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Meteorologists warn of El Nino over East Africa

Michael Simire
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Meteorologists warn of El Nino over East Africa

Few days after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned of worst climate ahead, East African Meteorologists have moved to issue El Nino alert over the region.

Rajendra K. Pachauri, IPCC chair
Rajendra K. Pachauri, IPCC chair …in Lima, Peru

Uganda National Meteorology Authority is calling for preparation of the members of the public for the occurrence of the adverse weather event. According to the alert, El Nino is expected to occur between December 2014 and February 2015.

El Niño is a weather condition characterised by unusually long rainfall conditions with the possibility of flooding and landslides.

Jackson Rwakishaija, the Acting Executive Director Uganda National Meteorological Authority, says there are adequate factors putting the probability of occurrence at up to 70 percent. He says the Pacific Ocean has shown renewed signs of El Nino development in recent weeks adding that, above average temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean typical of El Nino conditions have warmed further in the last fortnight.

The World Meteorological Station concurs with the authority. It says the Southern Ocean Oscillation Index has generally been in excess of El Nino thresholds in the past three months. According to Rwakishaija, not all factors responsible for development of El Nino have been satisfied. He says regardless of whether or not El Nino fully develops, warmer than average tropical Pacific Ocean temperatures combined with cooler waters currently observed to the north of Australia increases the chance of El Nino like impacts over the East African region.

Rwakishaija concludes that this suggests above average rainfall during the month of December and January over Uganda. The authority warns that when the predicted El Nino comes, it will be stormy accompanied by strong winds and sometimes hail stones. Uganda’s capital Kampala has been experiencing heavy rains in recent weeks that resulted into flooding. El Niño conditions tend to occur once in every five years.

The last severe El Nino in Uganda occurred in 2006, causing massive flooding in Teso, Lango and Acholi regions. Mountainous areas like Sironko, Kapchorwa, Mbale, Bundibugyo and Kabale face the increased risk of landslides during severe El Nino. The Alert comes as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned the world of the worst climate conditions ahead.

Dr. Rajendra Kumhar Pachauri, the head of United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told negotiators at the Lima climate talks that the increase in temperatures observed in 2014 is much more than any observed in the last 10 years. Currently, planet earth is experiencing a phenomenon known as global warming of 0.8 Celsius degrees increase in temperature.

The increase climate scientists warned is bad enough to trigger many adverse weather conditions across the world. The cautions have triggered a series of coordinated actions including reductions in emissions of industrial greenhouse gas to prevent the temperature increase hitting the 1.5 Celsius degree mark by the end of the century.

Back in the East Africa region, the Kenya Meteorological Department has also reported that there will be enhanced rains in many parts of the country till next year.

James G. Kongoti, the acting Director of Kenya Meteorological Services and permanent representative of Kenya at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), says the October to December season indicates that much of the country is likely to experience enhanced rainfall.

He attributes this to the expected evolution of global sea surface temperatures that is favourable for the development of a weak El Nino during the season. According to the Kenya Meteorological Department, the sea surface temperatures off the East African coastline are expected to revert to neutral conditions early in the season.

The findings have been consistent with earlier measurements. In August, the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) appealed to the national and county governments to adequately prepare for the El Nino rains expected by October this year.

KRCS Chief Executive Officer Abbas Gullet said with the rains experienced in recent weeks, signs were clear that Kenya will have El Nino rains later this year. “We already know the October-November short rains will have an El Nino effect. The rains we have been getting a few weeks ago are freak rains which are a precursor to the main El Nino,” he cautioned.

“How prepared are we all the time… whether it’s a county government or a central government? So we don’t want to be shocked when we see those pictures,” he warned.

According to Gullet – whose society has been at the forefront in providing humanitarian aid in drought or flood hit areas – the El Nino warning should be taken seriously right from the national government to the counties to alleviate the effects that come with heavy flooding.

In October, United Nations scientists urged preparation for weather-disrupting El Niño phenomenon which they said recur after every two to seven years. They said the warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean in 1997-98 changed the patterns of the wind and moisture overhead, resulting in severe weather around the world.

The climate disaster that swept through the horn of Africa region also affected Kenya. It was blamed for thousands of deaths in storms, heat waves, fires, floods, frost and drought. Property damage was at least $32 billion.

“The 1997-98 event was a wake-up call,” said Michael Glantz of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo.

“Awareness of what El Niño can do to societies and economies is now high,” said Glantz, a longtime El Niño researcher and senior author of the report. According to the UN scientist, the government of Peru saved the day when it formed a task force to coordinate activities and went to the World Bank for money to clean up rivers and canals and shore up bridges and roads a head of the 1997-98 El Nino.

On the other side of the coin, he said, Kenya had the forecast in June of 1997 and the government didn’t act on it. “When heavy rains came, roads collapsed, train routes collapsed, bridges, etc.,” he said.

It may be that the forecast influence of El Niño on Kenya was less clear to officials, he said, but by organising regional groups to prepare and increasing education this can be overcome.

By Peter Labeja

Extreme heat, discordant tunes reign at Lima climate talks

Michael Simire
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Extreme heat, discordant tunes reign at Lima climate talks

Delegates from over 190 countries at the ongoing Lima global climate talks have, ironically, come under serious pressure from the weather with extreme heat trailing the negotiations. As negotiations opened on Monday morning, delegates immediately found themselves on the hot seat as IPCC chair Rajendra Pachauri challenged delegates to “come to terms” with the fact that staying below the 2°C target requires zero or negative emissions, relative to 2010 levels, by 2100.

SONY DSCThe literal heat of the venue prompted one delegate to exclaim: “This is just like a greenhouse and this is exactly what’s happening to our planet.”

“Last October, those of us who were at the Convention for Biological Diversity COP in Pyeongchang, South Korea, were subjected to cold temperature extremes; now we’re being tried by fire,” complained another.

Yet, while many took off their jackets following the COP President’s exhortation, one observer lamented: “The generic opening statements did not signal that delegates were ready to roll up their sleeves.”

Some participants suggested that Lima’s success will hinge on the “long overdue fulfilment of promised leadership roles,” with others pointing to “positive signals” of emission reduction or limitation targets announced by the EU, the US and China, and the pledges of US$9.7 billion for the GCF.

“The heat is on,” said Sam Ogallah of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA). “We’ll see if these signals will restore trust and facilitate progress toward an agreement in Paris over the next two weeks.”

Expressing concern on the pressure from the climate in Lima, Xolisa Ngwadla, Africa’s lead negotiator on the new legal agreement, averred that “the 2C global goal poses a lot of risks for Africa. The IPCC has showed that 2C of warming means substantial adaptation measures are needed in Africa to ensure food security and support sustainable development.”

“Given those risks, adaptation must be central to the post-2020 agreement and we need far greater transfers of finance and technology to countries who are particularly vulnerable to adverse effects yet have little historical responsibility for climate change,” Ngwadla added.

“I’m afraid this conference may end up in failure, just like Copenhagen,” PACJA’s Robert Chimambo thundered. “Divisive strategies and trump cards such as the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) being proposed by developed countries confirm our initial fears in Africa that this conference has been pre-planned to fail.”

In addition to the heat pressure and discordant tunes coming out from Lima is the apparent absence of common agreement on what constitutes climate finance. Japan has spent $1 billion of its climate financing on new power plants in Indonesia that burn coal, saying it improves the environment because the new plans burn cleaner, but according to an activist with the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice, Alex Rafalowicz, “coal, or any dirty and harmful energy has no place in climate finance.”

The U.N.’s weather agency is expected to present temperature data showing 2014 could be the hottest year on record. Peru is among the countries most affected. The Andean nation has 70 percent of the world’s tropical glaciers, which have lost more than a fifth of their mass in just three decades, putting 300,000 highlanders under severe stress as pastures and croplands dry up, the planting cycle becomes more erratic and cold snaps more severe. Lima is the world’s second-largest desert capital after Cairo, Egypt, and its 10 million inhabitants depend on glacial runoff for hydropower and to irrigate crops.

The degree to which Lima talks will succeed will depend on the capacity of the negotiators  to harmonise separate action plans from up to 190 countries into a single acceptable and workable agreement. If the talks are to succeed, they will have to come up with a draft text that outlines the structure of that agreement – how to ensure countries commit to deep enough cuts to limit warming to the 2C goal, and how to verify their actions.

The US is pushing for a deal that would avoid setting emissions reduction targets that are legally binding under international law, because that would set up a clash with congress. Many developing countries, however, insist on legally binding targets. They also argue that only the industrialised countries should have to cut emissions.

By Atayi Babs (PAMACC)

Clean water, sanitation vital in treatment for people living with HIV

Michael Simire
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Clean water, sanitation vital in treatment for people living with HIV

Access to clean water and basic toilets is an essential but neglected part of the management and treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), new research by international development organisations WaterAid and SAfAIDS has found.

Attending to a victim of HIV/AIDS
Attending to a victim of HIV/AIDS

The new report shows that 70% of the approximately 35 million people living with HIV in the world reside in Sub-Saharan Africa. This equates to approximately 25 million people.

Clean water is critical to keeping people living with HIV healthy, for taking antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and for the good hygiene required to minimise infections. Yet 35% of people in sub-Saharan Africa are living without access to clean water and 70.4% are without basic sanitation. This leaves many people living with HIV suffering from chronic diarrhoea and unable to care for themselves or their families.

Diarrhoea compromises the effectiveness of ARV drugs by reducing the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food and medicine. Many life-threatening opportunistic infections are caused by exposure to unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene.

Diarrhoea is a very common symptom that can occur throughout the course of HIV and AIDS and affects 90% of PLHIV resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. 88% of diarrhoeal cases are directly linked to unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.

Dr. Michael Ojo, WaterAid Nigeria Country Representative, said: “Thanks to the great strides in medical research over the last three decades, HIV is now a much more manageable condition and no longer the death sentence it used to be. It seems to be counter-productive that in spite of such progress on education and in delivering anti-retroviral drugs, there’s no focus on ensuring people living with HIV/AIDS also have clean water, basic toilets and the means to wash themselves and keep their surroundings clean. These basic services are crucial in helping those living with the illness to lead healthier, more dignified and more productive lives.”

Lack of access to clean water nearby means many households have more than a kilometre to walk for water, and people living in households without toilets, including the sick and elderly, have no choice but to defecate in the bush.

Taking ARV drugs requires 1.5 litres of safe, clean water each day. However, a person living with HIV might require up to 100 litres a day to stay clean and healthy. This takes into account basic needs for drinking, food preparation, laundry and washing, as well as for formula-feeding babies born to mothers with HIV, for watering gardens to improve nutrition, and for extra cleaning, washing and laundering during cases of diarrhoea. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, this is simply not possible.

The report recommends combining water, sanitation and hygiene into HIV services to recognise that without sufficient clean water, sanitation and proper hygiene, people living with HIV will be more ill more often, and less able to live healthy and productive lives.

Lois Chingandu, SAfAIDS Executive Director, said: “If the world does not prioritise water and sanitation hygiene issues, all gains made in the HIV response will be reversed. Concerted efforts must be made to ensure the existing linkages are given the attention and prominence they deserve.”

With less than a year until UN member states agree the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), WaterAid and sector partners are calling for a stand-alone goal on water and sanitation. Universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene services, already recommended in the initial draft, will play a critical role in supporting health targets such as eliminating AIDS by 2030.

WaterAid also calls for proposals around universal health coverage to include environmental factors such as water, basic toilets and good hygiene education within households. For people living with HIV, this would help to prevent opportunistic infections and enable healthier, more productive lives.

Welcoming Smart Villages Initiative to Africa

Michael Simire
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Welcoming Smart Villages Initiative to Africa

“Aid cannot achieve the end of poverty – ‘only homegrown development based on the dynamism of individuals and firms in free markets can do that.” – A former World Bank economist.

 

SolarElectricity is development. It is something without which development is a mirage.  Very many African villages lack electricity because all African countries cannot provide this essential commodity for use by rural dwellers.

Over the years, such countries especially those without hydro dams, have concentrated electrification in urban areas. Only a very few have used the option of other energy sources to electrify the rural villages thereby expanding development.

Aimed at lifting the people out of rural poverty from the bottom up by accessing modern energy services as a catalyst for rural development, the SmartVillages Initiative led by Prof. Brian Heap, has launched an awareness campaign on rural energy for policymakers in Eastern Africa.

The aim of SmartVillages is to bring new insights to policy makers and funding bodies at national, regional and global levels regarding rural energy access for development.

At a wider level, SmartVillages is working to promote dialogue between people in rural villages, scientists, policymakers and entrepreneurs in the countries of Africa, South and Southeast Asia and Latin America. This is to serve as rural development solutions that is catalysed by sustainable energy access.

Statistics have it that there is major energy supply shortage to the extent that over 1.3 billion people globally are without access to electricity and 2.6 billion people cook on open, smoky fires.

More than 95% of these people are either in sub-Saharan African or developing Asia and 84% are in rural areas.

Prof. Brian Heap, Senior Scientific Advisor of SmartVillages Initiative, observes that although international donors and governments were funding several projects to extend grid coverage in impoverished areas, the efforts were beset by two fundamental problems.

“They tend to take a top down approach extending outwards from existing urban or industrial hubs. But many rural communities are far from such hubs, so connection will not be feasible in the foreseeable future.

“Secondly, efforts are insufficiently ambitious, generally aiming to provide minimal levels of energy access rather than the full range of energy services needed to support development goals,” he stated.

For African countries to access technological advances in improved healthcare and basic utility provision; accessible education; increased business and entrepreneurship, accessing integrative electricity, there must be rural energy access.

It is towards ensuring integrative energy provision for African rural communities that SmartVillages Initiative organised an “Off-grid Village Energy Workshop in Arusha, Tanzania in June, 2014.

The workshop explored the East African/Tanzanian environment for village energy, local case studies, challenges and opportunities, with a view to formulating policy recommendations for policymakers, funders, NGOs and other stakeholders in the region.

Bernie Jones, a Project Leader with SmartVillages Initiative, said that the programme aims “to gather evidence from existing projects that have provided or facilitated sustainable off-grid energy solutions in the developing world.”

This is a laudable initiative, especially for most African governments which communities have remained without electricity.

With the workshops having taken place in Arusha, India, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, “the follow-up nine-month programme of engagement and dissemination activities will further strengthen governments’ understanding of the need for SmartVillages.”

This would be strengthened by a study of sustainable energy for villages ‘off-grid’ in Africa, Asia and Latin America, which the Malaysian Commonwealth Studies Centre at Cambridge (MCSC); Cambridge Malaysian Education and Development Trust (CMEDT) and the European Academies Science Advisory Council are undertaking, presently.

This development therefore calls for cooperation of all African nations in order to ensure that our rural villages, which would not easily be connected to grids, are connected off-grid.

“The concept of the smart village,” Prof. Heap says, “is that energy access acts as a catalyst for development – education, health, food security, productive enterprise, environment and participatory democracy.”

For every rural village in Africa and indeed, every rural village in the globe, electricity is a veritable transformative means of livelihoods and local trade.

If this Initiative is supported by African governments and rural communities, especially in a manner of Public Private Peasant Partnership (PPPP), as against Public Private Partnership (PPP) only, rural communities would actively be engaged in participatory democracy that would effect short-term changes.

Wealthy individuals, philanthropy, charitable organisations, corporate organisations in Africa and across the globe, who have various “initiatives to lift the poor out of poverty gap,” should invest in rural energy access.

Heap however observes that there is social complexity of making even simple interventions work, let alone creating a Smart Village. “Clearly, solutions are rarely simple or obvious otherwise they would have been widely adopted.”

Reliable energy source in our African villages can add value to agricultural products by allowing for mechanization, processing and storage.

Such energy source could positively impact the lives of African women farmers who produce and process 80 percent of food.

Nigeria’s First Renewable Energy Model Village was inaugurated on 25th November 2012 in Danjawa, Wammako local government area of Sokoto State by the Sokoto Energy Research Centre of Usmanu Danfodiyo University.

The system of the model village was designed to provide the energy needs of over 1,000 inhabitants. It has a 10 KW PV plant with necessary battery storage system; a 500-litre header riser type solar water; 3KW wind turbine; 100 kilo gramme solar dryers.

Aimed at providing off grid electrification, the 15 KW solar photovoltaic off grid electrification project was implemented for scientific applications such as water heating, solar water pumping and cooking purposes.

Former Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Prof. Abubakar Sambo, observes that the absence of sustainable energy supplies in rural communities is responsible for the marginalisation of rural dwellers.

“80 percent of the rural dwellers lack access to sufficient energy, which has made life difficult for them. Most of people in the rural area depend on wood for energy which is not environmentally friendly and causes global warming,” he said.

Concurring Heap’s position, Prof. Bashir Danshehu, Director of Sokoto Energy Research Centre, stresses that “access to energy is critical to poverty alleviation, hence the need for the development of renewable energy sources. No fewer than 70% of Sub-Saharan African population lack electricity and over 80% of this population lives in rural areas.”

Former Vice Chancellor of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Prof. Riskuwa Arabu Shehu, notes that “until serious attention was given to the optimal development, utilization and security of our energy needs Nigeria would not have a productive economy.”

By Abdallah el-Kurebe

UN climate summit opens with people hungry for action

Michael Simire
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UN climate summit opens with people hungry for action

The UN climate talks in Lima (COP20) opened on Monday with a flame of solidarity as an estimated 10,000 people around the world joined together in the largest ever climate fast to show support for the victims of climate change.

High table during the official opening of COP 20 featuring digntaries like usana Villaran (Mayor of Lima), Christiana Figueres (Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC), Manuel Pulgar-Vidal (COP 20 President & Peruvian Environment Minister) and Rajendra K; Pachauri (Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
High table during the official opening of COP 20 featuring digntaries like usana Villaran (Mayor of Lima), Christiana Figueres (Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC), Manuel Pulgar-Vidal (COP 20 President & Peruvian Environment Minister) and Rajendra K; Pachauri (Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)

UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Christiana Figueres, and the Peruvian Minister of Environment and President of COP20, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, offered their support for the fast at a spectacular candlelight vigil in Lima on Sunday night, at which hundreds of people gathered to prepare for the fast which remembers those suffering from climate impacts. At Monday’s opening plenary session of the UN climate negotiations, Ms Figueres placed the lantern used to light the first candle on her desk, bringing the message of the climate fast directly into the negotiating hall.

The fast is being supported by a diverse array of communities including faith, youth and civil society organisations. Christian Aid senior climate advisor Mohamed Adow explained: “We want this to be the biggest ever climate fast to show negotiators that people from all corners of the world, from all walks of life, are hungry for climate action. Here in Lima, government delegations have a chance to show that they have heard these people, by laying the foundations of a comprehensive and fair global climate agreement, which will include strong national climate action plans.”

Negotiators came face to face with the climate fast at lunchtime in the COP20 cafeteria, where fasters demonstrated with empty plates and a menu of climate action requests for governments to consider. Some negotiators are fasting themselves, including the members of the Tuvalu, Nauru and Fiji delegation. Beyond Lima, climate fast events are taking place in countries around the world. The Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Enele Sopoaga, encouraged his entire nation to fast and in France supporters are taking direct action against banks which are heavily invested in the coal industry.

The climate fast, like the wider climate movement, is growing and will continue to do so until governments address the bare facts laid out by the recent blockbuster report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – which said the only way economies could continue to prosper was if governments took climate action to reduce pollution, eventually to zero, and to adapt to the impacts we’re already experiencing. The World Bank’s Turn Down the Heat report also told governments that it is the most vulnerable communities who are facing the worst and most immediate impacts of warming.

In a press conference on Monday prominent fasters launched the next phase of the climate fast. Laura Vargas from the Interfaith Council of Peru said: “We are fasting in solidarity with the communities that are already suffering due to ongoing climate change and insufficient support for adaptation. As long as government action is insufficient, we will continue to fast.”

Other prominent fasters include: Yeb Sano, Philippines Climate Commissioner, Kumi Naidoo, the Executive Director of Greenpeace; Loretta Minghella, Christian Aid Chief Executive; Bishop Apimeleki Qiliho from Fiji, Bishop Nick Holtam Church of England; Bishop Andrew Dietsche from New York; Bishop Steve Moreo from Johannesburg; Bishop of Salisbury; Martin Junge, General Secretary of The Lutheran World Federation; Nicolas Hulot, Special Envoy of the President of France for the Protection of the Planet.

Lima COP 20 opening ceremony in pictures

Michael Simire
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Lima COP 20 opening ceremony in pictures

The 20th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) officially opened on Monday, December 1, 2014 in Lima, Peru. The forum, which is loaded with events, will come to a close on Friday, December 12.

EnviroNews Nigeria presents images at the well-attended opening ceremony.

Chair of the African Group of Negotiators addressing the plenary
Chair of the African Group of Negotiators addressing the plenary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COP 20 President and Peruvian Environment Minister, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal
COP 20 President and Peruvian Environment Minister, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rajendra K; Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Rajendra K; Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susana Villaran (Mayor of Lima) (left), Christiana Figueres (Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC) (middle) and Manuel Pulgar-Vidal (COP 20 President & Peruvian Environment Minister)
Susana Villaran (Mayor of Lima) (left), Christiana Figueres (Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC) (middle) and Manuel Pulgar-Vidal (COP 20 President & Peruvian Environment Minister)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guests on the high table
Guests on the high table

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delegates at the opening session
Delegates at the opening session

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delegates at the opening session
Delegates at the opening session

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manuel Pulgar-Vida (left) and Rajendra K. Pachauri
Manuel Pulgar-Vida (left) and Rajendra K. Pachauri

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Libyan and Liberian delegates at the opening session
Libyan and Liberian delegates at the opening session

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesotho delegates
Lesotho delegates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo credits: PAMACC

Africa eyes comprehensive 2015 draft as Lima climate talks begin

Michael Simire
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Africa eyes comprehensive 2015 draft as Lima climate talks begin
The United Nations Climate Change Conference opening today in Lima, Peru carries the prospects of putting the world on the pathway to a comprehensive climate agreement in 2015, experts have said.
Sam Ogalah (middle), Robert Chimambo and Mike Kitivo leading the Pre-COP workshop in Lima, Peru
Sam Ogalah (middle), Robert Chimambo and Mike Kitivo leading the Pre-COP workshop in Lima, Peru

Amidst cautious optimism, African civil society groups under the umbrella of the Pan-African Climate Justice (PACJA) have called for a draft text to be adopted in Paris next year that will commit countries to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

Speaking at the Pre-COP 20 Consultative Consultative workshop in Lima, Samuel Ogallah of PACJA stated that group’s trength is embedded in the preparedness of the African civil society at all levels to ensure that the New Climate Change Agreement to be concluded in Paris in 2015 is responsive to African aspirations and realities.
Robert Chimambo, an environmental advocate and a board member of the Zambia Climate Change Network (ZCCN), added that Africa expects nothing short of a comprehensive draft agreement for 2015 in Lima as the stakes are already high with Africa being at the receiving end of the disastrous consequences of climate change.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warned earlier this month that industrialised countries were falling short of the emissions reductions needed to prevent warming of 2 degree centrigrade above pre-industrial levels, the goal set by world leaders. Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to reach a record high of 40bn tonnes in 2014. Meanwhile, 2014 is shaping up to be the hottest on record.
On the basis of the foregoing, “PACJA will continue to strengthen African CSOs and our allies from the south and north in the effort to ensure a broadened ownership of this process. It is our desire, together with partners convening and supporting this Forum, that all people, especially those who are at the frontline of climate change impacts, be involved in the effort to find solution. That’s the only way to make our voices and choices be heard in the Countdown to Paris, and the only way to build effective resilience,” Ogallah says.
The Lima climate forum that commences today and will continue until 12 December includes the 20th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 10). Three subsidiary bodies will also convene: the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), and the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP).
The conference will consider agenda items related to finance, mitigation, adaptation and technology. The COP will also hear a report from the ADP concerning progress made during the third year of its mandate to develop “a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties” by 2015 to enter into force no later than 2020.

Worry over mother-to-child HIV transmission

Michael Simire
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Worry over mother-to-child HIV transmission

Against the backdrop of the World AIDS Day 2014, Development Communications (DevComs) Network and its partners on the NOTAGAIN Campaign urge the Nigerian government to save women and children’s lives by adequately investing in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PTMCT) and maternal health care for a healthy nation.

HIV-AIDSThis appeal is premised on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation in the Global Health Sector Strategy on HIV/AIDS 2011-2015, which advised countries to strengthen linkages between HIV and maternal, newborn and child health services and address sexual and reproductive health and rights issues by integrating HIV prevention, testing and counselling services into sexual and reproductive health services.

The strategy document demands that “HIV services should be integrated within a package of core interventions for maternal, newborn and child health; including high-quality antenatal, prenatal and postnatal services; prevention, screening and care for malaria and tuberculosis; syphilis screening and care; skilled birth attendance backed by emergency obstetric care; and newborn and child care, infant feeding support, immunisation and family-centered nutritional care and support.”

Accountability in PMTCT care and prevention of maternal newborn and child deaths are essential to restore the hope of care receivers in Nigeria. About 300 members of the Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS recently shut the office of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), for dwindling access to anti-retroviral drugs and withdrawal of financial support to HIV/AIDS by donor organisations.

It is also a fact that HIV is the leading cause of deaths among women of reproductive age. According to a statement released by National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) for the World AIDS Day 2014, 54% of pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries did not receive an HIV test in 2013; and almost 60% of all new HIV infections among young people aged 15–24 occurred among adolescent girls and young women.

The WHO says the World AIDS Day 2014 is designed to close the gaps in HIV prevention and treatment, owing to the fact that too many people still lack access to comprehensive HIV treatment and prevention services. The World health governing body states in its new release for this year’s World AIDS day that “Sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected region, with 24.7 million people living with HIV in 2013 and accounts for almost 70% of the global total of new HIV infections.

“There were approximately 35 million people living with HIV at the end of 2013 with 2.1 million people becoming newly infected with HIV in 2013 globally.”

In bridging the gap in HIV treatment and prevention, Nigeria recently launched a National Operational Plan for the period of 2015-2016, targeted at the Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV in Nigeria.  Speaking at the launch Professor John Idoko, the Director General of NACA had explained that eliminating Mother to Child Transmission of HIV has ripple effects on the Millennium Development Goals, (MDGs) 3, 4, 5 and 6.

“The national programme for the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV started in 2001 with actual services delivery taking off in six (6) tertiary institutions in 2002. Since then the programme has been expanded to the primary and secondary health facilities in order to bring the services closer to the communities. Achieving the Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission  (EMTCT) is inextricably linked with and directly contributes to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially MDG 3, (Gender Equality), MDG 4, (reduce child mortality) and MDG 5 ( improve maternal health)  and MDG 6 ( combat HIV/AIDS). This positions EMTCT as an important part of the maternal and child health and the overall development agenda,” he said.

It should also be noted that, Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission (EMTCT) cannot be effective without proper prevention of new infections and prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV. The World Health Organisation in a July 2014 “consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations” recommended a four-pronged approach to PMTCT. The approaches include primary prevention of HIV infection among women of childbearing age, preventing unintended pregnancies among women living with HIV, preventing HIV transmission from women living with HIV to their infants, and providing appropriate treatment, care, and support to mothers living with HIV, their children and families.

Speaking about preventing HIV among women of childbearing age and preventing unintended pregnancies among women living with HIV, the Advocacy Advisor, Nigerian Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), Mrs. Charity Ibeawuchi, said correct and consistent use of male and female condoms could protect against the spread of sexually transmitted infections including HIV.

She then charged the government on speedy passage and implementation of the National Health Bill in order to release resources for Reproductive Health and other health services and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on external donors and funders.

DevComs believes that achieving complete Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission (EMTCT) goes beyond pronouncement. It entails actions and political will from health workers to the national government. Adequate funding is required for effective implementation of the operational plan and should be carried out in line with WHO standards and guidelines that stipulate integration with MNCH. Nigerians can no longer wait for promises made without fulfilment. The allocation of at least 15% of total budget to fund health in Nigeria, as stipulated by the Abuja Declaration of 2001 will also go a long way to fast track the implementation of health strategies developed in Nigeria.

COP 20: Delegates urged to adopt new climate course

Michael Simire
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COP 20: Delegates urged to adopt new climate course

Seven Greenpeace activists on Sunday, November 30, 2014 projected the message “Act for the climate! Go solar!” onto the hill of Wayna Picchu to mark the beginning of the end of coal- and oil-driven economies. As the UN climate summit gets underway in Lima, Greenpeace is asking decision-makers attending the 20th session of Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to adopt a new course and lead us to 100% renewable energy for all by 2050.

Machu Picchu ruins from the top of Huanya Picchu. Photo credit: pcug.org.au
Machu Picchu ruins from the top of Huanya Picchu. Photo credit: pcug.org.au

The activists, from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Austria and Germany, climbed 3,000 steep steps along the trail to Machu Picchu in the early hours of Sunday morning under foggy weather conditions. The message was projected in the following six languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French and Hindi.

Greenpeace Head of Climate Politics Martin Kaiser said: “The Temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu is where we are announcing to the world that, as the power of the sun is our past, it is also our future. We urge summit attendees to commit to the world’s largest source of energy – the sun – to solve our global climate crisis. The US and China’s recent announcement is a turning point and must spur a global commitment to the ambitious goal of 100% renewable energy for everyone. At COP 20, we call on major emitter countries in particular to table bold commitments for 2025. The whole world is watching – now is the time to act.”

The climate summit convenes ministers of 194 countries for the annual Conference of the Parties to negotiate for the next 12 days the legally binding text that will become next year’s Paris Protocol. It will provide an early insight into what we may expect from the agreement with regard to the long-term phase-out of coal-fired power plants, the rate of deployment of renewable energies, and the financial and technological support for the vulnerable and least developed countries.

By March 2015, each country must have tabled their national climate targets. Greenpeace believes all countries should present concrete commitments for 2025 to accelerate the transformation towards 100% renewable energy by 2050. These commitments need to be improved every five years to ensure both political accountability and technological development.

Greenpeace Climate and Energy campaigner Mauro Fernandez said: “As the hosts of this year’s climate summit, Latin Americans want to share with the world our first-hand experience with the severe impacts of climate change.  The global community is awakening and bold action is needed to solve the root cause of our climate crisis. We can no longer delay the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy systems. In particular, it’s essential that Brazil – as the largest economy in the region – commits to ending deforestation by 2020 and significantly reducing its emissions towards 2025. It’s essential that the negotiations in Lima propel us toward a major international agreement in Paris next year.”

Nigeria evaluates 23-year-old National Policy on Environment

Michael Simire
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0
Nigeria evaluates 23-year-old National Policy on Environment

Twenty-three years after it was first formulated in 1991 and 15 years after its revision in 1999, Nigeria has embarked on the process of reviewing the National Policy on Environment (NPE) blueprint.

Participants at the review forum of the National Policy on Environment
Participants at the review forum of the National Policy on Environment

The endeavour is informed by the fact that the existing policy document is outdated, in the light of the emergence in recent years of topical issues that require urgent attention and policy guidelines to address.

For two days last week in Abuja, stakeholders tabled the text for scrutiny and attempted to redefine holistic NPE framework to guide the management of the environment as well as natural resource.

Mede Nana Fatima, Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Environment (FMoE), said at the opening of the event that, in order for the ministry to deliver on its mandate, a key instrument that will guide it is the NPE.

She added: “Nigeria formulated its first Policy on Environment in 1991. The document was revised in 1999 and for 15 years running, the nation has been using the same document despite the continuous emergence of topical environmental issues that require attention and relevant policy guidelines to address.

“It is in consideration of the above and the need to appreciate the trade-offs between present and future consumption pattern of our resources and the challenges imbedded therein that call for careful analysis of the situation in order to effectively and efficiently facilitate the exploration and exploitation of these resources to achieve sustainable economic growth that informed the ministry of the need to carry out a holistic review of the policy.”

Director of Planning, Research & Statistics, FMoE, Yomi Ladapo (represented by Halima Mohammed, Assistant Director & GEF Desk Officer), submitted that the environment is the life supporting system for human existence and survival, as it provides much of the physical social setting and the raw materials required for socio-economic progress.

“Nevertheless, we have no choice than to interact with it. But human interaction, natural disaster and climate change are putting so much pressure and impact on the quality of our environmental conditions. If the environment is properly managed, it can also be a productive resource to meet our socio-economic and tasteful needs, not only for today, but also for future generations. The objective of the meeting is to redefine holistic National Policy on the Environment framework to guide the management of the environment and natural resources of the country.”

At the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-supported event, Pa Lamin Beyai, UNDP Country Director (represented by Muyiwa Odele, Team Leader, Environment & Sustainable Development), described the review and validation meeting of the NPE as a crucial step in capturing diverse views and perspectives of all stakeholders, and establishing the multi-sectoral partnership needed for successful implementation.

According to him, the new NPE is expected to reflect key emerging issues from the Post 2015 development dialogues/agenda and the linkages with climate change and disaster risks management in the country.

Nnimmo Bassey, environmental activist and member of the NPE review process, observed: “A review of the NPE has been long overdue. A lot of things have changed since the current policy was prepared and the need to have a comprehensive review cannot be over emphasised.

“A policy of this nature is a coherent blueprint that brings in one document all key actions that need to be taken on the environment. We have a peculiar situation in Nigeria where laws and regulations on the environment are scattered in various Acts and laws that are not focused on the environment. The Policy helps to focus attention on actions that must be taken to ensure that we consider sustainability as the bedrock for all we do.

“I’m impressed with the inputs brought by government agencies into the document via the validation process. What remains once the policy is adopted will be, as they say, the political will to consider the environment and the people before the profit requirements of corporations and agencies whose focus is to plunder our resources.”

The policy identified key sectors requiring integration of environmental concerns and sustainability with development.  It presented specific guidelines for achieving sustainable development in the following fourteen sectors of Nigeria’s economy: Human Population; Land Use and Soil Conservation; Water Resources Management; Forestry, Wildlife and Protected Natural Areas; Marine and Coastal Area Resources; Sanitation and Waste Management; Toxic and Hazardous Substances; Mining and Mineral Resources; Agricultural Chemicals; Energy Production; Air Pollution; Noise in the Working Environment; Settlements; Recreational Space, Green Belts, Monuments, and Cultural Property.

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