 97 countries have increased the percentage of households that have access to cleaner burning fuels to more than 85 per cent – a key move to tackle indoor air pollution, which claims over half the seven million lives.
At least 82 countries out of 194 analysed have incentives that promote investment in renewable energy production, cleaner production, energy efficiency and/or pollution control equipment. Last year, for the first time, renewables accounted for a majority of the new electricity-generating capacity added around the world, at an investment of $286 billion, according to research by UNEP, Bloomberg and the Frankfurt School.
However, action in other areas is less impressive. Policies and standards on clean fuels and vehicles could reduce emissions by 90 per cent, but only 29 per cent of countries worldwide have adopted Euro 4 emissions standards or above. Meanwhile, less than 20 per cent of countries regulate open waste burning, which is a leading cause of air pollution.
A second report released on Tuesday, which looks at attempts to control Beijing’s air pollution over a 15-year period, also finds steady improvements are being made. A Review of Air Pollution Control in Beijing: 1998-2013 analysed measures implemented since Beijing began launching air pollution control programmes, which saw a steady downward trend in the concentrations of many harmful pollutants.
In 2014, the international community, at the first UNEA, asked UNEP to support global efforts to improve air quality. UNEP has launched several programmes, including an initiative to develop a low-cost sensor that can be used across the developing world to track and address pollution hotspots.
Actions on Air Quality, part of UNEP’s push, focuses on ten basic measures to improve air quality. It shows that the majority of countries world-wide are still to adopt the top-ten air quality policy actions, but highlights many good examples that can be followed.
More than three billion people still use solid fuels and inefficient cook stoves, but the Seychelles was able to improve indoor air quality by transitioning the whole country from solid fuels and inefficient cook stoves to liquefied petroleum gas.
Only a quarter of countries have advanced fuels and vehicles standards, which can significantly reduce small particulate matter pollution, especially in cities. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda, decided that from 1 January 2015 only low sulphur fuels would be allowed in their countries. This reduced their emissions by over 90 per cent.
Electric cars have been on the increase, with strategies being developed in many countries around the world. One-third of all cars bought in Norway are now electric, the result of incentives instituted by the government.
However, some countries and cities have been able to increase waste recycling, reducing the need to burn waste. In Brazil, for example, millions of hectares of land are under conservation agriculture, which leaves crop residue from previous harvests on the land rather than burning it.
The majority of countries around the world have now put in place national air quality standards. India, with major air quality challenges in many cities, has established air quality laws and regulation and also an implementation strategy for these laws.
The Beijing analysis, carried out by UNEP and the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, found that carbon monoxide and sulphur levels are now below limits set by China’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards, while nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter ten levels are also creeping closer to the standards.
This trend has been driven by a decrease in coal consumption in the power sector and a drop in vehicle emissions resulting from vehicle emission control measures. Coal use fell from a peak of 9 million tonnes in 2005 to 6.44 million tonnes in 2013, while the 2013 levels of carbon monoxide dropped by 76 per cent compared to 1998.
“Even though the air pollution control programmes in Beijing have made substantial progress, the environment quality is far from satisfactory,” said Chen Tian, Director General of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau. “We will continue to explore approaches that could work effectively for improving the environment in this region.”
Heads of state and government, Economy Ministers, Bank Governors, development partners and delegates will on Monday in Lusaka, the Zambian capital, begin talks on “Energy and Climate Change” as the African Development Bank’s (AfDB’s) 51st Annual Meetings commence. The event will come to a close Friday.
Lusaka, Zambia
Nigeria’s Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, is expected to grace the occasion.
This year’s meeting will be focus on “Energy and climate change” – a timely theme for the world and particularly Africa, given that about 645 million Africans do not have access to electricity, 700 million have no access to clean cooking energy, and 600,000 die each year from indoor pollution from reliance on biomass for cooking.
No fewer 54 Finance or Economy Ministers from member countries of the AfDB, including Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, will review its 2015 operations report, and unveil new strategies and programme to create some 25 million jobs for young people over the next decade.
The Bank’s flagship meeting would also bring together some 3,000 delegates. Other invitees include development partners, representatives of international organisations, academia, civil society and the media.
At the end of 2015, the Bank had made USD 112 billion of loans and grants since 1967, through some 4370 operations. In 2015, it disbursed some USD 8.8 billion in 240 operations, a 25 per cent increase on 2014. Nigeria has been a beneficiary of the bank’s grants.
During the high-level meetings and thematic forums, participants will make in-depth assessments of the performance of Africa countries in the past year and envision how the Bank can help them cope with the difficult economic situation they face due to the global economic downturn and the fall in commodity prices.
AFDB President, Akinwumi Adesina, who will be presiding over his first Annual Meetings since assuming office as the Bank’s 8th President on September 1, 2015, said that participants would examine a host of burning issues in Africa as well as approve its activities and budget for the coming year.
Amongst the Bank’s five new priority actions – designed to scale up its operations for the continent’s transformation – are Light up and power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa and improve the quality of life for the people of Africa.
“All of them need to be debated and owned, as much by governments, as by business, as by civil society, as by the press, as by the people of Africa. The agenda is huge: We want to see nothing less than the social and economic transformation of Africa. We want to unleash massive potential – for Africa and for the world,” he said.
The 2016 Annual Meetings theme is aligned with two of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 7 to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” and SDG 13 to “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”.
The Bank’s Annual Meetings are its largest annual event, and its biggest window on the world. They bring together some 5,000 delegates and participants, and feature some 40 official events in addition to the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors, which constitutes the core purpose of the Meetings.
