The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has advised farmers in Nasarawa State to adhere to seasonal climate prediction and crop-weather calendar for the 2024 planting season in order to prevent losses.
NiMet Director-General, Prof. Charles Anosike
Mr James Adamu, Chief Meteorologist (Agriculture), NiMet, gave the advice during a one-day virtual workshop for 2024 Seasonal Climate Prediction and Crop – Weather Calendar for Nasarawa State.
The workshop was organised by Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resources Centre in collaboration with NiMet, with support from African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ) through Oxfam.
According to Adamu, crop – weather calendar is a veritable tool that provides timely information on best planting dates based on the seasonal climate prediction.
He explained that farmers’ adherence to growing season prediction and crop – weather calendar would help them to understand how each farming activity is being influenced by climate and weather.
“Crop-weather calendar helps farmers to understand the time for different farming activities and the kind of additional climate information that would be useful to them,” he said.
The Chief Meteorologist stated that Nasarawa State is among the states predicted to experience short length of growing season.
“The growing season for 2024 is expected to end from October 18 to 27, the earliest cessation is predicted to be October 18 around Karu Local Government Area while the latest is from October 27 in Doma LGA respectively,” he said.
Adamu further disclosed that Nasarawa State is also predicted to experience dry spell between July and August 2024, noting that it would last for 15 days.
Mr Joshua Jonathan, National President, Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), an implementing partner in Nasarawa State, said that the 50 participants that attended the workshop included farmers and extension agents drawn from the three Senatorial districts of the state.
He said that the essence of the workshop was to make information available to farmers to be able to take decisions on their farming activities.
“NiMet has predicted this year’s rainfall pattern, as well as a dry spell in July and August, it is now left for farmers to take decision on what types of crops they are expected to plan within the period to survive.
“It means that we should shift from normal agricultural practice to smart agricultural practice,” he said.
Some participants – Alokoson Isaiah, Director, Technical Services, Nasarawa Agricultural Development Programme, Esther Rinze and Justina Bala, all promised to take back to their communities what they have learnt from the workshop.
WaterAid Nigeria has concluded plans to collaborate with government ministries such as the Ministry of Women Affairs in the development of a National Menstrual Hygiene Policy (NMHP), and the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation alongside the Ministry of Environment in the development of a National WASH Policy that addresses Menstrual Hygiene Management in line with the Sanitation Policy Guideline (ASPG) in Africa.
Participants at the symposium in commemoration of 2024 Menstrual Hygiene Day in Lagos
Evelyn Mere, WaterAid Nigeria Country Director, made this known in her remarks at a One-Day Symposium in Commemoration of 2024 Menstrual Hygiene Day in Lagos.
Mere said: “These steps will ensure that menstrual health is included in policies, programmes and related budgets so people get the support they need. It is evident that promoting Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management (MHM) is not only a sanitation matter; it is also an important step towards safeguarding the dignity, health and overall life opportunities of women and girls. Hence, the need for all stakeholders to come together.
“According to the 2021 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASHNORM) Survey, in Nigeria, 94% of healthcare facilities do not have access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene services. While 89% of schools and 96% of markets and motor parks do not have basic water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services.”
This year’s theme, “Together for a Period Friendly World”, is apt as it calls for a multisectoral approach in addressing the stigma and taboos surrounding menstruation and creating a world where everyone can access the products, period education and period-friendly infrastructure they need.
“WaterAid is committed to working in schools and communities in Nigeria to ensure people have practical information on menstrual health and hygiene as well as access to decent toilet facilities and safe, affordable products including guidance on how to make their own reusable materials and how to use menstrual materials safely,” the Country Director stated.
In his submission, M. A. Adegbite, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, opined that menstrual health is a fundamental aspect of human rights, dignity, and public health.
Represented by Adisa Yinusa, the Permanent Secretary who is of the opinion that poor menstrual hygiene can result in discrimination, marginalisation, and social stigma towards women and girls call on men in leadership positions to create inclusive workplaces by implementing supportive policies and providing necessary sanitary facilities.
He said: “The need to take urgent action in pointing out the importance of menstrual care, raising awareness and breaking the silence is very paramount.”
In his submission, Dr. Adebayo Alao, WaterAid Lagos Programme Lead, said: “The key highlight of the symposium is to advocate for continuous support for our females especially the young girls at puberty age. So, we need to educate them as well as the parents to see the importance of this to the health of their children.
“The girls should always compose themselves in a very healthy manner, they should know that getting to the stage of puberty is nothing to be afraid of, it is a natural thing that happens to every female gender, but they should be aware of how best to manage it so as not to endanger their health in the process.”
Highpoint of the event was a panel discussion on the theme of the day moderated by Mrs. Titilola Bright-Oridame, Project Coordinator, Lagos Water Corporation, and presentations by schools in attendance while Mrs. Funmilayo Jaji representing Mrs. Cecrlia Bolaji-Dada, Commissioner, Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), handled the distribution of Hygiene Kits to more than 100 schoolgirls in attendance.
Dignitaries at the event include Dr. Patricia Nekpen, Founder, Society for Girls in Science and Engineering Foundation; Mr. Adenigba Henry Oluwarotimi, the Executive Director, Programmes, Humanity Family Foundation for Peace and Development (HUFFPED); representatives from Cummins, PepsiCo Foundation, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, other MDAs and some selected schools around Lagos State.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the COP29 Presidency of Azerbaijan will co-host a major event aimed at implementing growing commitments to cut methane emissions from fossil fuels – a critical step in keeping the goal of 1.5 °C within reach.
Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA)
The two-day event will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, in September – shortly before the city hosts the COP29 climate change conference. The signature event will bring together high-level participants from governments, international organisations and the private sector to discuss the imperative of moving from pledges on methane to action and the key strategies for accelerating progress ahead of COP29.
The event will also include a special focus on the Caucasus and Central Asia, exploring measures underway to tackle methane emissions in the region, as well as their impact, what more can be done, and the importance of regional partnerships in overcoming remaining challenges.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas responsible for almost a third of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution. The most recent update to the IEA’s “Global Methane Tracker” highlighted that, while methane emissions from the energy sector remained near a record high in 2023, the world could soon reach a turning point in efforts to reduce these emissions based on announced pledges from governments and companies.
According to IEA analysis, to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, a key goal of the Paris Agreement, methane emissions from fossil fuels need to decline by 75% this decade.
“For years, the IEA has led efforts to focus global attention on methane emissions from the energy sector, which are a significant driver of climate change. The commitments made in the past year have been extremely encouraging,” said IEA Executive Director, Fatih Birol. “However, we need more than just promises. It is essential that governments and companies continue to boost their ambitions while fully implementing the pledges they’ve already made. We look forward to hosting this signature event with the COP29 Presidency in order to deliver meaningful action.”
“Tackling methane emissions will be essential to delivering the COP29 Presidency’s plan to enhance ambition and enable action,” said COP29 President-Designate, Mukhtar Babayev. “As countries prepare to enhance ambition in their upcoming national plans, we are working to ensure everyone has the support they need to include methane abatement. And then we must enable action through finance and technology so that we can deliver our promises. Azerbaijan is leading by example through the Global Methane Pledge, and we are hosting this important event with the IEA on the road to COP29 because we believe it’s time to invest today to save tomorrow.”
The IEA’s data and analysis on methane has played an important role in increasing accountability. The Agency’s annual “Global Methane Tracker” is internationally recognised as an indispensable tool in the fight to bring down methane emissions from across the energy sector. The IEA will also soon release an open-access model that can be used to explore methane abatement options for oil and gas operations.
The signature event on methane forms part of the IEA’s expanding work in collaboration with COP Presidencies. The IEA and Azerbaijan are working together to build momentum towards bolder action on energy and climate issues at COP29 in Baku – including by co-hosting a series of High-Level Energy Transition Dialogues in partnership with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change ahead of the summit. The first dialogue took place at the IEA’s headquarters in Paris last month, and the second will be held in London on June 24.
So far, it has been a successful 2024 in the courts for climate change activists. In April, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Switzerland has a responsibility under European law to combat climate change. And last month, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea – a United Nations body – said countries have a legal obligation to safeguard the ocean from greenhouse gas emissions.
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ruled earlier this year countries have a legal obligation to safeguard the ocean from greenhouse gas emissions. Photo credit: DPA Picture Alliance via AFP/Christian Charisius
These are the latest victories in an ongoing legal battle over climate change action. Backed by a series of landmark rulings, citizens, non-profit groups and disaster-wracked countries are increasingly turning to courts to compel governments and fossil fuel producers to address the climate crisis. This year promises to be a seminal one for climate litigation, experts say, with several key cases to be heard in courts around the world.
“We have seen an accelerating wave of climate litigation in national and sub-national court rooms since we started tracking this seven years ago,” says Andrew Raine, Deputy Director of the Law Division at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “This year is particularly significant as litigation has also recently started – for the first time – in international courts and tribunals.”
One Caribbean Island nation, Antigua and Barbuda, is at the forefront of this push. It has backed a UN General Assembly resolution requesting the International Court of Justice to weigh in on the obligations of states in respect of climate change.
That case, still in progress, comes with the country facing increasingly severe weather. In 2017, Hurricane Irma devastated the nation of 93,000 people, leaving it with a $220 million recovery bill. At the same time, warming waters have bleached many of the country’s coral reefs while rising sea waters are eroding beaches and damaging the tourism industry, a key source of revenue.
Zachary Phillips is a Crown Counsel within the Attorney General’s Chambers of Antigua and Barbuda and a member of the country’s delegation to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), a global agreement to counter the climate crisis. He has clear memories of Irma.
“Ninety-six per cent of all infrastructure on Barbuda was completely destroyed,” he says. “Hurricanes are something I have experienced since I was a child, but I have seen an increase in their severity.”
A UNEP report released last year revealed the number of climate change litigation cases rose to 2,180 in 2022 from 884 in 2017. The type of cases has varied, with some plaintiffs challenging the lack of enforcement of climate-related laws. Other litigants are seeking to keep fossil fuels in the ground and hold corporations liable for damage to the environment.
The groups pursuing redress in the courts and tribunals are diverse. They include nations, like Antigua and Barbuda, mainly part of coalitions, such as the Alliance of Small Island States. Cities, such as Paris and Brussels, have also launched cases, as have civil society groups. One of those groups included Swiss seniors who successfully argued in the European Court of Human Rights that their health was threatened by heatwaves made worse by the climate crisis. Indigenous Peoples too, are increasingly going to court, arguing that the climate crisis is affecting their culture, their access to food and water, and ultimately their lives.
The raft of cases comes with the climate crisis deepening and the world struggling to reduce greenhouse emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, negotiated under the UNFCCC.
Does this rise in climate cases showcase the fact that international climate diplomacy is failing, as some have suggested?
“I think the argument that the pursuit of this sort of litigation will undermine the UNFCCC process is a red herring,” Phillips says. “I think both are necessary to achieve the goals we need because no state alone can solve climate change.”
This is echoed by UNEP’s Raine. “It is too early to say multilateral diplomacy has failed but it is true that it is not succeeding fast enough,” he says. “A lot of climate litigation we have seen focuses on seeking to address government responses that are inadequate to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement.”
Environmental law has been strengthened in recent years, with 159 countries recognizing the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Meanwhile, environmental courts and tribunals in at least 67 countries have opened their doors to foreign plaintiffs, which have allowed local companies to be sued for their environmental transgressions abroad.
Raine says climate litigation is becoming an increasingly powerful tool. He mentions a number of successful climate litigation cases, including one by Greenpeace questioning the constitutionality of Mexican policies that would limit renewable energy. The organisation argued that this would effectively prevent Mexico from meeting its emissions reductions targets.
In other notable cases, Brazil’s Supreme Court recognised the Paris Agreement as a human rights treaty, which enjoys “supranational” status, placing it above national laws. A Dutch court ordered oil and gas company Shell to comply with the Paris Agreement and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 45 per cent by 2030. And the UN Human Rights Committee concluded that Australia’s government is in violation of its human rights obligations to Torres Strait Islanders by not doing enough to slow climate change, the first ruling of its kind.
Later this year, advisory opinions are set to be delivered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice in the case backed by Antigua and Barbuda. For Phillips, the outcome of the latter case will be key, which is taking a broad look at “the scope of international law” and the responsibilities countries have to address climate change.
Phillips says island nations, like Antigua and Barbuda, are suffering deeply from climate change. He believes courtroom victories will help them push for more concrete action on the crisis during negotiations with other countries.
“Ultimately, the right support from these international tribunals and courts will allow us to say ‘the (status quo) is wrong’.”
On Tuesday, May 28, 2024, the second edition of the Inclusive & Anti-Conflict Journalism Awards in Ghana took place in Accra, with Mohammed Fugu of the Daily Graphic, Tamale, emerging as the 2024 Overall Best Inclusive and Conflict Prevention Reporter among six finalists in the print, television and online categories.
Winners of the 2024 Inclusive and Anti-Conflict Journalism Awards in Ghana. From left to right: Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen of ApexNewsGh, winner of online/wire service; Anthony Adongo Apubeo of the Ghana News Agency, Bolgatanga, second place winner of online/wire service; Mona Lisa Frimpong of Joy News, Kumasi second place winner of television category; Mohammed Fugu of the Daily Graphic, Tamale, overall winner and winner of the print category; Timothy Ngnenbe, also of the Daily Graphic, Accra, second place winner in print category; and Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe of Joy News Kumasi, winner of the Television category
With his story titled: “Trapped in Crossfire,” Mohammed was also adjudged the 2024 Best Reporter in the print category.
While, Timothy Ngnenbe, also of the Daily Graphic, Accra was the 2024 Second Best Reporter in the Print/Newspaper Category with his story: “Loss, damage fund: Can COP28 save vulnerable countries?”
In the Television category, Kumasi based Joy News reporters, Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe and Mona Lisa Frimpong, were respectively adjudged the 2024 Best and Second Best Inclusive and Conflict Prevention Reporters. Their stories were tilted: “Farmer-Herder Feud: A weakened fight?” and “Clean air: Wood dust; the silent killer of Ghanaian woodworkers.”
Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen of ApexNewsGh won the 2024 Best Inclusive and Conflict Prevention Reporter in the Online/Wire Service category with his story titled: “The Horrors of Witchcraft Accusation.” While Anthony Adongo Apubeo of the Ghana News Agency, Bolgatanga became the 2024 Second Best Second Best Inclusive and Conflict Prevention Reporter with his story headed: “Bawku chieftaincy conflict: Threat to achieving SDG four.”
There was no winner in the Radio category.
The Awards Event
The awards event was organised by the Media Platform on Environment and Climate Change (MPEC) and Minority Rights Group Africa (MRGA). The event was part of activities under the EU-funded “Engaging Media and Minorities to Act for Peacebuilding (EMMAP)” project implemented in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Senegal.
Former President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and CEO of RAM Media Consult, Nana Roland Affail Monney, who chaired the awards event, congratulated the winners and commended the organisers of the scheme.
He called for the institutionalisation of more of such award schemes because of their impact on journalistic outputs. “The more of such awards, the more journalists will be motivated to enter such schemes and the more they win, the more it will impact on the quality of their work,” Nana Roland stated, adding, “… when the quality of their work improves, it will bring about an overall quality to the activities of media houses.”
Earlier, he urged the winners to be persistent in advocating the issues that won them the awards, saying, “sharpen your focus on these critical issues. Never cease to advocate for them until you see a change. That is how you merit winning these awards.”
General Secretary of the GJA, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Adaptation Plan Ambassador, Kofi Yeboah, implored journalists not to focus coverage on only the negatives, to the neglect of the positive aspects of issues.
“There are positive things also happening. For instance, how people are leveraging climate change to do positive things, and also the achievements of individuals in minority groups,” he added.
Kofi touched on the Disability Act 2006, (Act 715) of Ghana and said following its passage, a 10-year moratorium was given for all public buildings to be made accessible and available to persons with disabilities. He queried how many journalists have bothered to investigate what has been the outcome so far.
“Are we not interested in them? Are they not people whose rights are being infringed upon? He quizzed,” and said, “these are challenges that we need to take up as journalists and the media.”
Executive Director of MPEC Ghana, Mary Ama Kudom-Agyemang, described the awards scheme as a modest event to motivate and incentivise journalists to pay closer attention to issues of conflict, migration, climate change and minority exclusion. “The subject matter of minority exclusion and its associated issues, are sometimes hidden and not very obvious and require greater attention to notice and expose.”
She was happy with the impact EMMAP has made so far, saying: “The evidence of our impact and spread is quite clear, if you consider that five of the six finalists gathered here today for this awards ceremony come from the Ashanti, Northern and Upper East regions.”
Synopsis of the Award-Winning Stories
Mohammed’s story
“Trapped in crossfire,” sought to find out the impact of the protracted conflict in the Bawku area on persons with disabilities, a subject matter that has never been reported nor researched on before. His motivation was an observation that often, abled body individuals are better able to escape the effects of violent outbreaks and attacks. But when persons of disabilities are caught in a crossfire, they become totally helpless and are at the mercy of others.
Timothy’s story: “Loss, damage fund: Can COP 28 save vulnerable countries?” was a clarion call on the international community, particularly developed countries, to fast-track the process of setting up the proposed “Loss and Damage Fund” under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to support vulnerable populations that are unduly suffocating from the negative impact of the global climate crisis. Although least developed countries, particularly in Africa, contribute less significantly to global emissions, they were the most impacted on by the climate crisis.
Emmanuel’s television story: “Farmer-Herder Conflict: A weakened fight,” confirmed earlier research findings that the farmer-herder conflict, has altered the livelihood of farmers and forced them to into an alternative livelihood – of charcoal production, which is creating problems for the environment and contributing to climate change.
While, the Fulani herders, have been looking forward to the implementation of recommendations of the various settlement meetings they have attended. Emmanuel is hopeful that his story would serve as a catalyst for measures to be implemented.
Mona Lisa’s item on: “Clean air: Wood dust; the silent killer of Ghanaian woodworkers,” was a showcase of the high vulnerability of woodworkers to severe health hazards, because of the weak enforcement of occupational safety laws. The situation has disproportionately affected these wood workers who are minority artisans.
The story highlighted the widespread persistence of neglect in the use of protective gears among the artisans, clustered at the Sokoban Wood Village in Kumasi. She observed that inadequate oversight by the Department of Factories Inspectorate, is perpetrating health issues among the wood workers. The crust of her story was that broader action was required to protect marginalised artisans and ensure compliance with regulations.
Stephen’s serialised story titled: “The Horrors of Witchcraft Accusations,” gave visibility to the issue of demonisation of aged people, particularly women. It exposed the plight of old women and men – the target of witchcraft accusations in Ghana’s Upper East Region.
In the course of his investigations, Stephen came to the conclusion that chiefs, fetish priests, soothsayers and prophets among other stakeholders, have very important roles to play as far as minimising the canker of witchcraft accusations was concerned. However, he realised that whilst, these prominent personalities were unhappy with the situation, somehow, they could not effect the required changes.
Consequently, this group of people would continue to bear the brunt of the practice, deemed a traditional norm in the area.
Anthony’s story: “Bawku chieftaincy conflict: Threat to achieving SDG four,” focused on how the protracted Bawku conflict was negatively impacting the education of children in the area. He was concerned about the stalled educational process of children in the Bawku environs as lots of schools had been closed down due the conflict.
Anthony realised the situation was infringing on SDG 4, which provides for “… inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” Publicising the vulnerability of school going children in the area, was his motivation. He highlighted the fact that in the event that the conflict continues, not only will the Bawku area be doomed, but the entire nation would eventually suffer the consequences.
About the EMMAP
The “Engaging Media and Minorities to Act for Peacebuilding (EMMAP),” is conceptualised to raise public awareness concerning exclusion and discrimination against minority and indigenous communities, migrants, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Senegal.
In these countries, minority discrimination is often influenced by factors include ethnicity, culture and ecology. For example, as climate change has accelerated, pastoralists’ search for viable grazing lands has only intensified, leading to increasing potential for conflicts.
In view of the significant role media in public awareness raising, a key part of the EMMAP has been to strengthen the capacity of journalism actors from the three countries to sensitively investigate and report about issues concerning conflict and peace building, addressing minorities and migration issues.
To this end, several activities including two cohorts of online course, field trip to identified minority communities and a Regional Roundtable have taken place in Ghana and the other implementing countries to build media capacity on reporting on inclusive and anti-conflict related issues.
The award scheme was instituted as part of the activities to recognise the most outstanding journalistic reporting pieces on conflict, development, minority, indigenous, climate change and migration issues covered over a selected period.
The scheme is meant to specifically increase the number of relevant media contents to directly influence attitudes towards minority issues as well as contribute to conflict prevention and resolution through quality journalism.
The first edition of the award was held in October 2023, with Mohammed Fugu declared the overall winner.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, speaking at the opening of the June UN Climate Meetings (60th Subsidiary Bodies) in Bonn on Monday, June 3, 2024, insists that the new round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) should be bolder – with more ambition – and should speak to closing the implementation gap, building on what has already been achieved
Simon Stiell
People talk about the architecture of the Paris Agreement that all your nations collectively created and agreed. I prefer to think of its engineering. The design phase is completed, and our task now is to put that machinery to work, fully and fairly/
Crucially – we need every part of this machinery fully functioning and working coherently together. So – what does that mean for you and your work here in Bonn? Let me touch on a few key issues.
On finance
First, we must make serious progress on finance — the great enabler of climate action.
Here in Bonn, I urge you to move from zero-draft to real options for a new collective quantified goal on finance.
We cannot afford to reach Baku with too much work still to do. Please, make every hour here count.
We need more climate finance while we negotiate a future goal. Progress on one, enables the other.
New grant and highly concessional forms of finance to developing countries must be coupled with global financial reforms that deliver debt relief and affordable finance, and finding new and innovative sources of finance, outside of the process.
We must also move towards better carbon markets by making progress on Article 6 here in Bonn.
Getting these markets to work can unlock more funding for national climate plans and adaptation…
That’s why we’re convening Parties and stakeholders during these meetings, to build consensus on a way forward at COP29.
On Nationally Determined Contributions
This new round of national climate plans – NDCs 3.0 – will be among the most important policy documents produced so far this century.
NDCs are not just about averting disasters through reducing emissions…
Done well, they can serve as powerful blueprints, to propel each of your economies and societies forward, and drive more resilience, more opportunity, better human health and higher living standards.
These plans should be bolder – with more ambition – and should speak to closing the implementation gap, building on what has already been achieved.
They should be broader, covering whole economies, all greenhouse gases and be 1.5-aligned.
And their benefits should flow to all, including women, Indigenous Peoples, youth and those most vulnerable to climate impacts hitting right now.
There is no one-size-fits-all; after all they are nationally determined.
And we know many Parties will need help putting them together, especially the most vulnerable nations.
The secretariat – working with the entire UN system and our partners – is working overtime to provide practical tools which can help.
UNDP’s Climate Promise is a central component of the UN system’s practical measures to help Parties.
Next week we’ll also launch our NDC 3.0 Navigator, developed with the NDC Partnership, to help Parties access information, tools and contacts that can help them develop new NDCs with a focus on real implementation.
On transparency
Under the Paris Agreement, Parties agreed to submit their first Biennial Transparency reports this year.
These reports will help Parties build the stronger evidence base for ambition.
They’ll also send donors and investors a clear signal about the scale of the opportunity, as well as the needs.
We are on track to finalizing the reporting tool, so it’s available for use by all Parties by June 30th, on schedule.
I urge all Parties – let’s not allow perfection to be the enemy of the good in getting this first round of BTRs submitted this year.
We’re here to help you take that crucial first step, particularly through extensive capacity building and we will work with you to improve your reports over time.
On impacts and adaptation
Climate change impacts are not isolated events.
They transcend political boundaries, damaging economies and causing cascading changes to our societies and culture, with children and the most vulnerable bearing the brunt.
Which is why every Party needs a National Adaptation Plan that covers every sector of the economy and works across our societies.
It’s time to re-envision NAPs, and turn our minds to how they can be improved.
One clear way is by designing them with a clear view of unlocking much more adaptation finance and support.
To date, only 57 — only 57 — Parties have put together a plan. By the time we meet in Baku, this number needs to grow substantially.
We need every country to have a plan by 2025 and make progress on implementing them by 2030.
Civil society and inclusiveness
The task ahead is to put the climate action machinery to work fully, but also safely and fairly, so its benefits are equitably shared through a just transition.
The role of civil society is essential – to ensure all voices have a chance to be heard, and to hold all of us to the promises that we make.
And if we want to leave behind business-as-usual, gender equality and climate action must rise in tandem, to realise their full transformative force.
We will keep playing our part to ensure a safe space for meaningful and inclusive participation.
Budget and process
Collectively Parties have directed us to deliver around 20% more mandated events during these June Sessions, compared to last year. And every year the number of mandates grow.
We welcome the vote of confidence in this process and our capacity to provide high-quality services in support.
However, financial contributions have not increased to match these growing mandates, and many existing funding pledges have not been fulfilled on time. This approach has its logical and human limits, and growing costs.
I do appreciate the progress in the past few months in filling some of these gaps, including to ensure all Parties – especially the climate-vulnerable – are represented here in Bonn.
But we still need sustainable and consistent funding to meet all your needs, and growing mandates.
Conclusion
For all of us, who live and breathe climate change every day of every year, there are plenty of obstacles to overcome. It can be tempting to feel discouraged some days…
But let me offer a counterpoint, in the hope of putting some wind in your sails as we start these meetings.
What you – and people like you – have achieved in the past three decades through this UN-convened process – is cause for pride and renewed purpose.
Without UN-convened international cooperation, we would be headed for up to 5 degrees of global heating, which most of humanity likely could not survive.
We are now heading for around 2.7 degrees. This is still ruinously high, and there’s a long and steep road ahead of us to get to our shared goal of 1.5 this century, but we should be energised that we are approaching a halfway point.
It’s clear that the second half of humanity’s climate journey will be even harder, and climate action will need to move at a much, much faster rate…
So, we cannot afford rest-stops or detours at this half-way point in humanity’s climate journey…
And we absolutely cannot afford to stumble in the next 10 days, or for global climate progress to stall this year and beyond.
This requires trust and respect for each other. Full adherence to the code of conduct is essential, with no exceptions.
Respectful disagreements are part of this process, but they must not be its defining feature or its outcome.
I urge you to come together, and to overcome differences. This is not a moment for trying to try, but for finding solutions and forging pathways forward.
And it’s now my privilege to hand this process over to the co-chairs.
In a resounding call to action, the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly has recognised climate change as an imminent threat to global health.
World Health Assembly
In a statement on Friday, May 31, 2024, it passed a resolution that underscored the urgent need for decisive measures to confront the profound health risks posed by climate change.
It said that the resolution, supported by Member States, presented an overview of the existential threat that climate change posed to human health.
“The assembly asserts that radical action is imperative to safeguard the health of the planet, underscoring the interdependence of environmental sustainability and public health,” it said.
The statement urged the global health community to mobilise on an unprecedented scale and also called for the amplification and expansion of existing efforts to combat climate change within its core functions.
“This includes prioritising health considerations in national and international climate policy frameworks, as well as supporting countries in building climate resilient and low carbon health systems.
“By strengthening capacity building and providing technical support to national health ministries, the actions agreed at the assembly will empower countries to implement robust climate-resilient health initiatives tailored to their unique circumstances.
“And also, to guide cross-sectoral actions that both promote health and contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
“The resolution marks a key moment in the fight against climate change, emphasising the urgent need for collective action to protect both human health and the planet,” it said.
According to it, WHO is committed to continuing to lead the global health response to climate change.
It said that the organisation planned to scale up its efforts in supporting Member States through leadership, raising awareness, providing technical support and building capacity.
“Key initiatives include presenting health as a central concern in climate policies, advancing evidence-based strategies, and mobilising support for health and climate action in countries.”
The World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will deepen cooperation to help countries scale up action to confront the threat of climate change.
Ajay Banga, World Bank President
According to a statement by the IMF in Abuja on Friday, May 31, 2024, the collaboration would provide critical support for countries’ climate strategies through an integrated, country-led approach to policy reforms and climate investments.
It said within their respective mandates, the WBG and the IMF would leverage their analytics, technical assistance, financing, and policy expertise to enhance country-driven reform programmes.
The statement said three principles would underpin the framework.
“First, countries, The WBG and the IMF will work together closely to identify each country’s climate challenges and the priority policy reforms needed to address them.
“This process will be informed by the WBG’s Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs), the IMF’s climate-related analytics, and countries’ own climate ambitions.
“Second, the WBG and the IMF will work with other Multilateral Development Banks and development partners to help countries implement the reforms through technical assistance and financing.
“Third, upon request, the WBG and the IMF will help establish country-led platforms designed to mobilise additional climate finance, including from the private sector.”
The statement said the enhanced framework will build on lessons learned since the release of the institutions’ Joint Statement on Enhancing IMF-World Bank Collaboration in September 2023.
“This enhanced cooperation between the two institutions will foster country-driven partnerships, galvanise policy changes, and scale up investments to meet countries’ climate needs.
“The joint effort will also optimise the increased resources the institutions are dedicating to climate action and crowd in additional resources from development partners and the private sector.”
The statement said the WBG was ramping up its climate action with new measures.
It said the measures included devoting 45 per cent of its annual financing to climate change adaptation and mitigation by 2025 and working to bring renewable power to 250 million people in Africa by 2030.
“Another measure is expanding its crisis toolkit to support people on the front lines of the climate crisis.
“The institution has also optimised its balance sheet and is raising funds for a robust IDA21 replenishment and a new Livable Planet Fund.’’
The statement said the IMF was helping countries build resilience to climate change with support from its Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST), which is funded by generous contributions from 23 countries.
“Since it became operational in October 2022, 18 countries have already benefited from the RST.
“The enhanced WBG-IMF collaboration framework is expected to further raise the impact of the Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) channelled through the RST.”
“The ministry is determined to ensure that the solid minerals sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) surpasses that of oil.”
Dr Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, who said this in an interview on Sunday, June 2, 2024, in Abuja, noted that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was putting in place policies and initiatives aimed at diversifying the economy and ensuring that it generates more revenue than oil in the near future.
He said that the move was necessary, especially with the global upsurge of energy transition, which would reduce the demand of oil.
“We have been totally dependent on oil for decades; everyone has been dependent on the free flow of petrol dollars on the economy.
“And the critical sector of the economy such as agriculture and solid minerals was neglected.
“Our objective is to make the solid minerals contribution to the GDP to surpass oil.
“By the time all our policy initiatives go through the gestation period and begins to manifest results, the revenue that will be accruing to Nigeria from this sector would be enormous.
“We are going to recover trillions to the coffers of the Nigerian government and for the benefit of Nigerians at large,” he said.
He said that Nigeria possesses the critical minerals in commercial quantities across its states needed for energy transition, which the ministry was aggressively marketing to attract big players to invest in the sector.
“We embarked on an aggressive marketing to unlocking the richness of the potential, making sure we push out information on the number of minerals that we have, the type and their demand nationally and internationally,” he said.
According to him, negotiations are ongoing with an auditing firm to audit the sector aimed at sanitising it to ensure the appropriate accruals to boost the country’s GDP.
“As we speak, we are far in our negotiations with an auditing firm to come and audit the entire sector, because we have lost a lot of money in the past.
“We know that operators will under declare what they are carting away, even the payment of royalties, they under pay, taxes they evade.
“So, we are in the process of engaging internationally recognised auditing firm that has done the same thing in other parts of the world, in more than 20 countries.
“So that they come and help us recover lost revenue and put some measures in place going forward so that we will no longer loose revenue.
“We are going to recover trillions to the coffers of the Nigerian government and for the benefit of Nigerians at large,” he said.
The minister had said that a German company, Geo Scan, conducted a preliminary survey that indicates that Nigeria has $750 billion worth of solid minerals underground, which had not been harnessed.
Alake added that the Federal Government would deploy technology for the surveillance of mining sites across the country.
He said that the technology would be in addition to the 2,220 personnel of the Mining Marshal Corps drawn from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to combat illegal mining.
The corps deployed across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were also trained on modern warfare by the military to secure Nigeria’s natural resources.
“We are introducing some technology; we are not just relying on men and materials alone.
“The satellite surveillance gadgets we are putting in there is to enable us see in real time in all mining sites in Nigeria.
“So that when we notice any infraction, very quickly we can deploy the mining marshals to go there so we don’t even have to wait for any interpersonal communication.
“That reduces the time of knowledge and action. Right now, we depend on people passing intelligence to us but when the satellite surveillance gadget is working, we will be able to see it ourselves.
“Which is a step forward on the right direction”, he said.
The minister said that to attract investors to the sector, especially the big players, it was necessary to put in place policies and initiatives aimed at securing their investments.
“We needed to put in place policy measures to ensure that when these investors come, they are not just coming into the darkness that we had here before.
“They will ask some questions, what is the security of their operating environment, their investment, personnel and the ease of doing business in Nigeria and the sector,” he said.
He said that the administration of President Bola Tinubu inherited a lot of security challenges such as banditry, kidnapping and terrorism, which were associated with the solid mineral sector.
He explained that most mining activities were in the forests, where such crimes were being perpetrated.
He said that the administration of Tinubu was determined to sanitise the sector and reposition it to contribute significantly to Nigeria`s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
According to the minister, concerted efforts are being deployed to curb the menace with other government agencies, such as the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), the Nigerian Army and the Police for rapid result.
“I had a meeting with Inspector General of Police on this issue and he is willing to give us more men to support those that we have on ground.
“Even the EFCC is cooperating with us, they are also arresting, the army also enumerated the number of illegal miners that they have arrested, it is a holistic effort cutting across all security agencies.
“But the mine marshals are just the face of the security apparatus that we are putting in place to combat illegal mining,” he said.
Following a series of attacks during the Invest in African Energy forum in Paris in May 2024, environmental group, Friends of the Earth, has attempted to justify its actions at the event – a forum which sought to increase investment in African energy and bolster Africa’s economic development. The group stated that it is an “illusion” that developing oil and gas will lead to development in Africa, despite stating that the Global North has used African resources to develop for decades.
Fossil fuel exploration in Africa: SNEPCo’s Bonga FPSO in Nigeria
Friends of the Earth Africa explained to Rigzone that, “Fossil fuels have been extracted from different parts of the African continent for more than 60 years, mostly for export to serve the countries of the global North.”
This is true. They continue to explain that this has resulted in environmental degradation, gas flaring, negative health impacts, human rights abuses and more, all while 600 million people lack access to electricity and 700 million have no access to clean cooking solutions. This is also true, and yet, rather ironically, the group continues to demonise the development of oil and gas in Africa at a time when the continent is planning to utilise these resources to address its own energy access and clean cooking challenges.
As sovereign nations, African countries have the right and the responsibility to use their natural resources to improve the lives of their people. At the African Energy Chamber (AEC) – the voice of Africa’s energy industry – we are confident that we can, indeed, achieve this goal – despite blatant and spiteful attacks by foreign environmental groups.
The African Energy Chamber (AEC) says it is disheartening to see groups like Friends of the Earth pursuing actions that could jeopardise Africa’s oil and gas development all in the name of preventing climate change. Never mind the importance of natural gas to Africans; of its potential to grow and diversify economies; of the role it will play in alleviating energy poverty and bolstering clean cooking access; of the considerable time and resources that African governments have invested in making LNG projects possible.
“This is not the first time that non-Africans have attempted to interfere with Africa’s oil and gas industry. International organisations such as the World Bank, the International Energy Agency and private investors face pressure by environmental groups to stop financing African fossil fuel production,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC.
Natural gas, in particular, is set to transform African countries. Mozambique, for example, has placed gas-to-power at the very heart of its development plans. The country has over 100 trillion cubic feet of offshore gas reserves, with the 450 MW Temane power plant on track for production in 2024. Energy major TotalEnergies has also announced plans to supply 1,000 MW of electricity to South Africa from the Matola LNG-to-power project in Mozambique.
In North Africa, Algeria has used gas to not only power its economy, but also generate revenue that feeds into other industries across the country. The country is the fifth largest LNG producer globally and has used export revenues to develop its local power generation and transmission infrastructure. Power plants consume 40% of the country’s gas resources and the country enjoys an electrification rate of 99.8%.
Nigeria is on a similar trajectory. At over 200 tcf, the country has the largest gas reserves in Africa, with the share of gas in the domestic energy mix projected to increase to 57% by 2040. The $2 billion Egbin Phase II project is expected to come online this year, increasing output by an additional 1,900 MW at the 1,320 MW facility. Construction has also started on a 1.35 GW gas-to-power project, developed by technology company GE Vernova, while the Nigeria LNG Train Expansion project – a $5 billion development – will increase the Nigeria LNG terminal production capacity by 35%.
Angola is already taking concrete steps towards eliminating gas flaring – having endorsed the World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 initiative – and positioning natural gas as a key pillar of economic growth. TotalEnergies recently achieved FID on its Cameia-Golfinho gas field development, which is set to utilise a zero-flaring concept and supply gas to a combined cycle turbine to produce electricity for domestic use. Development of the Quiluma and Maboqueiro fields – the country’s first non-associated gas project – is also underway and will supply the Angola LNG facility.
Meanwhile, the Republic of Congo is finalising its Gas Master Plan, which will provide a framework for harnessing natural gas both for domestic consumption and export. The country exported its first LNG cargo from the Congo LNG project earlier this year, and with 10 tcf of natural gas resources, is well on its way to monetising untapped reserves.
AEC stated: “Yet, Friends of the Earth – a group which has also benefited from African resources – believes they know what is best for the continent. They believe that their solutions, and not the ones of Africans, should be adopted. They are proving time and time again that they have no qualms in dismissing African voices.”
“Africa cannot be a continent where our budgets are left to donors. Every time we go begging to other countries for aid, the dignity of Africans suffers. What the AEC is advocating for – and will continue fighting for despite attempts by foreign groups to disrupt progress – is for all Africans to have the dignity of work, the ability to build better lives and to harness their natural resources to alleviate energy poverty. We want an Africa that not only develops but thrives, and leveraging natural gas is the only feasible path to achieving that goal,” added Ayuk.
