The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) now has 197 members following the formal entry on Thursday (March 17) of the State of Palestine.
UNFCCC, Executive Secretary, Christiana Figueres
This is in accordance with its article 23 (2) which reads as follows: “For each State or regional economic integration organisation that ratifies, accepts or approves the Convention or accedes thereto after the deposit of the 5oth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, the Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after the date of deposit by such State or regional economic integration organisation of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.”
The State of Palestine deposited its instrument of accession to the Convention on 18 December 2015.
The State of Palestine, also known simply as Palestine, is a partially recognised state in the Middle East. Its independence was declared on 15 November 1988 by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in Algiers as a government-in-exile.
The world could miss out in the fight against climate change and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) if the current scale of forest destruction continues, according to Kofi Annan, Chair of the Africa Progress Panel (APP).
Kofi Annan, chair of the Africa Progress Panel
Mr Annan warned against the destruction of forests, which provide clean air and water, and local communities with food, shelter and livelihoods, saying, “Each day more forests are cleared, driven by multiple activities, from agriculture to infrastructure development, to the growing demand for wood and forest products, often made worse by illegal logging.”
In his keynote address at the “Forests for the Future – New Forests for Africa” conference in Accra, Ghana on 16 March, Kofi Annan said: “Some of the world’s most precious ecosystems, such as the Virunga National Park in the Congo Basin, are threatened by oil, gas and mineral exploration and exploitation”.
Forests and climate change
Forests offer incredible impetus to the fight against climate change. “Forest restoration and reforestation in Africa can contribute to the global effort to tackle climate change and accelerate progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Mr Annan, adding that “forest restoration of 350 million hectares could generate $170 billion per year in net benefits from watershed protection, improved crop yields and forest products.”
To realise these gains, he encouraged African governments to create the conducive environment to promote domestic and international investment in sustainable reforestation initiatives.
Kofi Annan challenged Africa’s leadership on reforestation to go hand-in-hand with a massive transformation of its energy sector. “Two out of three Africans – over 600 million people – have no access to electricity. Cut off from the grid, rural populations across the continent often have no other choice than chopping trees to make charcoal for cooking,” he stated, adding that “this is not just driving deforestation and climate change, but also putting people’s health at risk.”
He outlined three key steps to transforming Africa’s forestry sector:
put an end to deforestation and protect the health of our remaining forests;
recognise the huge potential of new forests and invest in sustainable reforestation of degraded lands; and,
put Africa on a pathway towards a low-carbon energy future to end the clearing of forests for energy purposes.
The conference, which aims at large scale reforestation in Africa, is an initiative of the Dutch forestry consultation company, Form International; the sustainable forestry plantation company, Form Ghana; Nyenrode Business University; and in cooperation with The Forestry Commission, Ghana and the World Resources Institute.
By Stephen Yeboah (Research Fellow at the Africa Progress Panel)
Veronica Nwanya, Chairperson, African Women Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Network (AWWASHN), tells Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State in a letter presented during a rally on Thursday (March 17) to reject all forms of water privatisation and commodification. The AWWASHN is a group of women advocates in the public and civil society founded to lend a voice on issues bothering on water, sanitation and hygiene
Akinwunmi Ambode, Governor of Lagos State. Photo credit: ecomium.org
AWWASHN requests you join us in affirming the fundamental right to clean water and independent self-governance which Lagos citizens deserve. We are deeply troubled that decades of influence by the World Bank and the private water industry have pushed the currently proposed water privatisation plan in Lagos and similar schemes throughout countries of the Global South.
As a group, we are deeply worried that the Lagos State Water Corporation (LSWC) with the support of the World Bank and private water corporations, is pushing hard for privatisation of water in Lagos under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model that is known to have failed in other parts of the world.
Failures in water PPP models have been recorded in Manila, Philippines where, as part owner of water corporations that win PPP contracts, the World Bank has positioned itself to profit from this model. This conflict of interest drives the Bank’s misleading marketing, especially its promotion of key “success stories “like Manila and Nagpur, India, where water PPPs have failed. Around the world, cities from Paris to Dar Es Salaam that have attempted to solve water crisis with PPPs have failed and have instead rolled back water privatisation and advanced down the road of remunicipalisation.
In the light of the above, we urge you and other decision-makers to stop any form of water privatisation in Lagos, including PPPs that are based on models that fail to uphold the human right to water and has locked governments into long-term contracts and enslavement of their people. This is further proven in facts that such deals have proven exceedingly difficult for cities to exit, despite rate hikes, service cutoffs, and unfulfilled infrastructure promises. They prevent cities from making crucial progress towards real solutions to water access challenges.
In the light of this, we urge you to lead us in developing these real solutions that truly address people’s access to water from the prism of human rights. These solutions cannot be found in corporate management of public goods or privatisers managing public assets. The rave today as espoused by the United Nations in 2010 is collective investment in water infrastructure and democratic decision-making prioritising the human right to water above profits. We are ready to stand in solidarity with you and any other leader who shows a strong commitment to investing in a public water system that aims for universal access.
Our demands in this correspondence echo the recommendations civil society and community-based groups made to your Excellency on 23 March 2015 during your governorship campaign. International participants at a two-day International Summit on: Our Water, Our Right, held here in Lagos 11 -12 August 2015 also raised the same points.
As you continue unveiling your administration’s policies to make life in Lagos meaningful for all residents, we again use this medium to ask the Lagos State Government to:
Reject all forms of water privativation and commodification.
Fully uphold the human right to water as an obligation of the government, representing the people.
Integrate broad public participation in developing plans to achieve universal access to clean water.
Reject contracts designed by, involving, or influenced by the IFC, which operates to maximise private profit.
Disclose all IFC and World Bank activity and discussions with Lagos government officials regarding water, including formal and informal advisory roles.
Build the political will to prioritise water for the people, therefore leading to a comprehensive plan that invests in the water infrastructure necessary to provide universal water access, which will create jobs, improve public health, and invigorate the Lagos economy.
We write today to
Ask you to issue a public statement informing Lagos citizens of your government’s stance on Lagos’ controversial PPP water privatisation scheme.
Urge you to propose and develop a comprehensive plan for achieving universal access to clean water in the state.
Respectfully request that you advise the “African Women Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Network”, on whose behalf we write, when we might have an opportunity to meet with you to discuss how we can work together to move Lagos State toward a future where all Lagosians are drinking clean, safe water.
The Second India Africa Dialogue and Media Briefing Workshop has ended in Accra, Ghana with experts expressing strong disapproval against the global adoption of centralised wastewater or excreta management.
The workshop with a theme: “Sewerage to Sanitation: Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Sanitation Solutions for Future” was organised by the Indian-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in partnership with Kenyan-based Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) and SATCGO, a Ghana-based association of science journalists.
Speaking at the event that was attended by journalists from 15 African countries, Dr. Suresh Rohilla, Director of CSE’s Water Programme, said that waste-water management had been centralised particularly in urban areas of India and other parts of the world.
While Dr. Rohilla explained that “centralised waste water management means excreta is not managed locally but is only transported through pipelines and dumped somewhere else,” other experts at the workshop said that large quantities of water, which is a precious natural resource, was used in carrying human excreta.
Dr. Sudhir Pillay, a scientist with South Africa’s Water Research Commission, observed that “this is not the best use of water,” adding that the number of people defecating in the open were increasing in 26 of 44 countries in the sub-Saharan Africa.
In Ghana, he said, only 15 percent of people used an “improved” sanitation facility and that the current technology, which is the use of water to flush down excreta, was not sustainable.
“The solution,” he said, “is on-site faecal sludge management using modern septic tanks and other technologies so that the excreta would not use contaminated water bodies.”
Both Pillay and Patrick Apoya, a water and sanitation expert, advocated for Decentralised Wastewater Management Systems (DEWATS), which uses advanced systems including septic tanks, biogas digesters, anaerobic filters and other methods to convert wastewater into clean, usable water.
“The current piped sewerage systems do not treat sewage but merely transport it away. They are toxic and extremely pollute the rivers and lakes where they are finally dumped,” Rohilla said.
Apoya, on his part, shared detailed suggestions on decentralised models that communities could adopt.
A CSE analysis at the workshop stated that, in the corresponding period when the world population increased by three times, water consumption increased six times.
The analysis observes that ‘modern’ lifestyle and processes required more water than before, which consequently leads to water shortage, about 75 percent of the world faces water scarcity, currently.
It therefore saw the necessacity for discarding wasteful practices. “It is not prudent to create water and sanitation systems that are wasteful in design later which we will want to make efficient later.”
It questioned systems and structures that eliminated local people’s participation in decision-making while at the same time, centralising the systems. “While water supply systems were centrally controlled and relied on long transmission lines and transportation of water from distant locations, sewage disposal, too, was done in a centralised manner in most towns and cities. As much as 20 to 50 percent of water was wasted during the supply process.”
Energy minister Andrea Leadson tells MPs the Government is seeking to commit to capture ‘the momentum of Paris’
British Prime Minister, David Cameron
A key Paris climate treaty commitment to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions will be enshrined in UK law, the Government has said.
Energy minister Andrea Leadsom told MPs that the Government wanted to capture “the momentum of Paris” and would seek to commit future governments to the pledge, part of the treaty which was signed by 200 countries in December.
The commitment was secured following lobbying by the former Labour leader and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband, who had been seeking an amendment to the Energy Bill.
The Paris Treaty committed countries to zero emissions by the second half of the 21st century. Ms Leadsom said that the Government would await the findings of a Climate Change Committee report into the implications of the Paris agreements, but said that minsters believed that zero emissions should be enshrined in law.
“The question is not whether but how we do it,” she said.
Mr Miliband said the decision was “a victory” for MPs across all parties who had called for the commitment.
“It is the right thing to do because the science demands it, it makes economic sense and will build momentum in the fight against climate change,” he said. “It is essential we build on the success of the Paris agreement and do not squander it and I hope other countries will no follow the example of the UK.”
The Climate Action Network International (CAN) has responded to the IRENA REmap report that shows how governments can double the share of renewables in the global energy mix by 2030 and collectively save up to US$4.2 trillion annually.
Wael Hmaidan, International Director, CAN
The analysis comes a day after the International Energy Agency (IEA) said that economic growth has decoupled from carbon pollution due largely to the sustained surge in renewable energy deployment.
Other key benefits of doubling renewables by 2030 included in the IRENA report include:
It would result in 24.4 million jobs in the renewable energy sector by 2030, compared to 9.2 million in 2014;
It would reduce air pollution enough to save up to 4 million lives per year in 2030;
It would boost the global GDP by up to US$ 1.3 trillion;
It would limit average global temperature rise to 2 °C above pre-industrial levels (when coupled with energy efficiency);
It would avoid up to 12 gigatonnes of energy-related CO2 emissions in 2030 – five times higher than what countries have pledged to reduce through renewable energy in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
The development has elicited reactions from personalities in member networks of CAN.
Wael Hmaidan, Director at CAN: “These striking figures show the real-world potency of the renewable revolution. According to IRENA simply doubling our current capacity will inject trillions of dollars into the global economy, save millions of lives and create millions more clean jobs. Imagine, what more can we achieve by going 100% renewable?”
Emily Rochon, Global Energy Strategist at Greenpeace International: “As the world measurably warms because of the burning of fossil fuels, IRENA’s report shows renewable energy provides a way to pull our heads out of the oven while providing jobs as well as significant economic and environmental benefits. In fact, as Greenpeace analysis has shown, renewable energy can account for at least 73% of the energy mix globally by 2030. But it’s up to politicians to make that happen. We need their leadership to ensure fossil fuels are phased out as quickly as possible to make way for a rapid increase in renewable energy and energy efficiency in the coming years.”
Safa’ Al Jayoussi, Head of Climate & Energy Campaign at IndyACT and CAN Arab World Coordinator: “This report shows that we need more clean energy investment and less structural speed bumps for a swift, hugely beneficial transition to renewable energy. We need detailed national energy plans to pave the way for increased job opportunities and higher GDP – especially in the Arab region where the sun shines 300 days a year.”
Anna Leidreiter, Senior Programme Manager Climate Energy at World Future Council: “This analysis demonstrates that the transition to renewable energy is about doing more than simply switching sources – it shows how renewable energy is a critical tool for sustainable development. We see the evidence in the world around us, where hundreds of jurisdictions worldwide are showing that development benefits are maximised by going 100% renewable.”
Eco Matser, climate and energy programme manager at Hivos: “Renewable energy has a huge potential for mitigating climate change, which this report of shows, while at the same time offering great potential for development and green inclusive growth. Because of its decentralised character renewable energy can offer access to energy to all people in all regions, to people who are not in economic centres or in power, supporting equity, education, health, community services and productive use.”
The CAN is a global network of over 1,000 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from over 110 countries working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels.
Communities in Akpabuyo and Bakassi are crying out over the destruction of their ancestral properties and economic trees estate by Cross River State Government (CRSG), which is planning to construct a road across the region.
Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State. Photo credit: yohaig.ng
Over 20 communities in Akpabuyo and Bakassi Local Government Area (LGA) in the state are already counting their loses over what they termed as gross violation of their fundamental human rights.
The mobilisation of the bulldozers by Governor Ben Ayade into the hinterlands of Akpabuyo and Bakassi has apparently left hardship on the community people. The affected communities are on the Esighi, Atimbo-East and Edem Odo flank of the LGA. According to them, the bulldozers have destroyed over 20,000 stands of healthy palm trees including other economic trees, grave yards and community forests and sources of water.
“The untold hardship and gross violation is coming at the time the country and its citizens are experiencing some economic hard times,” said Edem Edem, Founder/Board Member of GreenCode, a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
In a statement, he listed the demands of the people as follows:
That CRSG halts the destruction immediately in line with the Stop Work Order issued by the Federal Ministry of Environment on 11 March 2016.
Immediately stop the bulldozers from destroying our heritage, grave yards and artefacts in the name of Super Highway project.
That the CRSG conducts a transparent and participatory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the Super Highway project.
That the Super Highway project should not traverse the communities’ forests and farmlands with consultations and prior informed consent as required by law and by convention.
That all destroyed properties of the people and communities should be valued and paid for in line with international acceptable standards and laws.
The Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday directed that stability test be conducted on all buildings constructed by Lekki Gardens to ascertain their structural integrity. Abode said any of the buildings found to be defective would be demolished.
L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (2nd left); Divisional Police Officer, Ilasan Police Station, Mrs. Onyinye Onwuanaegbu; Commissioner for Physical Planning & Urban Development, Engr. Wasiu Anifowose and Commissioner for Works & Infrastructure, Engr. Ganiyu Johnson during the Governor’s inspection of the site of the collapsed building in Lekki Gardens at Ikusenla Road, Ikate Elegushi, Lagos, on Tuesday. Photo credit: vanguardngr.com
The governor, who addressed Government House Correspondents at the Lagos House, Ikeja, shortly after inspecting the site of the collapsed building which was being built by Lekki Gardens, described the incident, which claimed 34 lives and left several others injured, as “one building collapse too many”.
He said since the unfortunate incident, the state government has taken several steps to stem the tide of building collapse, adding that his administration is determined not to fail in the responsibility of ensuring the safety of lives and property of its citizens.
He said: “The State Government will undertake a stability test on all other buildings constructed by the developer in the state, whether occupied or not, to ascertain their structural stability. The developer will pay the cost of the tests. Any building found to be defective will be demolished. For those that pass the integrity test, the developer will pay a penalty for any overdevelopment on the site.”
Governor Ambode, who commiserated with those who suffered loss and injury as a result of the building collapse, said since the incident, the state government has ordered the immediate sealing off of the construction site and cessation of further construction, co-ordinated emergency rescue of all injured victims and treatment at its hospitals, prosecution of owners of the collapsed building as well as dismissal of some government officials.
He said the government, going forward, would carry out an audit of all structures in the state to ascertain those with planning approval or not and evaluate the physical development against the approved building plans, adding that details of the plan would be made public soon.
He said: “I want to assure you that there will no longer be any sacred cows. If there is failure of duty, there will be sanctions. I also want to seize this opportunity to assure Lagosians that the State Government will do everything within its powers to check the excesses of Developers who flout its regulations and will restore efficiency and confidence in the building control and supervision process.”
The governor revealed that a five-man committee to examine the Urban and Regional Planning Law of the State as it affects the Lagos State Building Control Agency has been set up.
The Committee is to be chaired by Dr. Moses Olubunmi Ajayi, a past President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) and Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN); while members are Engineer Ore Fadayomi, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers (NIStructE); Architect Yetunde O. Ajayi, a retired Permanent Secretary; the General Manager of Lagos State Planning Authority and Secretary of Lagos State Building Control Agency as Secretary of the Committee.
Ambode also charged the committee to examine the operations of LASBCA and make recommendations for changes that will ensure effective service delivery, recommend organizational re-structure and appropriate manpower for effective operation of LASBCA, study the legal and operational issues affecting the functioning of the Materials Testing Laboratory and other matters that will enhance the efficient functioning of the two organisations.
He gave the committee four weeks to submit its report.
He added: “Finally, let me reiterate that Lagos is open to business for those who must comply with the State laws and regulations in order to prosper. Our main concern is to continue to improve on the ease of doing business and uphold the Rule of Law at all times. Those who choose non-compliance and defiance will henceforth face the full weight of the law without fear or favour.”
Speaking to journalists at the site of the collapsed building, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Wasiu Anifowose, said Governor Ambode and his team were at the site to personally examine the level of damage and determine how best to prevent a reoccurrence going forward.
Anifowose disclosed that integrity test would be conducted on all the structures erected by Lekki Gardens in the area and advised occupiers of other structures constructed by Lekki Gardens to vacate the buildings immediately.
Anifowose said the site of the collapsed structure had been condoned off and that government would take appropriate steps after the conclusion of investigation by the police.
He said: “In the best interest of the occupiers of the other structures, their lives are very important to us as a government and we are appealing to them to vacate the buildings immediately until investigations are completed. The gentleman behind Lekki Gardens got approval for ground, first, second and third floors, but after doing the roofing, he removed it and added additional two floors, which caused the building to collapse. So, we have to carry out integrity test on the other structures and the cost implication for present occupiers of the other structures to vacate the buildings would be borne by the developer.”
The Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Mr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, has applauded the Arctic Partnership announced last Thursday by United States President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Washington, D.C.
United States President Barack Obama (right) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo credit: wikipedia.org
Although focused on climate action, the partnership is said to have far-reaching consequences for biodiversity in the Arctic, including the role of indigenous peoples and their traditional knowledge.
Concerned that the Arctic is experiencing accelerated climate change and is on the frontlines of this global crisis, President Obama and Prime Minister Trudeau pledged, in a joint statement, to embrace opportunities and confront challenges in the Arctic with indigenous and Northern partnerships and responsible, science-based leadership.
Of particular relevance to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the two leaders called on all Arctic nations, including those with Arctic interests, to embrace a new future for Arctic leadership with four objectives:
Conserve Arctic biodiversity through science-based decision-making: Canada and the United States reaffirmed their national goals of protecting at least 17 per cent of land areas and 10 per cent of marine areas by 2020 (Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020), vowing to work directly with indigenous partners, state, territorial and provincial governments to establish a new conservation goal for the Arctic based on the best available climate science and knowledge.
Incorporate indigenous science and traditional knowledge into decision-making: The two countries said they are committed to collaborating with indigenous peoples and Arctic governments, leaders and communities to more broadly and respectfully include indigenous science and traditional knowledge into decision-making, including environmental assessments, resource management, and advancing the understanding of climate change and how best to manage its effects.
Build a sustainable Arctic economy: Commercial activities, according to the two countries, will occur only when the “highest safety and environmental standards including national and global climate and environmental goals, and Indigenous rights and agreements” are met. They pledge to work together to develop, in 2016, a shared and science-based standard for considering the life cycle impacts of commercial activities in the Arctic and establish consistent policies for ships operating in the region. With a vision to ensure a future of “abundant Arctic fish”, both countries called for a binding international agreement to prevent unregulated fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean based on precautionary, science-based principles.
Supporting strong Arctic communities: Canada and the United Sates commit to defining new approaches and exchanging best practices to strengthen the resilience of Northern and Arctic communities and to continue to support the well-being of Arctic residents while stressing the importance of respecting the rights and territory of indigenous peoples. Among other things, the two countries committed to working in partnership to implement land claims agreements to realise the social, cultural and economic potential of all indigenous and Northern communities. This new partnership, which embraces Northern and indigenous communities and their local and traditional knowledge, together with science, for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and climate action, brings renewed hope for a world region which is experiencing accelerated climate change.
Bonobos, orangutans, chimpanzees and gorillas are facing extinction. The Rainforest Rescue’s Great Ape Project is calling on UNESCO to recognise man’s closest relatives as a Living World Heritage before it’s too late.
Looking to an uncertain future: Orangutans are threatened by extinction. Photo credit: flickr/CIFOR
The Great Ape Project campaign, a project of Rainforest Rescue, is calling on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to officially recognise orangutans, bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas as a Living World Heritage.
According to Reinhard Behrend of Rainforest Rescue, the move is more urgent than ever. “The initiators emphasise that we could wipe the great apes out in as little as 10 years, as we already have done with other primate species and are currently doing with thousands of other species in a wave of extinction unparalleled in the history of our planet,” he says, adding:
“We share millions of years of evolutionary history with orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas. Yet our common path could be coming to an end: the great apes face extinction if we don’t stop destroying their habitat.”
Scientists say one of the main drivers of extinction and the impending disappearance of great apes is the clearing of tropical forests.
Behrend notes: “Orangutans, bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas belong to the hominid family – as do humans. We not only share common ancestors, but also a variety of cognitive skills.
“UNESCO does not currently recognise living beings as World Heritage. However, the Great Ape Project argues that there is no greater or more beautiful heritage than nature itself and its inhabitants and is therefore calling on the organisation to adopt the Living World Heritage concept.
“The initiative has already gained considerable traction among scientists, academics, writers and organisations in Spain. The aim of the broad alliance is to raise awareness of the dramatic extinction of species and to ensure that the great apes are granted fundamental rights.”
The workshop with a theme: “Sewerage to Sanitation: Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Sanitation Solutions for Future” was organised by the Indian-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in partnership with Kenyan-based Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) and SATCGO, a Ghana-based association of science journalists.
