Seventeen US governors have agreed to jointly pursue clean energy goals, including better energy efficiency and higher rates of renewable energy, modernising the electricity grid and promoting electric and alternatively fueled vehicles.
California’s Governor Jerry Brown in 2015 convened international leaders from 11 other states and provinces to sign an agreement to limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius
The governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future makes an economic case for expanding cooperation between states on renewable energy by supporting the growth of innovative US companies.
The document cites extreme weather events including sea-level rise, droughts, floods and wildfires as reasons to increase resilience of existing electrical grids and the overall US economy with the help of improved energy efficiency and renewable energy from sources such as wind, solar, hydro and geothermal.
The new agreement comes in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling that put a hold on the US Environmental Protection Agency Clean Power Plan for greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
It also comes in the wake of growing climate action on the part of regions around the world.
Last year, California’s Governor Jerry Brown convened international leaders from 11 other states and provinces, collectively representing more than $4.5 trillion in GDP and 100 million people, to sign an agreement to limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius.
The agreement, called the Under 2 MOU, provides a template for other states and provinces and played a major role in building momentum for an effective outcome of the UN Climate Change Agreement in Paris last December.
The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) said at the weekend that it has intensified recovery of oil from the February 14, 2016 spill at the Forcados Terminal export pipeline.
Shell’s General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli
The oil bigwig disclosed in a statement on Saturday that, supported by industry group Clean Nigeria Associates (CNA) and other oil companies, it has deployed specialised equipment to contain the spill. The firm added that it has likewise mobilised clean-up teams and contracted a specialised aircraft to join in the response. Production into the terminal and crude oil exports were stopped soon after the spill was discovered.
SPDC spokesperson, Gbenga Odugbesan, stressed that diving teams which inspected the 48-inch diameter export pipeline reported extensive damage that is consistent with the application of external force. Following this incident, the SPDC Joint Venture is working with relevant government agencies to review the security situation around its critical assets in the Niger Delta, he added in the statement.
General Manager External Relations of SPDC, Igo Weli, was quoted as saying: “This incident is regrettable but our response is comprehensive including multiple flights over the affected area to monitor the impact and deployment of clean-up experts from within and outside Nigeria. Oil recovery will continue while we finalise repair plans pending the conclusion of the ongoing Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) process. We appreciate the support of the communities, regulators and security agencies who are taking part in the investigation.”
Odugbesan noted that, meanwhile, SPDC has procured relief materials for distribution to communities.
For three days from Monday, February 15 to Wednesday, 17 February 2016 in Mexico City, over 65 women and men working on issues related to gender and biodiversity in Mexico came together to share experiences and provide input into the development of a gender-responsive National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).
Mexico City, the sprawling, densely populated and high-altitude capital of Mexico hosted the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) forum. Photo credit: paradiseintheworld.com
Mexico is said to be the first pilot country taking part in a project supported by the Japan Biodiversity Fund to build capacity of developing country Parties to integrate gender into their biodiversity policy, planning and programming. The project intends to work with at least three pilot countries to integrate gender considerations into their revised NBSAPs.
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) together with the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN), are working in partnership with the Government of Mexico to engage experts in gender and biodiversity, community leaders, and representatives from women’s groups from across the country to undertake this intensive exercise, the first of its kind. Lead Mexican government ministries and agencies on gender and biodiversity issues have provided strong support to this initiative, specifically the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), the National Commission on Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (Inmujeres).
According to the CBD, the commitment of the Mexican government is a key ingredient in ensuring that the perspectives and inputs of this wide range of stakeholders are not only incorporated in the strategy but also in the implementation of gender-responsive biodiversity actions in the years ahead. In the lead-up to the 13th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention (COP13), to be held in Cancun in December 2016, Mexico’s role as a leader in addressing and showcasing gender considerations relevant to biodiversity conservation and management marks a significant step forward towards the implementation of the CBD’s 2015-2020 Gender Plan of Action.
The 2015-2020 Gender Plan of Action was updated to align with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-
2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The Gender Plan of Action includes a framework of actions to be
undertaken by the Secretariat and identifies possible actions to be carried out by Parties, which include the integration of gender considerations into NBSAPs. The launch of this project through the first pilot initiative with the Government of Mexico demonstrates that there is a clear interest and commitment from Parties to bring the objectives of the Gender Plan into action.
Representatives from CONABIO, IUCN and Inmujeres opened the workshop.
Condoms have been the most effective way to prevent sexual transmission of HIV. For discordant couples who want children, this can be a challenge. This report shows how a new drug on trial can give these couples hope.
Pregnant women at Oriade community in Lagos say they will continue to patronise traditional birth attendants because the only primary health centre there is not well equipped.
In this report, I examine how challenges of their peculiar environment threaten their lives and the lives of their unborn children.
More than 36 million Nigerians are suffering from kidney disease, according to the Nigerian Association of Nephrology.
This report takes a look at how it can be reduced.
Nine months ago, the Lagos State Government in partnership with West Africa Energy Group commissioned a Material Recovery Facility (MRF), which has the capacity to receive about 2,000 metric tonnes of solid waste per day. It separates and prepares recyclables materials for other use. Kayode Aboyeji, who visited the facility recently, lists the benefits of the initiative
The Material Recovery Facility
For residents of Igando and its environs in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State including commuters, the conversion of a borrow pit where laterite was excavated for road construction to a dump site, is a challenge they would have to contend with for some time. Reason: the foul odour and smoke that emanate from the site and pollute the air are a cause for serious concern.
But all that appears to be a thing of the past now. Thanks to a material recovery facility located at the closed Solous 1 dumpsite. A Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative under a Built, Operate, Manage and Transfer arrangement spanning a 12-year tenure, the scheme is expected to assist the state to reduce its carbon foot print.
Conceived in 2012, the facility has the capacity to receive about 130 waste trucks per day but presently receives 80 trucks and treats about 500 to 600 tonnes of waste.
Essentially, the MRF provides support to the manufacturing sector through the provision of waste off-takers such as plastics, papers, metals and organic materials for agricultural use.
Job creation
Within the short period of operation of the facility, it has created job opportunity for more than 300 people who are directly engaged in sorting, packaging and other operations in the plant. Besides, the facility has also indirectly provided job opportunity to various categories of people such as food vendors, people that bring in materials and paid in return, among others.
More importantly however, is the fact that most of those engaged in the operations of the facility are women. This, according to findings, is a deliberate policy of the organisation to empower women who are said to be more directly affected by socio-economic challenges.
It was also gathered that more people would soon come on board as plans are in the offing to expand activities from the facility from a single shift and accommodate more waste.
Reduction in C02 emission
As a result of the operations of the facility, the C02 emission in the state particularly from the dumpsite has considerably been reduced.
By its nature, landfills or dumpsites lead to the conversion of organic waste to biogas, containing about 50 per cent methane, a very active greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. But, through the facility, the volume of waste that end up at the landfill has been considerably reduced with a plan by the initiator to have zero waste going into the landfill by 2020.
In the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, methane has a lifetime of 12.4 years and with climate-carbon feedbacks a global warming potential of 86 over 20 years and 34 over 100 years in response to emissions.
Material recovery
The establishment of the facility has also led to materials recovery which was hitherto dumped at landfills or drainage channels. Through the facility, pet bottles in hundreds are being compressed into bails for use for other purposes while other plastics are shredded, washed and packaged for use in the manufacture of carpets, among others.
Similarly, waste paper products are being packaged for re-use while a recycling centre is under construction where nylon will be recycled into polythene bags.
Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the facility, Lolade Oresanwo, disclosed that the next phase of the project is to generate electricity from the waste that would be used to power street lights and serve the neighbourhood while the third phase will would be composting and the production of fertiliser to maintain lawns, parks, gardens and other green areas across the city.
An elated Oresanwo called on international development agencies and donor organisations to support activities that directly impact people through job creation, particularly women.
She hinted that the organisation had received a mandate from the Oyo State Government to help clean up the city of refuse, adding that compactor trucks have been deployed to the state and already working to clean up the city.
Asked on the challenges encountered in managing the facility, Oresanwo disclosed that it is just the manpower and that the organisation is addressing that through training programmes for the employees to understand what they need to do.
A resident of the neighbourhood, Alhaji Babatunde Adio, commended the initiative. He explained that since the facility started operation, the smoke and bad odour that usually pervades the environment had stopped.
“The area is now clean, the odour is no more, there is no more smoke,” he stressed.
Adio revealed that not only has the facility contributed to the good environment they now enjoy, but that it has provided jobs for people from the neighbourhood.
Executive Director, Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev) Nigeria, Leslie Adogame, commended the initiative, saying it will assist in effective management of waste in the city.
Presently, Lagos, the commercial hub of Nigeria, generates about 11,000 metric tonnes of waste per day.
Former Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, stated during the commissioning of the facility, “The whole world is recycling, the whole world is reusing, the whole world is conserving. So nothing really goes to waste in any significant proportion. So that is what we are signing on, we are joining the whole world by having this recovery facility to recycle our wastes and turn them into wealth.”
Globally, recycling is one method of conserving the natural environment. And MRF systems play an important role in recycling on a large scale. As an essential component of innovative waste management system by means of recycling, MRF helps in conserving the environment. It lessens the extraction of natural resources thus creating a more sustainable way of manufacturing new products. Aside from the fact that it decreases the amount of waste materials, it also prevents the spread of environmental contaminants that may endanger human health.
Classic modern home design, landscaping, closed circuit TV, water treatment plant, flood lights, elevated building, paved compound and good land title are unique features of Simeon Court, a new residential estate located in the highbrow, medium density residential area of Oniru Estate, Victoria Island in Lagos.
Elevation view of the estate
The luxury estate is being built by big-wig Lagos real estate development firm, Deluxe Residences, which recently unveiled the project.
Simeon Court consists of two blocks of 19 luxury apartments: comprising of 18 units of three-bedroom flats in two separate wings, and an exclusive penthouse, serviced by elevators, generous parking space and breathtaking landscaping.
Specifically, each apartment has a guest’s convenience, classic living and dining areas, ultra-modern kitchen, generous laundry room, box room, three ensuite luxury bedrooms and an all ensuite room for the steward/maid.
Apparently designed for exclusive taste, dwelling units at Simeon Court features: grand/spacious living room and dining area, an expansive master suite with walk-in closets and private balcony, fitted kitchen (with appliances, cabinetry and accessories), ensuite bedrooms, a maid’s room, laundry area, floors finished with a combination of marble and vitrified tiles, top grade quality bathrooms, tall and well-positioned windows for optimal ventilation amongst others.
Aerial view of the estate
Recreational facilities in the estate include children’s playground, swimming pool, gym and generous space for indoor games. The estate also features educational, religious and social institutions/facilities. The pent house enjoys an excellent view of the ocean.
A fully finished flat is priced at N65 million, with an initial deposit of N20 million, and the balance spread conveniently over 18 months. However, its current promo price for the type is N55 million, with an initial deposit of N20 million and the balance spread over 12 months. The penthouse sells for N110 million, and an initial deposit of N40 million only is required.
Mr. Abiola Nuga, the General Manager, Finance & Investment of Deluxe Residences, said: “This development is an excellent investment for first time home owners or a discerning investor who seeks to expand his real estate portfolio. In creating these luxury apartments, we were guided by the need for: affordable housing, privacy, security, space optimization, comfort, child-friendly environment, as well as functionality and maintenance. The importance we attached to all these, have resulted in the use of top quality construction materials by our highly reputable construction team.”
According to him, Deluxe Residences takes pride in its ability to develop and offer to discerning investors, economically sound, high-yield investment and development properties.
Mr. Olaoluwa Oluwarinde, the firm’s Senior Manager, Business Intelligence, added: “We operate on the principles of Commitment to Client Satisfaction and Quality Workmanship and Services. We always ensure that our buildings meet or exceed clients’ expectations. We understand that satisfied clients are the key to our success. Thus, the amount of attention placed on details separates Deluxe Residences from the competition. At Deluxe Residences, it’s strictly undiluted luxury like never before.
“This project is in line with the company’s mission to provide affordable luxury homes and maintain its pacesetter position in real estate services. Deluxe Residences has constantly exceeded its teeming customers’ expectations through innovation, uniqueness and creativity.”
Some other top-notch estates/key projects by Deluxe Residences were listed to include: The Orchard, Oniru; The Grand Orchard, Oniru; The Vogue, Oniru; The Orchard, Lekki; and Almond Court, Lekki.
