Norway on Friday March 27, 2015 submitted its 2030 climate target to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In December this year, a new global climate agreement is to be concluded at the UN Climate Conference in Paris.

All countries are invited to submit their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), containing emissions reductions targets, well in advance of Paris and by March 2015 for those ready to do so. Norway is the third to submit its intended contribution, after Switzerland and the EU.

According to Norwegian officials, the nation is committed to a target of an at least 40% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

Norway’s INDC comes well in advance of a new universal climate change agreement which will be reached at the UN climate conference in Paris in December this year. All submitted INDCs are available on the UNFCCC website.

Including the Norwegian submission, 31 parties to the UNFCCC have formally submitted their INDCs. This includes all the countries under the European Union plus the European Commission and Switzerland.

The Paris agreement will come into effect in 2020, empowering all countries to act to prevent average global temperatures rising above 2 degrees Celsius and to reap the many opportunities that arise from a necessary global transformation to clean and sustainable development.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, is encouraging countries to come forward with their INDCs as soon as they are able, underlining their commitment and support towards this successful outcome in Paris.

Governments agreed to submit their INDCs in advance of Paris. Developed countries are expected to do so as soon as possible and some bigger developing countries are also likely to submit their INDCs well in advance.

INDCs have been chosen as the vehicle for national contributions to the international Paris agreement. They include, for example, details of emission reductions the country will undertake and can include other action plans covering areas such as adaptation to climate change.

Countries have agreed that there will be no back-tracking in these national climate plans, meaning that the level of ambition to reduce emissions will increase over time.

Countries under the UNFCCC have already finalised the negotiating text for the Paris agreement. The next round of formal negotiations will take place at UNFCCC headquarters in Bonn, Germany, in June.

All information such as documentation on designing and preparing INDCs as well as on sources of support for INDC preparation, is available here.

Norwegians believe that, to have a successful outcome of the Climate Conference in Paris, it is important that countries submit their contributions on emission reductions well in advance of the meeting, and that they are ambitious.

“Our target is well in line with the emission reductions that are needed to met the two degree target. I am very pleased that Norway can keep to the deadline,” says climate and environment minister, Tine Sundtoft.

According to the minister, the aim is to fulfil the emission reduction target as a collective delivery with the EU and its member states.

Sundtoft adds: “Around 50% of Norway’s emissions are already covered by the emission trading system (ETS) of the EU. In addition, a national target for emission reductions will be established for sectors outside the ETS. Norway will enter into a dialogue with the EU on an agreement for the collective delivery of the climate target. If there is no agreement on a collective delivery with the EU, Norway will fulfil the commitment independently. The ambition level of at least 40 % reduction will remain the same.

“We need more international cooperation to meet the climate challenge. A collective delivery for Norway and the EU on climate change is a step in the right direction. Both Norway and the EU have high ambitions on climate, and view climate measures in the context of long term transition to low emission societies. By linking our climate efforts, we can achieve better results.

“The solution with the EU means that the 40% emission reduction will be implemented in Europe, without the use of international market mechanisms outside of the EU and Norway. If it can contribute to a global and ambitious climate agreement in Paris, Norway will consider taking a commitment beyond an emission reduction of 40% compared to 1990 levels, through the use of flexible mechanisms under the UN framework convention, beyond a collective delivery with the EU

“It is important that the Paris climate agreement includes market based mechanisms. By using the market, countries can raise ambitions collectively.”

History was made in Akure, south-west Nigeria, on Monday March 23, 2015 as the first set of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) students under the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) Graduate Research Programme (GRP) in West Africa Climate System officially passed out.

Hosted by the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) in Ondo State, the WASCAL Programme is a novel climate change initiative of the German government through the Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The Graduate Research Programme is a major component of WASCAL.

The students were “passing out” and not “graduating” in the real sense of the word because, even though they had satisfied all the requirements for the award of the degree and officially ended the programme, the conferment of the degrees on them will hold later in the year in November, when they are all expected to return to Akure to formally graduate.

The academic programme started on 23^rd January, 2012 with 10 students, one from each of 10 West African countries that signed the WASCAL Treaty. The countries are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, The Gambia and Togo.  However, the inability of The Gambia and Togo to fill their slots meant that countries like Nigeria and Ghana each had two representatives.

The graduating students are: Folorunsho Matthew Akinseye (Nigeria), Thompson Annor (Ghana), Adama Bamba (Cote d’Ivoire), Ulrich Jacques Diasso (Burkina Faso), Ayoola Oluwatomi Oluwadare (Nigeria), Moussa Mounkaila Saley (Niger), Coumba Niang (Senegal), Souleymane Sanogo (Mali), Toure Evelyne Ndatchor (Cote d’Ivoire) and Emmanuel Quansah (Ghana).

Minister of Environment, Laurentia Laraba Mallam, congratulated the students for their achievement and commended the organisers for the timely completion of the first circle of the programme. “This must have been possible partly through the dedication and commitment to duty by the WASCAL Centre and also through the cooperation and encouragement from the university authority and community,” she stated.

Mallam, who was represented by Peter Tarfa, a deputy director in the Department of Climate Change (DCC) in the Environment Ministry, disclosed that the WASCAL initiative started in 2009 when the German government notified the ministry. According to her, the centre’s aim is to engage in research with Africa that will help develop excellence as well as build institutions and capacities.

She added that government vigorously pursued the opportunity due to the fact that lack of adequate, reliable and verifiable scientific research findings, data and information on climate change in Africa and in Nigeria had continued to be a major challenge against effective policies and actions to combat climate change.

While FUTA operates the Ph.D. programme, the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna in Niger State was offered a status to run the Master of Science (MSc) degree programme under the WASCAL initiative.

The minister listed the benefits of hosting the centres to include “socio-economic implications for Nigeria; added benefit to the nation’s research potential; proximal benefit to our research institutions and the opportunity for Nigeria to drive the process.”

She recalled that, while building on the initiative, government last year installed a state-of-the-art High Performance Computing (HPC) system in the FUTA WASCAL Centre to further enhance the centre’s data management.

“The ministry also collaborated and undertook a training aimed to enhance capacity of the Climate Change Designated Government National Focal Point as well as other climate change experts in climate change information management for decision-making process towards policy formulation and implementation,” she added, even as she urged the university and centre’s management to explore options of availing wider spectrum of stakeholders the services of the centre and the climate information for use in research and in many socio-economic sectors of the nation.

She restated government’s determination to sustain “the beneficial initiative” and promised that it would continue to fulfill its obligations under the WASCAL Cooperative agreement and also support and partner the centre to initiate, plan and finance training activities that would showcase the importance and practical use of climate information.

She expressed government’s appreciation to the Government of Germany, the German Ministry for Education for “the laudable initiative.” Mallam likewise thanked the management of the WASCAL administrative headquarters in Accra, Ghana for effectively steering the regional initiative.

Vice-Chancellor of FUTA, Prof Adebiyi Durodola, described the programme as “a worthwhile experience because they (students) brought the international flavor here”.

He added: “We are as excited as you are that our first set of WASCAL products are being released into the market. The programme has been beneficial as we were able to get some experience from the United Nations Development Pogramme (UNDP), and we have been able to domesticate the agreement. We look forward to a more robust collaboration.

“We call on the German Government to continue to fund the programme as it has been highly beneficial to the continent. Indeed, no amount spent on human development goes to waste.”

Professor Jerome Omotosho, director of the WASCAL-GRP, who described the initiative as “this very unique manpower development programme for West Africa,” disclosed that FUTA on August 2010 beat nine other universities to be selected as lead university to host the doctorate programme.

Omotosho, a professor of Meteorology, declared that students have worked very hard to meet set target “as the WASCAL approved period for the Ph.D. programme is normally three years and this formally ended on 31^st January, 2015.”

Speaking on behalf of the students, Annor expressed their delight and gratitude to the German Government and WASCAL for sponsoring the programme. They also thanked the academic and administrative team at FUTA.

He said: “It was really a wonderful experience during the field work and the entire period of our studies. Having the opportunity to visit many countries, we’ve been acquainted with diverse cultures which have prepared us to a versatile world.

“On the side of academics, though challenging, we were able to sail through with the help of WASCAL, our supervisors, institutions visited, FUTA and other institutions and individuals. Our humble plea to the sponsors is that the period for the programme is short and for that matter making room for extension will be helpful. We pledge to impart Africa and the world at large with all that we’ve learnt during this special Ph.D. programme.”

A rights advocacy group, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth (ERA/FOEN), in collaboration with the Corporate Accountability International (CAI), Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services (AUPCTRE) and Public Service International (PSI), recently took to the streets of Lagos to condemn plans by the Lagos State Government and the World Bank to privatise water resources in the state. They demanded a halt to the scheme, arguing that water is a right and not a commodity to be sold.

However, Shayo Holloway, managing director of the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC), reacts, describing the allegations as misconceptions and rumours of secret plans to privatise the LWC. He argues in this treatise that partnering with the private sector is not privatisation

The Lagos State Government has never at any time considered the sale or divestment of any LWC water assets. On the contrary, the Public Private Partnership (PPP) law of 2004 only seeks to “partner” with the private sector for accelerated development of water infrastructure to meet the current water demand in Lagos State, which presently stands at 540 million gallons per day (MGD) for a population of 20 million. That is not “privatisation” where assets are sold off to the private sector. The PPP is indeed a veritable strategy for accelerated infrastructure development, using private capital.

Our total available water assets, even if run at 100% efficiency, stands at 210 MGD, leaving a shortfall or deficit of 330 million gallons per day. Hence, only nine million of the 20 million will get water, while 11 million will still be without. The current shortfall is characterised by proliferation of boreholes all over the state, with its attendant environmental and health hazards.

It is projected that, by the year 2020, the population of Lagos State will be about 29 million, with a water demand of 733 million gallons per day. This will make Lagos the third largest megacity after Beijing (China) and Mumbai (India).

Studies have indicated that if the proliferation of boreholes is not promptly addressed, in about 10 years, Lagos runs the risk of saline water (salt water) from the Atlantic Ocean massively migrating inwards to pollute ground water. This will make all boreholes draw salt water. This phenomenon is already happening to boreholes along the coastal region of Lagos.

Furthermore, it is noteworthy to mention that majority of domestic boreholes draw water from shallow unconfined aquifers which are prone to pollution wit attendant health hazards. Confined aquifers which are protected from pollution run as deep as 200 metres and more.

According to the WHO/UNESCO, 66 million Nigerians do not have access to potable water; premature death from water related diseases cost the country $2.5 billion, while $191 million was spent on healthcare for diarrhoea alone in 2012.

In order to address the current water demand and meet the projection of the near future, LWC developed a Water Master Plan to take the state from its current 210MGD to 745MGD by year 2020, through the development of additional large water schemes taking raw water from rivers and the lagoons for treatment into potable water. The estimated cost of this is projected at $3.5 billion.

This is an investment which the state government cannot solely undertake as this will take the state government two and half years to fund with every naira inflow going into the water sector only. As there are other equally demanding sectors (health, education, security, social services, etc), no state government can fund this size of investment. However, we have commenced the implementation of the Master Plan with the ongoing construction of Adiyan phase 2 being funded by the state. This will give us additional 70 million gallons per day; and will be completed in 2016.

It is pertinent to state that this coming 23 years after Adiyan phase I due to the huge investment required. In addition to this, the state government completed the Otta-Ikosi water works this year to serve 11 towns between Ikorodu and Epe.

Consequently, in view of the growing population, the state thus seeks to partner with the private sector, to accelerate the development of water infrastructure with private capital to make water available to all before boreholes start going saline.

Such investments are typically covered over a negotiated concession period of several years in order to make water tariff affordable to the public. Concessions usually range from about 20 to 30 years depending on size of investment and financial model.

To address concerns of affordability by the vulnerable segment of the society, are the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency (to ensure transaction transparency); Office of PPP (to ensure value for money); Lagos State Water Regulatory Agency (to ensure protection of investors and the public) and Lagos State Ministry of Justice (to ensure equity and fairplay).

Furthermore, a commercial mechanism to safeguard the vulnerable segment of the society is “cross-subsidisation” whereby the more affluent segment of the society who will consume more water, and pay the full commercial rate; indirectly subsidising the vulnerable segment. A win-win situation whereby water of good quality and regularity is made available to all.