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Climate solutions explored at World Future Energy Summit, ADSW 2016

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Climate solutions explored at World Future Energy Summit, ADSW 2016

Attracting more than 33,000 delegates, including over 80 government ministers and visitors from 170 countries, ADSW (Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week) is the Middle East’s largest gathering focused on addressing the interconnected challenges of energy and water security, climate change and sustainable development.

President Muhammadu Buhari (sixth from right) with other world leaders at the opening ceremony of the World Future Energy Summit 2016, as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), UAE
President Muhammadu Buhari (sixth from right) with other world leaders at the opening ceremony of the World Future Energy Summit 2016, as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), UAE

Commenting on the opening ceremony, President Muhammmed Buhari called for greater global cooperation against the devastating effect of climate change to avert disaster for the human race.

In his keynote speech, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the need to turn political will into decisive action on renewable energy and sustainable development, as part of the fight against climate change. He praised the UAE’s leadership in sustaining the political momentum in the wake of the Paris Climate Agreement, reached in December, to achieve a better future for people across the world.

He told delegates: “We have a vision, (and) we have goals. There is also political will. We are the first generation with an opportunity to end poverty, but we are the last generation with a chance to combat climate change. Clean energy is the key to both of these tests. Sustainable energy is the thread that connects economic growth, social equity and our efforts to combat climate change.

“UAE and Masdar are a perfect example of the kind of public-private action that is needed. I congratulate Abu Dhabi on bringing together so many different partners including world leaders,” he added.

As the first high level global sustainable development event to take place since the Paris Climate Agreement, ADSW examined how to turn the ambitious goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into practical and innovative policy, investment, technology and partnership solutions, with a focus on identifying actions that can be taken by both the public and private sectors.

In special remarks, delivered at the opening ceremony, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico said: “One of the biggest challenges facing humanity is to have enough clean energy to meet future demand for energy. All nations of the world are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and we therefore all have a duty to assume a global responsibility.

“Mexico is committed to the environment. We have made the decision to transition to less-polluting forms of fuel and to adopt renewable energy. Our belief is that it is possible to secure a new climate regime, without impeding economic and social progress. Abu Dhabi, and particularly Masdar, represent tangible examples of innovative environments aimed at sustainable economic and social progress.”

In his address to the opening ceremony, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Chairman of Masdar, said: “We convene at a moment of unprecedented unity. The Paris Agreement, last month, marked the culmination of over a decade of challenging negotiations. Never before has the political will to address climate change and achieve sustainable development been so resolute. And never before have market forces aligned so closely with political choices.

“Achieving sustainable development and meeting the worlds’ growing demand for energy cannot be met by one source alone. All energy sources both traditional and new must work hand-in-hand. And that is why our leadership has prioritized economic and energy diversification as fundamental pillars to achieving sustainable development,” added Dr Al Jaber.

“There has never been a greater opportunity to make progress against the sustainable development goals and to create an economic potential that can drive sustained growth for future generations. Here, at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, we can start to build bridges between governments and businesses to create durable partnerships and to address the world’s most pressing challenges in sustainability. So let us be brave bold and ambitious. Let us use this week to maintain the momentum and to capitalize on this historic opportunity to lift the global economy and carve a practical pathway towards a sustainable future,” continued Dr. Al Jaber.

ADSW 2016 brought together thought leaders, policy makers and investors to address the challenges and opportunities of renewable energy and sustainable development through policy dialogue and action. ADSW 2016 promoted multilateral cooperation and bold decision making to accelerate the adoption of the sustainable solutions needed to realise the economic aspirations of future generations and to accommodate rapid global population growth.

The week also showcased the UAE’s leadership in addressing the critical issues defining the sustainability agenda, such as innovation and water security and reinforce Abu Dhabi’s position as an international energy and sustainability hub, capitalising on the clear economic opportunity of clean energy and water security. ADSW will also play a vital role in growing awareness, stimulating public debate and motivating action to address the vital regional issues of sustainability – energy efficiency, water conservation and waste recycling.

ADSW, which ended on Saturday, January 23rd 2016 is structured around four key pillars: policy, leadership, business and awareness and academic research.

Held as part of ADSW, the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) is the world’s foremost event dedicated to the advancement of renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean technology. The four-day conference programme addressed a range of key themes across clean energy. It will include sessions on the future of global energy in a low hydrocarbon price environment; financing the future of energy; new projects in the MENA solar sector and climate change and the UAE.

By Oluwatosin Kolawole (ClimateAid International), Abu Dhabi, UAE

Mohammed urges WASCAL to key into INDC, change agenda

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Mohammed urges WASCAL to key into INDC, change agenda

The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) has been urged to key into Nigeria’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) as it begins the process of preparing a Research Agenda on Climate Change for the sub-region for the period spanning 2016 to 2020.

Environment Minister, Mrs Amina J. Mohammed (second right), with (from left) Professor Kehinde Ogunjobi, Director, WASCAL’s Graduate Studies Programme (GSP) in West Africa Climate System at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA); Prof. Jerome Omotoso, Chairman, Nigerian National Consultation/Dialogue, WASCAL Research Agenda 2016; Environment Minister of State, Ibrahim Usman Jibril; and, Prof. Adeniyi Osuntogun, Vice-Chair of the WASCAL Governing Board, at the National Dialogue on WASCAL Climate Change Research Agenda…on Thursday, January 21, 2016
Environment Minister, Mrs Amina J. Mohammed (second right), with (from left) Professor Kehinde Ogunjobi, Director, WASCAL’s Graduate Studies Programme (GSP) in West Africa Climate System at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA); Prof. Jerome Omotoso, Chairman, Nigerian National Consultation/Dialogue, WASCAL Research Agenda 2016; Environment Minister of State, Ibrahim Usman Jibril; and, Prof. Adeniyi Osuntogun, Vice-Chair of the WASCAL Governing Board, at the National Dialogue on WASCAL Climate Change Research Agenda…on Thursday, January 21, 2016

Environment Minister, Mrs Amina J. Mohammed, who made the disclosure on Thursday (January 21, 2016) in Abuja at the opening of a daylong stakeholders’ workshop on the WASCAL Research Agenda 2016, stressed that the agenda would not only bridge the gap between educational institutions and the government, but also with the industries.

While suggesting that outcome of the consultations should be communicated to her office for onward communication to Mr President, she disclosed that, as stated in the INDC, Nigeria aims to reduce emissions by 20% below BAU (business as usual) by 2030, rising to 45% with support from the international community.

“This has provided the needed national roadmap for sustainable development at all levels and in all key stakeholder constituencies,” the minister stated, even as she lamented that Nigeria is one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world.

Her words: “By 2050, it could cost between six percent and 30 percent of its GDP. Nigerians are already profoundly aware of the damage caused by climate change impacts. The 2012 floods that killed several people and displaced more that 2.1 million are stack realities. These impacts are threatening the livelihoods of everyday Nigerians as well as aggravate regional conflicts such as depletion of the Lake Chad in the North East and the associated collapse of economic and institutional fabric, which has proved a breeding ground for terrorism.”

According to her, the current administration has come with a Change Agenda that is committed to an economic transformation which places inclusive, green growth at its heart.

“This change includes engaging our universities and research institutes in various fields to collaborate with the government to safeguard and improve on the lives of Nigerians. Mainstreaming climate change into all facets of our lives would indeed require the outputs from credible researches undertaken in these institutions. A successful government must fully develop its institutions to embark on research and innovations that focus on   our national goals.”

Mrs Mohammed lauded WASCAL, saying that within a few years of its existence it (WASCAL) has created a niche for itself “and is willing to assist the nation develop its capacity through education and research, a must in this era of changing climate.”

She added: “With dire projections made popular by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) that fueled the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) to bring together the global community consistently for more than a decade, WASCAL, a collaboration of 10 member countries and Germany, is blazing the trial in enhancing the capacity of tertiary institutions and their partners in filling the much needed research gap in the sub-region.

“By encouraging young West Africans to fill the much-needed research gap that highlights the need for policy makers to collaborate with scientists, WASCAL has claimed a leadership role that should be supported by organisations like WMO (World Meteorological Organisation), UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations) and indeed the international community.”

Dr Appolonia Okhimamhe, Director, WASCAL Masters Programme on Climate Change and Adapted Landuse (CC&LU) at the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Niger State, at the Dialogue
Dr Appolonia Okhimamhe, Director, WASCAL Masters Programme on Climate Change and Adapted Landuse (CC&LU) at the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Niger State, at the Dialogue

Prof. Adeniyi Osuntogun, Vice-Chair of the WASCAL Governing Board, highlighting WASCAL’s future emphasis, said that a core area is to improve the livelihoods of the population in the sub-region under climate change and climate variability (CC & CV). He added that the challenge to be met before all others is to improve the accuracy of the CC & CV predictions for the WASCAL mandate area.

He said: “Key also is the development of methods that permit the application of crop models at larger spatial areas to allow hydrological and agricultural decisions on various spatial and temporal scales. WASCAL envisages the identification of vulnerable people and areas, defined as those facing scarcity and degradation and transformation of natural resources and infrastructure.

“WASCAL intends developing a set of solutions to deal with the diversity of the socio-ecological systems. Therefore, WASCAL will generate knowledge and understanding on how to accelerate the implementation of solutions and on a wider scale by disseminating information on how land use is to be managed to support and sustain ecosystem services.”

In designing WASCAL research agenda for Nigeria, Prof. Osuntogun listed specific attention to be paid to include:

  • focusing on Nigeria priorities and challenges on climate change and related issues
  • integrating of research with capacity building activities
  • consistency with over all goal of WASCAL research agenda
  • upholding of key principles of WASCAL’s research agenda

According to him, financial support is a critical and an essential factor in the formulation, promotion and implementation of a national research agenda on Climate Change, Climate Variation, Adapted Land Use and other related issues.

Some participants at the Dialogue (Front row, L-R): Prof. Emmanuel Oladipo, Prof. Francis Adesina and Prof. Daniel Gwary
Some participants at the Dialogue (Front row, L-R): Prof. Emmanuel Oladipo, Prof. Francis Adesina and Prof. Daniel Gwary

Prof. Jerome Omotoso, Chairman, Nigerian National Consultation/Dialogue, WASCAL Research Agenda 2016, identified goals of the consultative workshop as:

  • defining the crucial climate change challenges facing Nigeria
  • recommend the climate services and research needs for Nigeria to be included in the Research Agenda
  • determining the potential contribution of Nigeria to the implementation of WASCAL Research programme
  • identifying appropriate stakeholders to represent Nigeria at the regional consultation.

Prof. Emmanuel Oladipo of the University of Lagos, Akoka, in a keynote address submitted that WASCAL’s support to Nigeria for a science-based response to climate change challenge should be further strengthened by the establishment of a National Climate Change Commission or Agency that will be sustainably financed and strengthened to put the country in a good position to coherently address both mitigation and adaptation aspects of climate change challenge with global best approach and practices.

He added that products from the WASCAL initiative would constitute the crop of scientists in the Commission/Agency to provide much needed scientific information and data for decision making and help promote science-practice interactions for effective climate change adaptation.

“By readily absorbing many of the WASCAL-produced scientists in the Commission/Agency, the young men and women graduates will be largely assured of post qualification employment, which should in turn encourage many more to get involved – a path towards sustainability of the initiative,” he added.

Director-General/CEO, Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Dr Anthony Anuforom, disclosed in a goodwill message that climate change is already a reality in the country, and that the conventional methods for multi-sectoral approach to combat the challenges may require redirection.

According to him, the need for actions on mitigation and adaptation built around local resources, knowledge and innovations is very imperative.

He further underlined the need for more research activities on: climate and weather extreme events; regional climate scenario for impact assessments; key climate change impacts on biodiversity in Nigeria; terrestrial carbon dynamics; and, sectoral vulnerability, impacts and adaptation to climate change in the country.

Dr Anuforom said: “Nigeria holds an immense mitigation and adaptation potential in the context of climate change that has the potential to improve rural and urban livelihoods and address issues related to ecology.”

Professor Kehinde Ogunjobi, Director, WASCAL’s Graduate Studies Programme (GSP) in West Africa Climate System at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) in Ondo State, described WASCAL as a regional centre for capacity building in climate change across West Africa. He added that WASCAL is also designed to help tackle challenges of climate change thereby enhancing resilience of human and environmental system to climate change and variability. The WASCAL programme is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

His words: “It is a great privilege that Nigeria is the only West African country having two WASCAL programmes – one at FUTA for Ph. D and at the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna for M. Sc degree.”

Countries under the WASCAL programme include Nigeria, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia and Ghana.

The dialogue was organised by FUTA, FUT Minna, and Federal Ministry of Environment, Abuja.

Director, WASCAL Masters Programme on Climate Change and Adapted Landuse (CC&ALU) at FUT Minna, Dr Appolonia Okhimamhe, in a welcome address, stated that the research-focused centre is designed to help tackle severe challenges posed by climate change and thereby enhance resilience of human and environmental systems to climate change and increased variability.

“It does so by strengthening the research infrastructure and capacity in West Africa related to climate change and by pooling the expertise of 10 West African countries and Germany,” added Dr Okhimamhe, an Associate Professor of Geography and Head of the Department of Geography.

GOCOP decries move by rival group to ‘distort facts’

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GOCOP decries move by rival group to ‘distort facts’

The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) on Sunday described as unfortunate and ridiculous a statement credited to members of the Online Publishers Association of Nigeria (OPAN) with respect to the meeting held on Friday between the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and online publishers in Lagos.

Musikilu Mojeed, Managing Editor of Premium Times and Acting President of GOCOP
Musikilu Mojeed, Managing Editor of Premium Times and Acting President of GOCOP

Besides, GOCOP decried a deliberate attempt by OPAN to distort facts relating to its formation.

It further expressed shock at the orchestrated campaign aimed at dragging the name of the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, a thoroughbred professional, in the mud by a group it described as charlatans who have taken their deceit of being professional journalists too far.

GOCOP made its position known in a statement by its Acting President, Musikilu Mojeed; General Secretary, Dotun Oladipo; and Publicity Secretary, Olumide Iyanda.

It said not all members of OPAN can be described as professional journalists.

Rather, it said many of those who make up the organisation are people who worked on the fringes in media houses and have taken to online journalism principally as tool for blackmail and extortion of money.

It said this is even reflected in the membership of the association’s Board of Trustees, which is made up of a columnist with The Guardian and former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Reuben Abati; some unknown lawyers; engineers; and Indians.

GOCOP said the statement credited to OPAN was clearly attention seeking and part of the carefully planned strategies to embarrass the current government and blackmail it into giving it undeserved recognition.

It said this is more so that OPAN, especially its leadership, is made up of people with questionable characters.

The statement said: “These are people who have spent months and days in Kirikiri Prisons in Lagos State and the dungeon of the Department of State Services for attempt to blackmail and extort money from eminent Nigerians, including prominent businessman, Femi Otedola; and a former Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu.

“These are people who did not work for a single day as professional journalists, but as marketers, personal assistants and cameramen in media houses.”

Recalling the early days of the formation of GOCOP, the statement said the leadership of the online organisation, made up of seasoned journalists, with many boasting of over 25 years’ experience and rising to become Editors and Desk Heads of renowned newspapers, became aware of the “existence” of OPAN after it made moves to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

It recalled that a team of its officials, made up of a former President, Malachy Agbo, who is now the Chairman of Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, and Oladipo, met with the so-called President of OPAN, Olufemi Awoyemi, in his office in Lagos State to see how the emerging group could fuse into the existing one.

However, the GOCOP group came out shell shocked with the revelations from the meeting.

Awoyemi said OPAN was formed and registered four years before the meeting but that they had kept its existence only to the members, who were less than five, with majority of them based outside the country.

He equally gave part of the terms for fusing as the repayment of the registration fee of the association, which he said would be deducted first from any money made by the association before members could begin to benefit financially.

When asked how much the registration fee was, Awoyemi said OPAN was registered in 2001 in the United Kingdom with £65,000 (Sixty-five thousand pounds).

At this point, Agbo told Awoyemi that the emerging body was not intended to be a money making association but a peer review gathering that would leverage on the experience of its members to bring sanity to online journalism.

After the meeting, OPAN members, working in concert with Abati, who deployed the powers of the Presidency, frustrated efforts to register the new body, with security agents threatening the leadership of the emerging body.

What was most curious, according to GOCOP, was that the initial name sent to the CAC, the Nigerian Online Publishers Association, was endorsed and granted registration, with the certificate of registration issued.

A few weeks after, CAC wrote NOPA claiming that it registered the association in error as OPAN was already in existence.

It took a long battle for CAC to agree to the name GOCOP.

The name was even suggested to the online publishers by CAC.

And this came amid threat of heading to the law court to challenge the CAC.

It also took OPAN, which claimed it was registered in 2001, over 14 years to formally launch the association.

OPAN was launched about a month after GOCOP did its own formal launch in 2015, which was attended by the likes of a former Chairman of The Punch titles, Chief Ajibola Ogunsola; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, represented the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Alhaji Abdulrasak Namdas; the Founder of Zinox, Leo Stanley Eke, who delivered the keynote address; the Director General of the Debt Management Office, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo; and Adesina.

The statement by Mojeed, Oladipo and Iyanda said most members of GOCOP belong to the elite group of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, while none of those in OPAN qualifies to belong to any journalism association in the country, including the Nigerian Union of Journalists.

It added: “In mentioning a Special Adviser in the Presidency in their statement, by which we know they are referring to the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, OPAN is only seeking to drag a man of integrity, who insisted throughout the years OPAN had the backing of Abati that the right thing be done, into a needless controversy.

“There is no one who does not know that Mr. Adesina is a thoroughbred professional who will not stand by impostors and never-do-goods.

“And for the records, Adesina, being a concerned stakeholder and then President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, had been a strong pillar of support for GOCOP right from its formative stage. At that time, he agreed to be a member of the Board of Trustees of GOCOP. This was even when he had no inkling he was going to emerge the presidential spokesman.

“So also do we know that the choice of those who attended the meeting with Alhaji Lai Mohammed was carefully thought through and not men of doubtful standings who have spent days and months behind bars for failed attempts to blackmail.

“While we do not query anyone’s right of association, our stand still remains as an association: no person of doubtful character will be allowed to be a member of GOCOP. Only thoroughbred professionals and people of integrity. Members of OPAN have a right of association, but they should remain within their confines and not cast aspersion on others who have devoted their lives to making a name for themselves in journalism and are professionals in the real sense of the word.

“And thoroughbred professionals indeed abound in GOCOP, with most of the publishers having worked at the highest levels in publications such as Thisday, Punch, Tribune, Newswatch, Tell, The News, The Nation, Nigerian Compass, New Telegraph, Independent Newspapers and Champion as Editors.

“We do not intend going beyond this for now as documents in our possession will be made available to the public on the atrocities of these charlatans if they push their luck any further.

“Our aim is to professionalise the practice of online journalism and not engage in blackmail, which has given journalism a bad name in the country.”

N11 billion Osun MKO Abiola Airport reaches 25% completion

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N11 billion Osun MKO Abiola Airport reaches 25% completion

Against the background of controversy surrounding the MKO Abiola International Airport, Ido-Osun in Osun State, the consultant engineer to project, Wemimo Adebajo, has revealed that the airport when completed will rank among airports with the longest runways in Nigeria.

An impression of the MKO Abiola International Airport, Ido-Osun in Osun State
An impression of the MKO Abiola International Airport, Ido-Osun in Osun State

Adebajo, an engineer, stated recently during an inspection tour of facilities at the airport with journalists that the present site of the airport was the first place where aviation activities took place in the whole of West Africa.

The consultant, speaking on the percentage of work done at the airport, noted that government, having spent N2.7 billion out of the revised total cost of N11 billion for the project, had so far executed work to about 25 percent completion.

He added that the West African Frontier Force was lifted from the Ido-Osun aerodrome, the present site of the MKO international Airport project during the World War II, hence the conscious effort by the state to make it the best in Nigeria, if not in Africa.

He told journalists that the tour of the facilities became germane to allow journalists be adequately informed about the magnitude of the work done in order to situate the criticisms of the opposition in their proper context.

According to the consultant, the runway of the airport waiting to be laid with 500 mm asphalt is 3.5 kilometre in length, 12.3 metres excavation and re-filling with laterite. He added that both sides of the runway are equipped with water pipes, which will be the first of its kind in Nigeria.

He explained that, with such a feature, the airport would have been equipped with facilities that will make emergency fire fighting readily available near the runway in case of any emergency landing or fire outbreaks.

He pointed out that though the runway has not been completed, but in case of an emergency, the runway at its present state can be used by any pilot to land an aircraft at the MKO Abiola International Airport.

“Still more to be done, I believe the airport is good for the state. The main delay right now is a question of funding and the state is seeking ways on how to make it available.

“We are approaching the Federal government for 50 percent of cost of building the airport which is Federal Government policy, right now. What the contractor is doing is site maintenance so as to ensure that when work resumes there won’t be any case of deterioration of the huge work that had already been done here.” The Airport Consultant stressed.

Adebajo also added that the Control Tower nearing completion is at the third floor of four floors, and sitting on a foundation of an excavated ground of nine metres.

He said, “A lot of work has been done, and as we go round, you will see the control tower which we have built and it is almost completed. You will see the terminal building built to the foundation, the airport fire station has reached the stage of roofing.

“The runway is going to take about 60 percent of the cost of any airport project, a lot of work has been done on the runway, there are about 8 streams in the path of the runway. It therefore became necessary to excavate and build box covets so that the water in the stream will flow unhindered under the runway.”

He explained that the essence of the facility tour of the airport with Journalists was to allow people know what the state is doing at the airport and not just respond to allegations.

“I think the state government is trying to make sure that the press, the people of the state and Nigeria as a whole are briefed on what they have actually been doing. If it was just to respond to some political allegations, you will be talking to a politician, not a technocrat like myself.

“I have actually read in the newspaper that the contract has been inflated to N15.5 billion which is not true, I have just told you it is N11 billion and if you compare this with every other airport in Nigeria, you will realise that the cost of this one is cheap”.

The consultant engineer confirmed to journalists that the airport project predated the Rauf Aregbesola administration stating that the project had since 2010 been reviewed to over N7.5 billion even before the coming of the Aregbesola administration.

In an earlier statement issued by the government, Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Semiu Okanlawon, had debunked insinuation of contract inflation, saying considering exchange rate factors, and the fact that the scope of the project was reviewed to make the airport more sophisticated than earlier projected, allegation of inflation was mischievous and misplaced.

El Niño blamed for US blizzard

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El Niño blamed for US blizzard

Thanks to El Niño, the first blizzard of 2016 won’t be the last.

A low pressure system that spurred 60 foot waves for surfers in Hawaii last week has transformed into a winter storm that may dump over two feet of snow on Washington D.C. over the next few days.

BlizzardIn addition to the heavy snowfall and gusty winds extending from the Carolinas to Connecticut, other threats from the storm include ice in the southeastern states and coastal flooding from the mid-Atlantic to Long Island. The National Weather Service has issued blizzard warnings from DC to Long Island, and the NWS offices for Philadelphia and New York City have issued coastal flood warnings. The flooding is expected to peak during three consecutive high tide cycles: Saturday morning, Saturday evening, and Sunday morning.

As has been the case for all of the coastal storms in the eastern US the last few years, sea level rise from climate change has added about an extra foot of water to coastal flooding levels. But shorter timescale climate influences are also making flooding worse during this storm.

El Niño, the tropical phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean that alters weather patterns around the globe, has probably added another four to six inches of temporary sea level rise on the mid-Atlantic coast this season, said William Sweet, an oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Sweet studies the influence of El Niño on sea level, and he says that El Niño provides an atmospheric setup that improves the odds for more east coast storms, as well as a tendency for more constant winds that push more water towards the shore. The combination of more storms and more constant winds tends to lead to more frequent flooding events during El Niño. This storm may bring major flooding to some areas, but even mild to moderate flooding, also known as nuisance flooding, can damage infrastructure and strain budgets.

More flooding isn’t El Niño’s only imprint on this storm. While it may feel like the arctic is descending on the US east coast, influences from points south have just as much to do with it.

For one thing, moisture from the Gulf of Mexico fueled the storm as the system moved across the southeastern US. Looking at origins further west, scientists are hesitant to characterise the storm as being caused by El Niño, but it did likely influence the track of the storm, and perhaps its intensity. The warm waters of the tropical Pacific, characterised by El Niño, set in motion a series of effects in the atmosphere.

One of those effects is on the jet stream during winter over North America, where it takes a more southern track and tends to be stronger than normal, said Anthony Barnston, a climate scientist who studies El Niño at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (disclaimer: I also work there). This storm followed that track, allowing it to gain the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico before heading up the east coast of the country. What is somewhat more unusual for an El Niño year, according to Barnston, is for the storm to reach as far north as New York City.

If El Niño continues its influence on the North American jet stream, this could be the first of several major storms, especially for the southeastern US. Stick your nose out the window and you may just get a whiff of that tropical breeze.

By Elisabeth Gawthrop (The Daily Beast)

Fatalities as snowstorm pounds eastern US

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Fatalities as snowstorm pounds eastern US

At least 18 people have died in the massive snowstorm that is making its way up the East Coast of the US.

Snowstorm in Baltimore. Photo credit: Austin Jacobson
Snowstorm in Baltimore. Photo credit: Austin Jacobson

According to The Associated Press, several of those people died in North Carolina, where officials have reported more than 900 vehicle crashes.

Additionally, thousands of flights have been canceled as the winter storm dubbed “Jonas” prompted blizzard warnings for most major metropolitan areas in the mid-Atlantic region.

Kentucky

A man died in southeastern Kentucky when his car collided with a salt truck on Thursday, state police said. Billy R. Stevens, 59, of Williamsburg was pronounced dead at the scene on state Route 92 in Whitley County. Two passengers were being treated at a hospital.

A Kentucky transportation worker died on Saturday while plowing snow-covered highways, officials said. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet identified him in a statement as Christopher Adams. The statement says Adams called a supervisor about 5:50 a.m., saying his plow slid into a ditch. When the supervisor arrived, Adams was slumped over, unresponsive in his seat. A cause of death has not been released.

Maryland

A 60-year-old man died shoveling snow after an apparent heart attack in the Fort Washington area, authorities said. Medics were called but couldn’t revive him, Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department spokesman Mark Brady said.

New York

Three people died while shoveling snow in New York City, police said. The New York Police Department’s Chief of Department Jim O’Neill told reporters Saturday one person on Staten Island and two people in Queens died. He released no further details on the deaths. A police spokesman said the medical examiner’s office will determine exactly how they died.

North Carolina

Gov. Pat McCrory said one person injured in an accident in Wilkes County on Wednesday evening has died, and another motorist was killed Friday in a crash on Interstate 95 in Johnston County.

A 60-year-old woman driving her car in Stokes County near her home about 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday hit an “extremely icy” patch, went down an embankment and turned over in a creek, the state Highway Patrol said. Mary Williams was killed in the accident.

In neighboring Forsyth County, 55-year-old Rosa McCollough-Leake was killed when she slid on an icy roadway, crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a pickup truck head-on. Three people had minor injuries.

A four-year-old boy died on Friday afternoon after the pickup truck carrying his family on Interstate 77 near Troutman spun out of control and crashed, said State Highway Patrol Sgt. Michael Baker. The Ford pickup carrying two adults and their three children all under 8 years old slammed into a tow truck working to haul out a vehicle that had run off the highway earlier, Baker said. Troopers say the boy was restrained in a child seat and died as a result of the impact.

A motorist died on Friday morning after losing control of her car and hitting a tree in Hickory. Troopers identified her as 19-year-old Madeline Paige Scalf of High Point.

Ohio

A teenager sledding behind an all-terrain vehicle was hit by a truck and killed on Friday, the State Highway Patrol said. The truck failed to yield at a traffic light and hit the sled, which the ATV was pulling in Wheelersburg, the highway patrol said.

Tennessee

A car slid off the roadway due to speed and slick conditions, killing the driver and injuring a passenger, the Knox County sheriff’s department said.

A couple in a vehicle slid off an icy road and plummeted down a 300-foot embankment Wednesday night, killing the woman who was driving, said Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford. Stacy Sherrill’s husband, a passenger in the car, survived the crash. It took him several hours to climb the embankment and report the accident.

Virginia

Two people died from hypothermia, said Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the Office of the Virginia Chief Medical Examiner. Those deaths occurred in Hampton and Wise County, in southwest Virginia. State police did not release the names of the hypothermia victims or the time or circumstances of their deaths.

A man was killed in the City of Chesapeake, Virginia, on Friday after his car went off the snowy George Washington highway and hit a tree, said Officer Leo Kosinski. Virginia State Police say the number of storm-related deaths in the state has risen to three.

Bodies collaborate to launch Heads of State Panel on Water

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Bodies collaborate to launch Heads of State Panel on Water

Together with partners, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) joins in the establishment of a Heads of State Panel on Water, a global undertaking aimed at mobilizing support for implementing the water-related Sustainable Development Goals. The panel was launched during the World Economic Forum in Davos.

SIWI Executive Director, Torgny Holmgren. Photo credit: theguradian.co.uk
SIWI Executive Director, Torgny Holmgren. Photo credit: theguradian.co.uk

To mobilise global support for implementing the water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim have announced a Heads of State Panel on Water.

The panel shows the importance of working in partnership in order to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“The new panel can help motivate the action we need to turn ideas into reality,” said Ban Ki-moon as the announcement to form the panel was made in Davos on Thursday, 21 January.

The Heads of State Panel on Water will be the first global effort at Heads of State level that mobilises an integrated agenda for strengthening economic resilience to ensure growth and sustainable development in a climate-change exposed and water-insecure world. The panel will be supported by a partnership between the World Bank, World Economic Forum, World Water Council, Stockholm International Water Institute, and the World Resources Institute with support from the Government of the Netherlands.

The World Bank’s Jim Young Kim said: “Achieving the water global goal would have multiple benefits, including laying the foundations for food and energy security, sustainable urbanisation, and ultimately climate security. My hope is that this panel accelerates action in many countries so that we can make water more accessible to all.”

“We need to use our scarce and finite water resources more efficiently. It is encouraging to see that CEOs, city mayors and government leaders around the world are becoming more aware of the water challenges we all face, because we are all essential to the solution. SIWI is honoured to be part of this important undertaking with world leaders to help navigate the way forward,” said SIWI’s Executive Director, Torgny Holmgren.

Greenpeace flays conviction of Cameroonian activist, Nasako Besingi

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Greenpeace flays conviction of Cameroonian activist, Nasako Besingi

According to the body, the environmental activist’s conviction is a judicial harassment and violation of freedom of expression in Cameroon

Nasako Besingi. Photo credit: www.palmwatchafrica.org
Nasako Besingi. Photo credit: www.palmwatchafrica.org

Greenpeace Africa is alarmed by the judicial harassment against a prominent environmental activist and human rights defender. On Thursday, Nasako Besingi was sentenced to pay 344400 FCFA (575 USD) in fines or face one year in prison.

“This is Besingi’s second conviction within three months and is a serious attack on freedom of expression and a clear intimidation message for the communities fighting for their land and livelihoods.” Said Irene Wabiwa, Senior Campaign Manager for Greenpeace Africa.

Besingi was convicted for unlawful assembly, after a number of court adjournments. The charges pertain to peaceful meetings he organised to protest the plans of agribusiness company Herakles Farms to establish a huge palm oil plantation on forested land near his home village of Mundemba, South West Region.

This judgment is part of a series of court cases against him by the company seeking to silence any voice denouncing this destructive project. Last November, he was found guilty of several charges including defamation and was threatened with three years in jail if he did not pay a huge fine and legal costs. An appeal was filed by his lawyer.

“No matter the threats and the intimidation against me, I will continue my peaceful struggle for the rights of my community who fight for our forests,” Said Besingi.

Besingi is the director of the Cameroon SEFE local association based in the city of Mundemba. He has long campaigned against the establishment of a large industrial palm oil plantation in the area by Herakles Farms’ local subsidiary SGSOC. The project has been pushed through despite the opposition of local communities and civil society, and the evidence that it will destroy tracts of dense rainforest that are home to endangered wildlife including the chimpanzee.

“These series of convictions are worrying. Without the courage of Besingi and local NGOs such as SEFE, the rights of local communities will continue to be flouted,” said Wabiwa. “The Cameroonian government needs to take concrete measures in order to ensure the protection of community rights, the independence of the judiciary and freedom of expression. “

Washington records ‘biggest winter storm in recorded history’

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Washington records ‘biggest winter storm in recorded history’

Snow began falling on Friday afternoon in Washington, which could get more than 2½ feet of snow before the storm ends at the weekend. Observers predict it could be the biggest winter storm in recorded history in the nation’s capital, and almost certainly in the top five.

A massive Winter storm featuring bitterly cold temperatures and blizzard conditions has sparked a full shut down of government offices in Washington D.C
A massive Winter storm featuring bitterly cold temperatures and blizzard conditions has sparked a full shut down of government offices in Washington D.C

Similarly, over 6,200 U.S. flights – about 2,900 on Friday and another 3,300 on Saturday – have been canceled, the flight tracking website FlightAware reported around 2:20 p.m. on Friday.

Nearly 30,000 customers of Duke Energy, the power utility for much of North Carolina, were without power early Friday afternoon. Dominion Virginia reported about 900 such outages, though Dominion official Kevin Curtis warned that “widespread, multi-day outages” are possible.

It might be a month late, but winter reintroduced itself to the East Coast in a big way on Friday.

A monster storm lashed parts of the South and the Mid-Atlantic on Friday as it barreled north toward some of the nation’s biggest cities. Roughly a quarter of the U.S. population is in its path, about 30 million of whom are under blizzard warnings.

“This is not a near miss,” CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said. “This is a direct hit.”

Tennessee and North Carolina got hit first early Friday, with snow covering the ground in cities like Asheville, Charlotte and Greensboro. Ice is also a problem in those areas, which have slick roads and well over 20,000 power outages.

The US capital is not alone in expecting blizzard conditions. On Friday morning, the National Weather Service extended its blizzard warning to include Philadelphia and New York City. Upwards of 10 million people live in those three areas; and millions more in parts of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey are under the same advisory.

“It has life and death implications, and (people) should treat it that way,” Bowser warned Washington residents. “People should hunker down, shelter in place and stay off the roads.”

The massive storm already has dumped an icy blotch of freezing rain, sleet or snow from Oklahoma through Tennessee. And while the focus is on points north, it has caused lots of trouble in the South as well.

That includes severe thunderstorms in Florida; up to 7 inches of snow in Nashville, Tennessee; and even a winter storm warning Friday afternoon into Saturday night for parts of North Georgia and South Carolina. The system also slammed Kentucky and West Virginia, and parts of both could see over a foot — and as much as 3 feet — of snow.

Across the Southeast on Friday, there were no classes, or students headed home early, just in time for the weekend. Places like Charlotte, North Carolina, looked like ghost towns, as people heeded warnings to stay off the roads.

“I’m glad people are staying in, because it’s very treacherous here,” Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts said.

That’s a good thing because, according to North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, there’s only so much authorities can do, given the slick mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain blanketing the state.

He said the bad weather already has caused at least three deaths. It has also forced the postponement of hundreds of events – including NBA games in Philadelphia and Washington, plus an NHL contest in the nation’s capital, as well as a rally for the Carolina Panthers ahead of their NFC professional football championship in Charlotte. Some fans from Arizona, the home of the Panthers’ foe, flew out early to make Sunday’s title contest, AZ Central reported.

But McCrory predicted a good outcome for his home team, which practiced Friday in the snow: “I don’t anticipate anything stopping the Carolina Panthers from getting to the Super Bowl,” the governor said.

 

‘Hardest snowstorm’ in memory in Virginia

As the winter storm moves north, snow becomes more and more of a concern.

In Virginia, state government offices and schools shut down ahead of the storm. Gov. Terry McAuliffe told CNN on Friday morning that some 25,000 personnel with 13,000 pieces of equipment, 650,000 tons of salt and 2 million gallons of liquid salt are positioned strategically around the state.

“I’m very concerned about Northern Virginia,” said McAuliffe, who indicated he could shut down Interstate 81, which runs through the middle of the state. “We’re looking at anywhere from 1 to 3 feet of snow.”

The governor also expressed concerns about people in rural areas and the elderly, saying helping them will be part of the mission for the 500 National Guard members he’s activated for the storm.

From her home just outside of Lynchburg, Tracy Batwinas said the storm, coming after what’s been a mild winter, has jostled many people. Her husband had to circle many times to get a parking spot outside a local Kroger grocery store, and once he got inside, he found that staples like eggs, bread, milk and more had been cleared off the shelves.

By 9 a.m., snow was coming down fast – “the hardest snowstorm that I can remember ever seeing,” said Batwinas, 53, who was born and raised in Virginia. Still, while many are worried, she’s looking forward to “a play date” with her husband of four years and their two golden retrievers.

The good news – besides whatever fun those not in harm’s way can have on a snow day – is that things should get better soon.

“Next week, it’s going to be in the high 40s,” McAuliffe told CNN’s “New Day.” “… We can get back to normalcy very quickly. … But please don’t get out on the roads (now) if you don’t have to.”

 

D.C. official: ‘Predictions going off the map’

That’s the line of the day from authorities: Stay off the roads, stay home, stay safe.

CNN’s Myers said Washington and Baltimore should see 20 to 30 inches of snow, Philadelphia could get 18 to 20 inches, and New York is looking at 8 to 10 inches. And it’ll be a double whammy when combined with the powerful winds. None of it will pile up evenly, though, given all the wind.

Because of all this, federal agencies closed Friday. More than 6,000 flights were canceled nationwide Friday and Saturday, with United suspending flights around Washington and the Mid-Atlantic on Friday afternoon and Philadelphia International Airport nixing all flights in and out Saturday. Amtrak also announced a modified schedule in the Northeast because of the storm, and Washington said its Metrorail system would close all day Saturday and Sunday.

“We just want to go,” Andrea Levine told CNN affiliate WRIC after trying and failing to fly out early from Richmond, Virginia, to the Virgin Islands. “We just want to be on vacation.”

One saving grace, New York City emergency spokesman Frank McCarton said, is that the worst of this will happen on the weekend when there will be fewer people out.

But wherever they are, people still need power in the middle of winter. And with the weight of so much snow and ice falling at once over the weekend, “we’re concerned that we will perhaps get some collapsed roofs,” Washington, D.C., emergency management spokesman Chris Geldart told CNN.

Washington could very well break its all-time snow record. Twenty-eight inches fell in the “Knickerbocker Storm” of 1922, named after a theater that collapsed under the weight of snow, killing 100 people.

Said Geldart, “There are predictions going off the map for it.”

By Greg Botelho, Ben Brumfield, Ed Payne, Dave Hennen, Tina Burnside, Jason Hanna and Phil Gast (CNN)

60 million people endangered as El Niño threatens

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60 million people endangered as El Niño threatens

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and its partners predict a major global increase in health consequences of emergencies this year due to El Niño

A young Filipino buys food from a vendor on a flooded street in Malabon, north of Manila, Philippines, 08 July 2015. According to the Philippines State weather forecast, heavy rainfall is expected in Metro Manila and nearby provinces due to an enhanced Southwest Monsoon and Tropical Storm Linfa, Typhoon Chan-hom and Typhoon Nangka which are lining up across the Pacific Ocean. Photo credit: EPA/FRANCIS R MALASIG
A young Filipino buys food from a vendor on a flooded street in Malabon, north of Manila, Philippines, 08 July 2015. According to the Philippines State weather forecast, heavy rainfall is expected in Metro Manila and nearby provinces due to an enhanced Southwest Monsoon and Tropical Storm Linfa, Typhoon Chan-hom and Typhoon Nangka which are lining up across the Pacific Ocean. Photo credit: EPA/FRANCIS R MALASIG

El Niño is a warming of the central to eastern tropical Pacific Ocean which affects rainfall patterns and temperatures in many parts of the world but most intensely in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America which are particularly vulnerable to natural hazards. Typically, some places receive much more rain than normal while others receive much less.

“From Ethiopia to Haiti to Papua New Guinea, we are seeing the damage from El Niño, and we believe the impact on public health is likely to continue throughout 2016, even after El Niño winds down,” said Dr Richard Brennan, Director of WHO’s Emergency Risk Management & Humanitarian Response Department. “To prevent unnecessary deaths and illnesses, governments must invest now in strengthening their preparedness and response efforts.”

According to a new report by WHO, severe drought, flooding, heavy rains and temperature rises are all known effects of El Niño that can lead to food insecurity and malnutrition, disease outbreaks, acute water shortages, and disruption of health services. The health implications are usually more intense in developing countries with fewer capacities to reduce the health consequences. The current El Niño from 2015 to 2016 is predicted to be the worst in recent years, and comparable to the El Niño in 1997-1998 which had major health consequences worldwide. In Eastern Africa, as a result of the El Niño in 1997-1998, WHO found that rainfall patterns were unusually heavy and led to serious flooding and major outbreaks of malaria, cholera and Rift Valley Fever.

Based on the latest UN figures, the report estimates 60 million people will be impacted by El Niño this year with many suffering health consequences. Thus far, requests for financial support by seven high-risk countries (Ethiopia, Lesotho, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda) facing the health costs of El Niño have reached US$ 76 million. WHO expects more countries will seek financial support to respond to El Niño effectively. Part of the response will be to provide additional health services to those in need, such as increased surveillance and emergency vaccination. Immediate needs also require funds to provide treatments for severely malnourished children in many countries, such as Ethiopia.

 

Different impacts across the world

While adverse weather effects of El Niño are expected to peak in January 2016 and wind down by April, the health impacts will last throughout 2016.

“It could take years to recover without an adequate, efficient and timely preparedness and response to El Niño,” said Dr Brennan.

El Niño is causing heavy rains and flooding in Eastern Africa with an associated risk that a recent cholera epidemic of more than 12 000 reported cases in Tanzania will spread and other countries will experience disease outbreaks. The Tanzanian cholera outbreak is the largest since 1997-1998, which had over 40 000 reported cases.

In the Horn of Africa, the devastating drought which has affected 22 million people has been followed by unusually heavy rains with a higher risk of vector borne-disease such as malaria, and outbreaks of other communicable diseases including measles and cholera. Populations with high rates of malnutrition are more susceptible to these types of diseases.

Extreme drought and acute water shortages affecting millions of people in south western Pacific, Central America and southern Africa will extend into the first half of 2016 leading to increased malnutrition and diarrheal diseases. For example, in Central America 4.2 million people are currently affected by drought. The poorest, most affected households may be severely food insecure with increased malnutrition until the next harvest in August 2016.

Following the severe flooding in Paraguay in December which led to evacuations of more than 100 000 people, wetter conditions in South America are expected to cause intense flooding in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia with increased incidence of vector-borne diseases, respiratory infections and damage to health facilities with impacts to last well into 2016.

 

Health effects can be prevented

WHO’s report notes that important steps can be taken to prevent and reduce the health effects of El Niño, including: disease surveillance; controlling the transmission of diseases (e.g. vaccinations) and the vectors that spread diseases; mobilizing communities to promote health and hygiene practices; improving water and sanitation services; strengthening logistics and medical supply chains; providing emergency medical care and maintaining access to health services; and effective coordination of preparedness and response measures.

 

WHO and partners supporting countries in their preparedness and response to El Niño

WHO and partners are working closely to support governments and the health sector in their preparedness and response for El Niño. To support national emergency measures in many countries, WHO has deployed specialised health emergency and technical personnel to Ethiopia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Somalia, Tanzania and several Pacific Islands. WHO and health sector partners have provided inputs to government and UN interagency planning and coordination for El Niño at national level, including in Ecuador, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.

In addition, WHO has actively worked with countries and donors in other ways, including, information management and health risk assessments, as well as engagement with national meteorological agencies for detailed updates on rainfall observed as well as more localised predictions.

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