The popular media and the public often confuse a number of concepts and issues related to climate change. I was at a technical review meeting late in 2014 when a “scientist” insisted that climate change is the same as global warming. Despite some clarifications and even protests from many other colleagues, our scientist stood his ground. I kept my cool to avoid unnecessary rancour that may end up exposing the ignorance of many scientists and practitioners that claim to be climate change experts after attending one or two conferences or trainings. But I am not surprised.

The inter-disciplinary and multi-sectoral nature of the global discourse on climate change has aroused so much interest that everyone jumped on its discussion train to start linking all aspects of human existence and development to climate change. It is, therefore, not surprising that some so-called “experts” started to warn the country that the type of tsunami that affected Asia in 2011 and hurricane Sandy that battered New York in 2012, both of which are indicative of the amplified effects of global warming, could occur in Nigeria.

A tsunami is a series of ocean waves that sends surges of water, sometimes reaching heights of over 30 meters, onto land. Tsunamis are typically caused by large, undersea earthquakes at tectonic plate boundaries. About 80 percent of tsunamis happen within the Pacific Ocean’s geologically active area, where tectonic shifts make volcanoes and earthquakes common.

With proper understanding of the scientific bases for these extreme events, it would have been very clear that the probabilities of their occurrences in Nigeria are more or less zero. The danger, therefore, is that if terminologies are not too clear to “scientists” or the media, how will they be able to convince policy makers to take appropriate actions in recognition of the danger which climate change poses and the imperative for a climate resilient society?  To help the general public and further enlighten many scientists and practitioners of diverse backgrounds that are interested in the climate change discourse, some key climate change-related terminologies are explained in the following (Main Sources: IPCCC AR5, 2014; UN-Habitat, 2011):

Adaptation: initiatives and measures to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected climate change effects.

Adaptive capacity: the whole of capabilities, resources and institutions of a country or region to implement effective adaptation measures. Adaptive capacity is the opposite of vulnerability (see below).

Adaptation deficit: the lack of adaptive capacity to deal with the problems associated with climate variability. For example, many cities in Nigeria already show adaptive deficits within the current range of climate variability without regard to any future climate change impacts. In many of our urban centres, the main problem is the lack of provision for infrastructure (all-weather roads, piped water supplies, sewers, drains, electricity, etc.) and the lack of capacity to address this. Once they are not available, they cannot be climate proofed, a critical element of adaptation.

Climate: average of many weather events over of a span of time, normally 30 years.

Climate change: a change in the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g. by using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer. Climate change may be due to natural processes, or to persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in land use.

Climate variability: variations in the mean state and other statistics (such as standard deviations, the occurrence of extremes, etc.) of the climate on all spatial and temporal scales beyond that of individual weather events. Variability may be due to natural internal processes within the climate system, or to variations in natural or anthropogenic external forcing.

Extreme (weather or climate) events: the initial and consequent physical phenomena including some (e.g. flooding) that may have human components to causation other than that related to the climate (e.g. land use or land cover change). Extreme events are often described by their expected frequency of recurrence. A “25-year event” has a statisti­cal expectation of occurring once in 25 years, on aver­age. The longer the recurrence period, the more severe the event will be.

Global warming: the documented increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and sea surface temperatures based on records since the 1880s and the projected continuation of these increasing temperatures.

Greenhouse gases (GHGs): those gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of thermal infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface, the atmosphere itself and by clouds. This property causes the greenhouse effect. Key GHGs include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and aerosols.

Greenhouse effect: the process by which GHGs trap heat within the surface–troposphere system. Analogous to the glass walls in a greenhouse which reduce airflow and increase the temperature of the air inside, the Earth’s greenhouse effect warms the surface of the planet. Without the natural greenhouse effect, the average temperature at earth’s surface would be below the freezing point of water (i.e. greenhouse effect is necessary for human existence; it is its amplified nature that is not desirous).

Mitigation: technological change and substitution that reduce resource inputs and emissions per unit of output. Mitigation means implementing policies to reduce GHG emissions and enhance sinks.

Ozone depletion: the destruction of stratospheric ozone by chlorofluorocarbons. Although there are a few areas of linkage between global warming and ozone depletion, the relationship between the two is not strong. Reduced stratospheric ozone has had a slight cooling influence on surface temperatures, while increased tropospheric ozone has had a somewhat larger warming effect.

Resilience: the ability of a social or ecological system to absorb disturbances while retaining the same basic structure and ways of functioning, the capacity for self-organisation, and the capacity to adapt to stress and change.

Vulnerability: the degree to which a system is susceptible to, and unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a function of the character, magnitude and rate of climate change and variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity and its adaptive capacity.

Weather: state of the atmosphere at any given time or place.

The next article in the series will highlight the scientific basis for the current concern on climate change in a simplified manner.

By Prof. Emmanuel Oladipo (Climate Change Specialist and Adjunct Professor, Department of Geography, University of Lagos, Nigeria. Email: olukayode_oladipo@yahoo.co.uk)

I have always emphasised that COP 21 in Paris is not only a platform for negotiation but an opportunity to pursue the road to low carbon economy. Some of the parties, while addressing the reduction of emission, are also planning how to manage and consistently look at the risk adjusted investment into a new fora of sustainability activities and programmes. It is a shift that requires new skills, knowledge and commitment.

We have seen how Switzerland has indicated its commitment to projects locally and globally with implications for emission control.

John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, speaking at the Atlantic Council on March 12 2015 in Washington, urged nations to set ambitious goals to curb greenhouse gases and warned climate change deniers that gambling with the Earth’s future was a risky business as “there is no Plan B.” He went further to say: “If we fail, future generations will not forgive those who ignored this moment no matter their reasoning.”

He further said that for decades now the science has been screaming at us. Future generations will judge our efforts not just a policy failure but as a collective, moral failure of historic consequences.”

Kerry underscored the importance of clean energy as “one of the greatest economic opportunities of all time. The global energy market of the future is poised to be the largest market the world has ever known. We are talking about $6 trillion market with four to five billon users today that will grow to nine million users over the next few decades.”

He predicted that by 2035 investment in the energy sector is expected to reach about $17 trillion more than the entire current GDP of China. The United States which accounts for 12 percent of global emissions recently announced that it plans to reduce them by 26-28 percent in 2005.

There are many activities going on globally to mobilise for “solutions we need to succeed” and the economic argument for developing alternative energy is gaining grounds.

It is clear that a new way of transforming investments into the path of sustainability will involve investment research, education, strategy, communication, change of investment goals, reliable data, information evaluating and analysing emerging solutions on various investments.

There is need to have competent, skilled, well trained professionals in sustainable development in various fields – project management, banking, investment analysis, estate management, health and engineering, among others, with a view to see how combating global warming can be factored into their different development projects.

The different areas of negotiation – capacity building, finance, technology, loss and damage, and others – have one thing or another to do with climate and development. The issue of adaptation and mitigation projects require understanding of various terminology and language different from the traditional language we are familiar with. The new concept of sustainable investment takes into congnisance the three tripod of economic, social and environmental factors in analysing investments.

We humbly suggest that a strong platform is provided to market climate resilient investment opportunities in Nigeria as one of the major activities and programmes at COP 21 in Paris. This should be a collective programme to have both the private and public sectors operators showcasing investment opportunities in Nigeria. The benefits of this are tremendous and it provides a good opportunity for wealth creation, business development, job opportunities, knowledge sharing and enhancement of the standard of living of Nigerians through increased investment in GDP and  wider investment portfolio.

By Prince Lekan Fadina (Executive Director, Centre for Investment, Sustainable Development, Management and Environment (CISME). (He is a member of the Nigeria Negotiation Team, Africa Group of Negotiators and member, AGN Finance Co-ordination Committee). Website: www.cismenigeria.com. Email: cismevision@gmail.com

On June 6, beginning at dawn in the Pacific Islands and ending at dusk in the West Coast of the United States, citizens around the world will take part in the largest ever public consultation on climate change and energy.

This unique World Wide Views Day is in support of an ambitious new, universal climate change agreement that the nations of the world will conclude under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris, in December.

Organisers Make Final Preparations to Bring the Voice of the People to the Paris Climate Agreement

Meanwhile, on April 13 and 14 in Paris, national organisations in the World Wide Views Alliance will meet at the European Space Agency HQ to discuss and continue their preparations for the main event.

On the day itself, June 6, groups of hundreds of citizens reflecting the demographic diversity of their countries will attend day-long meetings to discuss climate change and energy issues, express their views and make up their minds about what they want their governments to do to ensure a sustainable future.

Results to Give Policy Makers Unique Insights into Citizens Views

The results from the global event will be ready in June, giving everyone from policy makers to businesses, from civic leaders to investors a unique and timely insight into the views of citizens worldwide on the key issues that governments need to address in order to reach an effective new climate change agreement.

The results from World Wide Views will also be presented at the Paris COP21 UNFCCC climate change conference.

“We are very excited that the World Wide Views on Climate and Energy is being organised and happy to collaborate with such an important initiative. Bringing forward the views and the voices of citizens from across the globe can only contribute to a positive new universal climate agreement in Paris in December. In supporting this unique and novel approach, we believe we are also making an important contribution to Article 6 of the Convention as
it relates to education and public awareness,” says Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Managing Citizen Participation on a Global Scale

All the citizen meetings will be organised in an identical way in order to make the results comparable.

The results will be published immediately on a web platform as they are collected throughout the day. They will then be presented and distributed to the negotiating teams and shared with other policy makers and stakeholders not only at COP21 but importantly at key events leading up to the Paris conference.

This is the third time that partners in the World Wide Views Alliance have organised a global citizen consultation, but World Wide Views on Climate and Energy is on track to be the largest ever. Partners around the world are still signing up and over 50 countries are expected to participate.

The initiative has received France’s official COP21 label, and French President François Hollande praised it in his yearly speech to the French constitutional bodies, last January.

The project is initiated by the Danish Board of Technology Foundation, Missions Publiques, the UNFCCC Secretariat and the French National Commission for Public Debate in partnership with World Wide Views.

The project is funded by the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy (MEDDE), 14 French Regions and the City of Paris, the National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP), GDF Suez, the Presidency of the French National Assembly, the German Federal Environment Agency, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), the Fondation de France, and the EE-LV group of the French Senate.