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Nnimmo Bassey emerges Fellow of Nigerian Institute of Architects

Michael Simire
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Nnimmo Bassey emerges Fellow of Nigerian Institute of Architects

Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, has bagged the Fellowship of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA). The renowned environmental activist, who is a trained and practicing architect, will be decorated  today, Friday November 21 2014, at an investiture ceremony at the institute’s Biennial General Meeting at Ilorin, Kwara State.

Nnimmo Bassey
Nnimmo Bassey

Born on 11 June 1958 in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, Bassey studied architecture at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he obtained a Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch.) degree. He also holds a Diploma in Christian Theology from the GLIM Bible College (1999) and a Diploma in Biosafety (Gene Ecology) from the University of Tromso, Norway (2005).

In a statement, officials of his firm disclosed: “Bassey delivers architectural designs that respect contextual integrity, climatic conditions and the living patterns of end users. He interprets architecture as an intersection of social engineering and spatial arts. At the beginning of his architectural practice, Arc Bassey worked at the Physical Planning Division of the Vice Chancellor’s office, University of Benin, Benin City.

“In 1991, he entered into private architectural practice as the Principal Partner of Base Consult (AFR 108) and currently practices in this capacity. His portfolio is vast and diverse. Some of his projects include the Vice Chancellor’s lodges at the University of Benin and the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akumgba; Faculty of Education, University of Benin; Faith Liberation Church, Asaba; Modern Motor Parks at Uyo for Akwa Ibom State; buildings at Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja (along with Fariog Consult) and Maisonette for Alvaro De Soussa, Angola. His recent architectural work includes the on-going Festus Iyayi ASUU Secretariat at the University of Benin.”

Bassey is a man of many parts. Beyond his architectural portfolio, he is a published writer and poet. Some of his notable works are The Management of Construction; Living Houses (2005); I will not Dance to Your Beat (Poems, 2011) and To Cook A Continent – Destructive Extraction and Climate Crisis in Africa (2012), which has so far been translated in Portuguese and Finnish. He also holds several awards for his active involvement in the struggle for environmental justice around the world, especially in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

He co-founded Environment Rights Action (ERA) and is the director of HOMEF, which he founded recently. Some of his prestigious awards are theTime Magazine Hero of the Environment (2009), Right Livelihood Award (2010), Rafto Human Rights Award (2012), He was giving the Nigerian National Honour of Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) in September, 2014. Bassey serves in leadership positions in architectural, philanthropic and environmental organizations. He is widely travelled globally.

Nnimmo Bassey is an ordained minister and serves with the Gospel Light International Ministries – New Covenant Gospel Church. He is married to Evelyn Bassey and they have three sons, Otoabasi (26), Daramfon (23) and Ukpono (17).

Will new climate treaty be a thriller, or Shaggy dog story?

Michael Simire
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0
Will new climate treaty be a thriller, or Shaggy dog story?

This December, 195 nations plus the European Union will meet in Lima for two weeks for the crucial U.N. Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, known as COP 20. The hope in Lima is to produce the first complete draft of a new global climate agreement.
However, this is like writing a book with 195 authors. After five years of negotiations, there is only an outline of the agreement and a couple of ‘chapters’ in rough draft.

Peru’s environment minister, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, during one of the many events held to promote the COP 20. As chairman of the conference, his negotiating ability and energy will be crucial to the progress made towards a new draft climate agreement. Photo credit: COP20 Peru
Peru’s environment minister, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, during one of the many events held to promote the COP 20. As chairman of the conference, his negotiating ability and energy will be crucial to the progress made towards a new draft climate agreement. Photo credit: COP20 Peru

The deadline is looming: the new climate agreement to keep climate change to less than two degrees C is to be signed in Paris in December 2015.

“A tremendous amount of work has to be done in Lima,” said Erika Rosenthal, an attorney at Earthjustice, an environmental law organisation and advisor to the chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).

Climate science is clear that global CO2 emissions must begin to decline before 2020 – otherwise, preventing a 2C temperature rise will be extremely costly and challenging.

“Time is short after Lima and Paris cannot fail,” said Rosenthal. “Paris is the key political moment when the world can decisively move to reap all the benefits of a clean, carbon-free economy.”

Success in Lima will depend in part on Peru’s Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal. As official president of COP 20, Pulgar-Vidal’s determination and energy will be crucial, most observers believe.

Climate change is a major issue in Peru, since Lima and many other parts of the country are dependent on freshwater from the Andes glaciers. Studies show they have lost 30 to 50 percent of their ice in 30 years and many will soon be gone.

Pulgar-Vidal has said he expects Lima to deliver a draft agreement, although it may not include all the chapters. The full draft with all the chapters needs to be completed by May 2015 to have time for final negotiations.

The future climate agreement, which could easily be book-length, will have three main sections or pillars: mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage. The mitigation or emissions reduction pillar is divided into pre-2020 emission reductions and post-2020 sections.

This December, 195 nations plus the European Union will meet in Lima for two weeks for the crucial U.N. Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, known as COP 20. The hope in Lima is to produce the first complete draft of a new global climate agreement.
However, this is like writing a book with 195 authors. After five years of negotiations, there is only an outline of the agreement and a couple of ‘chapters’ in rough draft.

The deadline is looming: the new climate agreement to keep climate change to less than two degrees C is to be signed in Paris in December 2015.

“A tremendous amount of work has to be done in Lima,” said Erika Rosenthal, an attorney at Earthjustice, an environmental law organisation and advisor to the chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).

Climate science is clear that global CO2 emissions must begin to decline before 2020 – otherwise, preventing a 2C temperature rise will be extremely costly and challenging.

“Time is short after Lima and Paris cannot fail,” said Rosenthal. “Paris is the key political moment when the world can decisively move to reap all the benefits of a clean, carbon-free economy.”

Success in Lima will depend in part on Peru’s Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal. As official president of COP 20, Pulgar-Vidal’s determination and energy will be crucial, most observers believe.

Climate change is a major issue in Peru, since Lima and many other parts of the country are dependent on freshwater from the Andes glaciers. Studies show they have lost 30 to 50 percent of their ice in 30 years and many will soon be gone.

Pulgar-Vidal has said he expects Lima to deliver a draft agreement, although it may not include all the chapters. The full draft with all the chapters needs to be completed by May 2015 to have time for final negotiations.

The future climate agreement, which could easily be book-length, will have three main sections or pillars: mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage. The mitigation or emissions reduction pillar is divided into pre-2020 emission reductions and post-2020 sections.

By Stephen Leahy • UXBRIDGE, Canada, (IPS)

Ogar: How forest fragmentation mirrors social fragmentation

Michael Simire
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Ogar: How forest fragmentation mirrors social fragmentation

Forests ecosystems are a dynamic, constantly changing community of living things, interacting with non-living components. Forests are valued on social, environmental, cultural and economic factors.

Chief Edwin Ogar, Programme Coordinator, Wise Administration of Terrestrial Environment and Resources (WATER)
Chief Edwin Ogar, Programme Coordinator, Wise Administration of Terrestrial Environment and Resources (WATER). Photo credit: www.iisd.ca

We need forests. They provide wood and non-timber products and services, play a key role in the fight against climate change, make an important contribution to our economy through supporting regional communities, as well as providing excellent opportunities for recreation and tourism.

Forests provide us with essential products. From house poles/frames to floorboards, furniture to newspapers, forests are necessary to everyday life. Not only do forests supply timber for our needs and employment for local industry, they are also animal habitats, provide us air and regulate water quality. Plus they provide for a myriad of recreational opportunities; from bushwalking, camping and bird watching and adventure sports.

Forest on a daily basis, trap, absorb and store carbon to stabilize the climate beneficial to all. Other tangible or direct non-carbon benefits of the forests include firewood, vegetables, agricultural implements, thatching grass, bush meat, fodder, medicinal herbs, wild fruits, seeds and honey. Also, the forest provide us ropes, stones for construction, grazing, erosion control, fresh water, and commands aesthetic values.

The forests also provides us social non-carbon benefits – improved relationships with governments, NGOs, donors, political empowerment which includes training and skills that have also strengthened local governance and advocacy mechanisms. These are part of political and social capital benefits and are particularly important in terms of empowering the poor to voice their needs in any forum

In order word, forests are the super engine of life without which human being survival on the planet is zero. No matter your status in life, you need the forests more than the forests need you because without the forests, you are doomed!

Considering the values and inestimable benefits the forests hold for mankind, how sincere and committed are we to the protection, conservation, management and regeneration of forests? This question is very crucial because some have left the substance to pursue the shadow by paying lip service to protect the forests. Some exercise exclusive knowledge, power and arrogate the management of the forests as a personal property that others shouldn’t be involved. Some see the forests as an opportunity to make fortunes and wretch it without any remorse. Others see the forests as an obstacle to development and consciously devastate it for commercial agriculture, for mono-plantations or other selfish motives. Some connive with outsiders for peanuts to cause havoc to the forests. Others just look away while crimes are being committed against the forests, the very foundation and livewire of human being’s existence. Some others portray a nonchalant attitude to any crime against the forests as they erroneously and strongly believe that they have arrived educationally, socially, economically and politically so have no need for the forests.

There are still several examples of man’s injustices against the forests but, unfortunately, forests cannot talk, cry, complain or seek redress in court as often by human being. However, the anger of the forests against these injustices are the underlying factors to the inglorious climate change and global warming with attendant effects of floods, wildfire, heat, tsunamis, loss of lives and property, food insecurity, poverty and what have you! Climate change has affected everybody in one way or the other and the worst scenario is coming if nothing substantial is done.

In spite of the above, there are no concrete efforts and commitments to reverse loss of forests, biodiversity, habitats, wildlife and ecosystem services. Taking 10 years ago as a baseline, the size of forest loss in Cross River State within this period is astronomically the highest. This is because forest fragmentation is mirrored by social fragmentation between individuals, groups, NGOs and government as each has self-mundane interest but not collective interest for the overall long-term survival of the forest. We can reverse this by abandoning self-interest, work as a team, not in disarray but collectively to protect and increase hectares of lands under forest through regeneration. It is only then that we can consider ourselves of having achieved!

  • Extract from a presentation by Chief Edwin Ogar of the Wise Administration of Terrestrial Environment and Resources (WATER) delivered at the recently held 6th IUCN World Parks Congress (WPC) in Sydney, Australia, where countries committed to expand protected areas in their domain. Ogar used to be with the Ekuri Initiative, a conservation programme that manages a 33,600-hectare community forest in Cross River State, Nigeria

‘Dangote Cement price slash will help home seekers achieve ambitions’

Michael Simire
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‘Dangote Cement price slash will help home seekers achieve ambitions’

President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alhaji Remi Bello, has lauded Dangote Cement for the slash in cement price, saying the gesture would enable many Nigerians desirous of building their own houses to achieve their ambitions.

Alhaji Aliko Dangote
Alhaji Aliko Dangote

Bello, represented by Deputy President of the Chamber, Mrs. Nike Akande, at the Dangote Industries Limited special day at the Lagos International Trade Fair, said the Dangote Group is living up to its mission of touching the lives of people by providing their basic needs through several products from its subsidiaries such as Dangote Sugar Refinery, Dangote Cement, Dansa and National Salt Company of Nigeria (NASCON).

Bello said the slash in price would significantly impact the economy given that cement is a major component in building and construction. He commended the group for creating numerous employment opportunities in the economy through several linked and integrated industries.

Group Executive Director, Stakeholders Management & Corporate Communications, Dangote Group, Ahmed Mansur, who represented the President/Chief Executive, Aliko Dangote, at the event commended the organisers of the fair for attracting participants and exhibitors. He said the Lagos International Trade Fair had become a strategic and most prominent forum for companies to showcase their products and services as well as attract more investments.

Mansur stated that the Group would continue to explore opportunities beyond cement and sugar as it had ventured into the oil and gas sector. He said that Dangote Group is building a petroleum refinery that will end the era of importation of refined petroleum products and a large fertilizer complex that will boost food production.

According to him, the Group is expanding into the production of Nigerian rice with massive investments planned for the sector while similar investments are already on going in its sugar backward integration project.

Dangote Group’s stand at the Lagos Trade Fair was a beehive of activities with customers thronging to buy various products especially cement at the special trade fair price. The special day was to showcase the strength and diversity of the Group as well as keep the public abreast of recent developments in the Group.

Dangote Cement recently slashed the price of its products to N1,000 for 32.5 grade and N1,150 for 42.5 grade (excluding VAT and transport).

Customers and other end users of cement used the Trade Fair to make enquires and pay for the product at the designated banks’ branches within the Trade Fair ground.

Some of the customers described the opportunity of buying cement at the new rate within the Trade Fair Ground as a welcome development as, according to them, it enables them to make huge savings on the amount hitherto spent on cement as well as the hassles of going to the plant or depot to make enquires.

Dangote Sugar, another subsidiary of Dangote Industries Limited, also reportedly made brisk sales at the Fair. Apart from sales, prospective distributors mad enquiries on requirements for distributorship. Dangote Sugar at the Fair offered several varieties of sugar to customers including the 50 kilogram bags and the ready to use sachet range

National Salt Company of Nigeria (NASCON), another subsidiary of the Dangote Group, was at the Fair. Apart from edible/table salt, NASCON produces varieties of food seasoning.

Japan pledges $1.5bn to Green Climate Fund

Michael Simire
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Japan pledges $1.5bn to Green Climate Fund
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Japan on Sunday announced a pledge of $1.5 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) ahead of next week’s pledging conference in Berlin.

The pledge, announced on the margins of the G20 Summit taking place in Brisbane, Australia, comes in the wake of a $3 billion pledge by the United States.

Total pledges to date for the GCF, the financial instrument designed to assist developing countries achieve their mitigation and adaptation ambitions, stand at around $7.5 billion putting the aim of $10 billion by the next UN climate convention conference in sight.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said: “I welcome the government of Japan’s pledge which has, along with other announcements over the past few days triggered a positive atmosphere around the upcoming pledging meeting in Berlin and in advance of the UN climate convention conference in Lima in a few weeks’ time.”

Ms Figueres also welcomed Sunday’s statement by the G20 Heads of State which included a strong and supportive section on climate action.

The statement said: “We support strong and effective action to address climate change. Consistent with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its agreed outcomes, our actions will support sustainable development, economic growth, and certainty for business and investment. We will work together to adopt successfully a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the UNFCCC that is applicable to all parties at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris in 2015.”

“We encourage parties that are ready to communicate their intended nationally determined contributions well in advance of COP21 (by the first quarter of 2015 for those parties ready to do so). We reaffirm our support for mobilizing finance for adaptation and mitigation, such as the Green Climate Fund,” it added.

With 196 Parties, the UNFCCC has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which has been ratified by 192 of the UNFCCC Parties. For the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, 37 States, consisting of highly industrialised countries and countries undergoing the process of transition to a market economy, have legally binding emission limitation and reduction commitments.

In Doha in 2012, the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol adopted an amendment to the Kyoto Protocol, which establishes the second commitment period under the Protocol. The ultimate objective of both treaties is to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.

Study: West Africa leads in renewable energy, energy efficiency

Michael Simire
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Study: West Africa leads in renewable energy, energy efficiency

The ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status Report,  produced collaboratively by REN21 and ECREEE with lead authorship from the Worldwatch Institute, provides a regional perspective on the renewable energy and energy efficiency market and industry development in West Africa.

Fuel efficient cookstoves in Nigeria
Fuel efficient cookstoves in Nigeria

It says that although access to energy services remains severely constrained in the region, renewables and energy efficiency measures contribute to improved access.

Launched on November 10, 2014, the report concludes that renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies have rapidly become cost effective solutions for overcoming the diverse energy challenges facing the ECOWAS region (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo).

“It is clear that the ECOWAS Member States acknowledge the enormous potential that renewables and energy efficiency bring to accelerating energy access and meeting the region’s energy needs,” says Christine Lins, Executive Secretary of REN21. “Through their commitment to developing renewable energy and energy efficiency across the region, ECOWAS Member States have taken a proactive role in ensuring their ability to address current energy sector challenges through the uptake of renewables, while simultaneously building a resilient system that prepares the region to effectively meet future energy needs and ensures sustainable energy access for all.”

The Executive Director of ECREEE, Mahama Kappiah, says that non-availability of reliable and up-to-date energy information in West African countries constrains opportunities for investments in the energy sector. The ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status Report is therefore a “tool to make information on these activities in the ECOWAS region readily available to different stakeholders, as well as to local and global investors, developers, and project promoters by showcasing the ECOWAS region as one of the most active regions in Africa for the promotion of renewables and energy efficiency.”

“This report presents countries undergoing rapid change, including in the energy sector,” says Alexander Ochs, Director of the Worldwatch Institute’s Climate and Energy Program. “While we are witnessing important projects throughout the region, most ECOWAS countries are just starting to make use of the enormous renewable energy potentials at their doorsteps-and on their roofs, too. With national policies and regional cooperation just taking shape, the big renewable energy boom in West Africa is yet to come. An economically, socially, and environmentally prosperous Africa can only be built on the foundation of a sustainable energy system.”

The ECOWAS Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status Report, covers recent developments and trends in the energy sector in the ECOWAS region. It uses up-to-date renewable energy data, provided by network of contributors from and around West Africa, and is targeted at policymakers, industry, investors and civil society to enable them to make informed decisions about the diffusion of renewable energy. By design, the report does not provide any analysis or forecasts.

Some Key Findings:

  • As of early 2014, the ECOWAS region had an installed capacity of 39 megawatts (MW) of grid-connected renewable electricity (excluding hydropower). The total installed renewable capacity, including hydro, was 4.8 gigawatts (GW).
  • Renewable energy technologies account for an estimated 28.8 percent of the region’s total installed capacity of grid-connected electricity.
  • Regional new investment in renewable power and fuels from six leading ECOWAS Member States (Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone) was USD 29.7 million in 2013, down significantly from the peak of USD 370 million in 2011.
  • Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, and Sierra Leone are regional leaders in the contribution of renewables to their final energy consumption-at 30.3 percent, 22.4 percent, and 19 percent, respectively, in early 2014-largely as a result of their use of modern biomass.
  • Hydropower accounted for 57 percent of total installed electricity capacity in Ghana; it also played a significant role in Guinea (34.2 percent), Togo (28.8 percent), Côte d’Ivoire (28.2 percent), and Nigeria (16.2 percent). As of early 2014, only 19 percent of the ECOWAS region’s estimated 25 GW of hydropower potential had been exploited.
  • Wind energy provided 27 MW of installed electricity capacity, with 25.5 MW of this coming from Cabo Verde’s Cabeolica wind farm, sub-Saharan Africa’s first commercial-scale public-private partnership.
  • Cabo Verde leads the ECOWAS region in installed capacity of grid-connected solar photovoltaics (PV), with 6.4 MW. Ghana has an installed capacity of 1.92 MW.
  • The region’s use of solar PV technology is limited largely to distributed and off-grid functions. Senegal leads with installed capacity of 21 MW, followed by Nigeria with 20 MW and Niger with 4 MW.
  • By the end of 2014, 13 ECOWAS Member States had adopted renewable energy support policies, with all 15 Member States having at least one policy or one target at the national level promoting renewable energy technology development.
  • As of early 2014, feed-in tariffs had been adopted by Ghana and Nigeria and were being developed in the Gambia and Senegal. Cabo Verde became the first and only country within the ECOWAS region to adopt net metering.
  • As of early 2014, the share of the population using improved biomass cook stoves was 20 percent in the Gambia, 16 percent in Senegal, 10 percent in Sierra Leone, 6 percent in Nigeria, and 2.1 percent inBurkina Faso.
  • As of early 2014, eight ECOWAS Member States-Benin, Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo-had energy-efficient lighting initiatives.
  • Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria have established domestic programs for energy efficiency in the building sector. 

US-China climate commitments positive ahead Paris 2015, EU 2030, says CAN

Michael Simire
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0
US-China climate commitments positive ahead Paris 2015, EU 2030, says CAN

The tabling of national climate action commitments by the world’s two major polluters, the US and China, adds welcome momentum to what will amount to first steps in unison down a low carbon development pathway that brings us closer to a phase out fossil fuel pollution in favour of 100% renewable energy.

US President Barack Obama
US President Barack Obama

Commenting on the US-China climate announcements on Wednesday, the Climate Action Network (CAN) says that other countries should see these “game-changing” announcements by the US and China as a strong signal of commitment to the collective international effort to act on climate change as they prepare their own national plans.

CAN believes that the US and China’s announcement comes hot on the heels of the EU’s 2030 climate target which means that countries representing more than half the world’s GDP have outlined their first offers which will form the foundation of a comprehensive, global agreement to limit climate change due in Paris in December 2015.

The body states: “Of course, to take advantage of all the benefits that climate action can deliver, such as better public health, more jobs and stronger economies, China and the US can both do more. To more quickly speed up the on-going transition to renewable energy, China can, for example, work to peak its coal consumption by 2020, while the US can put money on the table at the Green Climate Fund pledging conference next week, allowing developing countries to boost their own action. Such steps will further build confidence in national capitals as they build their own climate action plans.

“In addition, with the international community still working out the parameters of the Paris agreement, the US and China – along with all countries – need to factor in the need to review the collective pledges once they are in order that they can be assessed for fairness and scaled up to meet the agreed threshold beyond which the climate will spin out of control.

CAN is a global network of over 900 NGOs working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels.

Mining affected communities around the world say ‘No to Mining’

Michael Simire
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0
Mining affected communities around the world say ‘No to Mining’

A clear message is coming from mining affected communities the world-over: No More! In a statement released today by the growing Yes to Life, No to Mining movement – a global coalition of civil society movements and mining affected communities – voices from Colombia, Uganda, the Philippines, Spain, Scotland, South Africa and beyond are united in their call for No Go Areas against mining and extraction, a move to a circular economy and rapid disinvestment from fossil fuels.

Nnimmo Bassey
Nnimmo Bassey

The statement marks the launch of a website as a platform for the Yes to Life, No to Mining movement. A movement first conceived in 2012 to connect and make visible the growing number of people around the world standing in solidarity against the extractives sector and in protection of ecosystems, habitats and homes.

“The website seeks to provide a forum to elevate stories of resistance and to support mining-affected communities who want to say no, recognising that they are not a loan voice in their struggles, but rather, that communities across the Earth are facing the same plight and are coming together to find strength to safeguard life. There are tools to support communities with advocacy and to know their rights, plus a photo and pledge campaign to gain solidarity from the public,” said Liz Hosken from The Gaia Foundation.

Featured prominently on the homepage is a video message from Nnimmo Bassey, former Head of Friends of the Earth International and Right Livelihood Award winner. The Nigerian born activist, whose organisation Health of Mother Earth Foundation has been instrumental in inspiring the movement, speaks boldly to invite everyone to stand together to stop the violations of the extractives sector:

“You may not want to admit it, but our planet is in a serious crisis and if nothing is done to halt the speed at which we are extracting minerals, metals and fossil fuels, we are just simply digging a hole that will be impossible to escape. I call on you. I call on all of us, to stand together in solidarity and say Yes to Life and a definite NO to Mining. The time has come to send a strong message to the exploiters of our planet.”

This week at the IUCN World Parks Congress in Sydney, representatives from the Yes to Life No to Mining movement – mining affected communities from across Africa, South America and Mongolia – will be calling for No Go Areas for all extractives activities. Simon Mitambo from the African Biodiversity Network is attending the event:

“The World Parks Congress must make a serious commitment to securing No-Go status for all protected areas, sacred natural sites and territories, community conserved areas, food growing areas, water systems and all those places vital for the equilibrium of life on our planet. Sacred natural sites are areas of great cultural, ecological and spiritual importance for indigenous peoples and local communities around the world. We must re-value the critical role that they play, respect the role played by the traditional custodians of these territories and recognise them as no-go-areas for extractive industries and other forms of destructive development. We are living at a time when our Planet is at the verge of collapse. We all need concerted efforts to remedy this situation, and this time round, it should not be business as usual.”

The Yes to Life, No to Mining movement was conceived in 2012 by a group of individuals, organisations and networks, all concerned with the wellbeing of the planet in the face of the exponential growth of mining over the last decade. Allies across a global network were moved to take action against the increasingly devastating impact of the extractives industries since the global economic collapse of 2008 prompted greater investment in tangible ‘resources’. As easier to reach deposits are becoming exhausted, the extractives sector is turning its efforts to ever more pristine and fragile ecosystems; the homes and habitats of so many.

Additional comments from Yes to Life No to Mining partners who are attending the 2014 World Parks Congress in Sydney:

 

“Mining might give countries quick cash and provide a few local jobs, but in the end it will wreak far more damage than prosperity. It will pollute rivers, which are much needed by the downstream communities and livestock; it will release greenhouse gasses which will ultimately impact low income countries; and it will affect the wellbeing of local people by destroying their connection with their sacred natural sites and impact upon critical fauna and flora. It will infringe on the rights of people as they will be displaced and affected by its by-products. Mining has proved to be a source of conflict among communities, destroying social fabric and damaging future relationships. The World Parks Congress must pass a clear message to secure sacred natural sites and protected areas as a no-go zones”. 

– Million Belay, Coordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), Ethiopia

 

“Mining in sacred areas is a crime. It destroys the indigenous peoples and their ecosystems, exposing them to hunger and extreme poverty. The World Parks Congress must address this issue in order to save the lives of many “voiceless” communities affected by mining around the world.”

– Oussou Lio Appolinaire, GRABE-Benin, Benin

 

The IUCN World Parks Congress is taking place in Sydney from 12th – 19th November. Partners of the Yes to Life, No to Mining movement will host the session ‘Advancing the Protection of Sacred Natural Sites and Territories’ on Monday 17th November at the main ampitheatre from 1pm.

The World Parks Congress is a global forum on protected areas. The Congress is a forum where practitioners, civil society movements and indigenous community representatives come together to share knowledge and innovation, and develop advocacy strategies to influence the agenda for protected areas conservation for the decade to come. This years’ congress theme is “Parks, people, planet: inspiring solutions”. One of the most challenging issues civil society groups are addressing is the corporate influence in the conservation movement, commodifying nature and violating all forms of protected and community areas.

19 years after: Ken Saro-Wiwa should not die in vain, says group

Michael Simire
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19 years after: Ken Saro-Wiwa should not die in vain, says group

Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has flayed the Federal Government for failing to address issues that led to the death of playwright and activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and eight other Ogoni leaders in 1995. The group is also demanding a public apology from the government and Shell for the incident.

The late Ken Saro-Wiwa
The late Ken Saro-Wiwa

In a statement issued in Lagos to commemorate the 19th year of the murder of Saro-Wiwa and the other Ogoni leaders, ERA/FoEN said that justice has not been served over the murders even as the insatiable appetite of the oil industry, particularly Shell which it claimed has ruined the environment and livelihoods in the Niger Delta, continues to grow.

According to ERA/FoEN, Saro-Wiwa and several other Ogoni leaders were executed by the General Sani Abacha junta for mobilising and speaking out against the impact of Shell’s activities and that of other oil companies operating in Ogoniland.

ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Godwin Ojo, is quoted in the statement as saying: “Ken Saro-Wiwa was killed because of his opposition to Shell’s environmental atrocities in Ogoniland and the decision of government to look the other way. It is sad and shameful that the kangaroo judgment that sent him to a cruel and undeserved death is yet to be quashed by the successive civilian administrations till this day.”

Ojo lamented that, in spite of the misery inflicted on the people of Ogoniland by Shell, none of the successive civilian governments including that of the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan administration failed to demonstrate the political will to bring the violator to justice.

“The sad reality is further rubbed in by the fact that more than three years after the submission of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Assessment of Saro-Wiwa’s homeland in Ogoni, there is nothing to show on ground that the implementation will be carried out as stipulated by the UN agency.”

The ERA/FoEN boss pointed out that, rather than engaging the issues frontally, “this administration has been going round in circles from setting up a Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) to initiating projects that do not have input from the Ogoni community”.

“What we are demanding like we have in previous years is the immediate quashing of the kangaroo judgment on Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni eight by the Justice Kuta tribunal and a public apology from Shell for instigating the crisis that led to the fiasco in Ogoniland. We also insist that the sacrifice made by the Ogoni 9 will be utterly meaningless if the implementation of the UNEP Assessment report is rubbished as is the situation at the moment. This 19-year gimmick must stop. We demand action,” Ojo insisted.

Nigeria boosts climate adaptive capacity in Osun community, others

Michael Simire
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Nigeria boosts climate adaptive capacity in Osun community, others

Rural communities in six states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are being offered a helping hand in their bid to cope with the vagaries of the warming weather and it’s damning consequences.

Borehole project 1
Borehole project 1

In the light of the nation’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, local folks in Kwara, Osun, Imo, Kogi, Gombe and Cross River states along with the FCT are receiving state-of-the-art boreholes, equipped with rainwater harvesting facilities, transformed with climate-smart agricultural practices and trained on the use and benefits of the Moringa plant as well as other alternative livelihood ventures.

The initiative, which is a pilot project that will eventually be replicated nationwide, comes largely under the Japanese government-sponsored Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP), which is being executed in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Environment (FMoEV) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Over the weekend, a team comprising officials of the Department of Climate Change in the FMoEV and Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST) inspected borehole facilities in Orile-Owu, Ayedaade Local Government Area (LGA), Osun State.

Director, Department of Climate Change, FMoEV, Dr Samuel Adejuwon, said: “The project is aimed at helping the communities to adapt to the impact of climate change. Ordinarily, the residents travel several kilometres to access potable water, and this is during the rainy season. During the dry season, water sources get dried up completely, making it even more challenging for them to have access to water.

Borehole project 2
Borehole project 2

“So by siting this borehole makes water available at any point during the year, whether during the dry or wet season. Also, they are sure of the quality of water they are taking from the borehole because it is not contaminated. Besides coming from the ground, the tank is occasionally washed. So there is constant supply of quality water for domestic use.”

According to Adejuwon, other projects undertaken to adapt to climate impacts include rainwater harvesting, climate-smart agriculture in Aguatu LGA in Imo State whereby a very large percentage of land is cultivated for rice with water, weather station and other supporting facilities are provided.

He added: “We hope to replicate this in other parts of the country. Nigeria is very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change hence the execution of projects like this to ease the natural process of adaptation. We also have projects in Kwara, Enugu, Kogi, Imo and Cross River states and the FCT. These ones are being done under the Japanese government-sponsored AAP project. These are pilot projects. We want them to be sustained, the little capital projects, and get fish famers also involved in adaptation projects. We have done feasibility studies in some states but we are being held back by limited funding. We are also venturing into climate-smart agriculture, which involves a lot of funding.”

Isaac Oloogunebi, Finance & Admin. Manager at the Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST) which, under a consultancy capacity, renovated and converted the two boreholes to motorised pump. They became operational in October 2012, but were commissioned May 2013.

Isaac Oloogunebi of the Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST) (left) with Ann Umar and Dr Samuel Adejuwon (both of the Department of Climate Change of the Federal Ministry of Environment), in Orile Owun, Osun State
Isaac Oloogunebi of the Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST) (left) with Ann Umar and Dr Samuel Adejuwon (both of the Department of Climate Change of the Federal Ministry of Environment), in Orile Owu, Osun State

Oloogunebi listed other projects to include those at Kwara State (provision of portable water), Kogi and Imo states, and FCT (rainwater harvesting and training on water, sanitation & hygiene – WASH management), Cross River (alternative livelihood: aqua culture centre and fishpond) and Gombe State (training on Moringa use and rainwater harvesting).

Ijaduola Sikiru, Secretary to the Committee Maintaining the Project at Orile-Owu, disclosed that the facility is being properly maintained from the stipend charged, which is N10 for 20 litres bowl or keg of water.

Sikiru, who is a farmer, stated that the project has positively impacted the environment, adding that more females than males participated in the planning, execution and monitoring of the project as well as contributed more to resources that ensured its realisation and upkeep. He added that females compared with men have more access to the services provided by the project.

According to him, the average time spent fetching water has reduced from about 45 minutes trip to the community stream to just two to five minutes to get to the water facility, adding that there has been no reported cases of water borne diseases since the facility became operational.

Dr Adejuwon sharing with community members
Dr Adejuwon sharing with community leaders

Fasasi Nurudeen, another farmer in Orile-Owu, revealed that about 100 people daily fetched water for domestic use from the facility before it was rehabilitated. He added the number has since doubled following its upgrading.

Saying that the entire community is now being served by the facility, he expressed satisfaction with the degree of the community’s participation in the adaptation project’s processes, as well as the resources made available and quality of work done.

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