Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Nature is suffering. Oceans filling with plastic and turning more acidic. Extreme heat, wildfires and floods, have affected millions of people.
Earth
Climate change, man-made changes to nature as well as crimes that disrupt biodiversity, such as deforestation, land-use change, intensified agriculture and livestock production or the growing illegal wildlife trade, can accelerate the speed of destruction of the planet.
That is why we need to recover our ecosystems. Ecosystems support all life on Earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet – and its people. Restoring our damaged ecosystems will help to end poverty, combat climate change and prevent mass extinction. But we will only succeed if everyone plays a part.
For this International Mother Earth Day, let’s remind ourselves – more than ever – that we need a shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet. Let’s promote harmony with nature and the Earth. Join the global movement to restore our world!
The planet is losing 10 million hectares of forests every year – an area larger than Iceland.
A healthy ecosystem helps to protect us from diseases. Biological diversity makes it difficult for pathogens to spread rapidly.
It is estimated that around one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction.
Courtesy: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted a thundery weather outlook from Sunday, April 20, to Tuesday, April 22, 2025, across the country.
Thundery weather
NiMet’s weather outlook released on Saturday, April 19, in Abuja envisaged chances of localised thunderstorms over parts of Taraba, Adamawa and Kaduna (southern) states during the afternoon or evening period on Sunday.
According to NiMet, partly cloudy skies are anticipated over the North Central region in the morning hours.
“Later in the day, isolated thunderstorms are anticipated over parts of Plateau, the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Kwara, Niger, and Kogi states.
“Over the southern region, cloudy morning is expected with chances of localised thunderstorms over parts of Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Delta States.
“Later in the day, localised thunderstorms are anticipated over parts of Anambra, Oyo, Ondo, Edo, Imo, Abia, Ekiti, Rivers, Cross River, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Delta states,” it said.
The agency predicted sunny skies on Monday over the northern region throughout the forecast period with the exception of some parts of Adamawa, Kaduna and Taraba states where isolated thunderstorms are expected during the afternoon/evening hours.
“Sunny skies with few clouds are expected across the North Central region during the morning period. Later in the day, isolated thunderstorms are anticipated over parts of Plateau, the Federal Capital Territory, Benue, Kogi, Kwara and Nasarawa states.
“In the southern region, cloudy skies with intervals of sunshine are anticipated with prospects of morning thunderstorms over parts of Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Cross River states.
“In the afternoon/evening hours, localised thunderstorms are expected over parts of Ondo, Oyo, Edo, Imo, Abia, Anambra, Lagos, Bayelsa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Delta states,” it said.
According to NiMet, sunny skies with few clouds are expected over the northern region during the morning hours on Tuesday with slim chances of isolated thunderstorms over parts of Taraba State.
It anticipated isolated thunderstorms over parts of Taraba, Adamawa and Kaduna states later in the day.
“Sunny skies with few clouds are expected across the North Central region during the morning period with chances of isolated thunderstorms over parts of the Benue and Kogi states.
“Later in the day, isolated thunderstorms are anticipated over parts of Plateau, the Federal Capital Territory, Benue, Kogi, Kwara and Nasarawa states.
“In the southern region, cloudy skies are anticipated during the morning hours with chances of isolated thunderstorms over parts of Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Lagos states,” it said.
It envisaged isolated thunderstorms over parts of Abia, Imo, Ebonyi, Anambra, Oyo, Ekiti, Edo, Ondo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa states later in the day.
NiMet urged people to stay in well-ventilated and cool spaces and drink plenty of water as temperatures could be high over most parts of the country, putting people at risk of heat stress.
“Get vaccinated against meningitis, practice good hygiene by washing hands regularly, avoid overcrowding in small spaces, use a nose mask to reduce chances of infection and avoid close contact with those affected.
“Avoid peak sun hours (noon to 3pm) and protect yourselves from undue exposure to direct sunlight. Strong winds may precede the rains in areas where thunderstorms are likely to occur.
“Public should take adequate precaution. Airline operators are advised to get airport-specific weather reports (flight documentation) from NiMet for effective planning in their operations”.
Emergency responders have recovered five dead bodies and rescued 15 others alive at the rubble of a three-storey building that collapsed at Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos.
Rescue operations at the scene of the building collapse
Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, Coordinator, Lagos Territorial Office of the National Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the figures on Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Lagos.
Farinloye said the five recovered bodies included two adult males and three females, while those rescued alive included six adult females and nine adult males.
The rescue operation is still ongoing.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, had disclosed thet the incident happened around 09.45 hrs. on Saturday, April 19.
“Following distress alerts at 09.45 hrs, LASEMA activated the Emergency Response Plans from Command and Control Centre, Alausa and Onipanu.
“Upon arrival at the incident scene by 09.52hrs, it was discovered that a three-storey building housing a restaurant and bar had collapsed, with several victims trapped under the debris at the aforementioned location.”
He said that, as at then, eight victims were rescued and no deaths recorded.
“One of the rescued victims attended to by the LASEMA Pre-Hospital Care Unit has been transported to the hospital for further medical attention.”
He said the cause of the collapsed building was yet to be ascertained.
He added that LASEMA response teams commenced search and rescue efforts immediately on arrival.
“Safety measures were activated with the operational area cordoned off at the incident scene and update to follow,” he said.
The search is being handled collaboratively by LASEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Lagos State Fire and Ambulance Services, as well as the Public Works Corporation.
Oke-Osayintolu at the scene of the collapsed building, praised the swift action of the first responders and also commended the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for maintaining security in the densely populated neighborhood.
Among those caught in the debris was a family believed to be inside their vehicle, which was parked near the popular restaurant and bar that occupied the ground floor of the building.
By Fabian Ekeruche, Olaitan Idris and Lydia Chigozie-Ngwakwe
Interventions by government and development partners targeting rural farmers for climate change adaptation measures must deploy “Indigenous communication approaches” such as community gathering for information sharing, storytelling, elder teaching, and dance etc.
Farmers
Long practices have seen development partners engage communication consultants who consider communication as a one-sided approach where information is disseminated through radio jingles, TV programmes, and social media. These approaches do not resonate with cultural practices and realities in rural communities, resulting in a failed communication strategy.
My research findings, “An Examination of Indigenous Communication Approaches for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Among Rural Farmers”, reveal that a top-down approach where communication consultants design climate change communication relying on mass and social media when targeting rural farmers regarding climate change education and adaptation is largely ineffective.
They are largely ineffective because the approaches disregard the people’s trusted indigenous languages and Indigenous knowledge systems of sharing messages, which result in action and response.
If government and development partners are sincerely concerned about building climate resilience among rural farmers at the grassroots, they must design communication strategies in a way that information will be communicated to the locals through Indigenous channels that foster better understanding, active participation, which will build trust and ownership.
By Audu Liberty Oseni, Director, MAWA-Foundation; Development Communication Specialist
Another victory appears to be unfolding in the saga to save animals from the brink of extinction!
The Guam kingfisher
This time, it’s the Guam kingfisher – a Pacific island bird that’s been extinct in the wild for an astonishing 40 years.
But this story will prove that even when a situation appears hopeless – and it’s taken literal decades to see progress – when we set our mind as a community to fix a problem, we can accomplish amazing things, says the Ocean River Institute.
Also known as the “sihek” in the Chamorro language, Guam kingfishers are beautiful birds with white or cinnamon colouring and blue-green tails with strong, pointed beaks. As their name implies, they are native only to the island of Guam, an American territory and the largest island in the Mariana Island chain located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean between Japan to the north and Papua New Guinea and Australia to the south.
With exploration and commerce came the accidental introduction of non-native species to the island, in particular the brown tree snake, whose population has grown to millions and has wreaked havoc on the kingfisher and virtually every other native bird inhabiting there.
But thanks to countless dedicated activists and conservationists, kingfishers have been kept alive through breeding programmes in the U.S. until a suitable time came to return them to the wild.
While dangerous predators still roam on Guam, the decision was made to grow their population on Palmyra Atoll, a federally-protected land and preserve a few thousand miles away between Samoa and Hawai’i.
Even without natural predators and with plenty of protected habitat, introduction will still be a slow process; first, rearing a cohort of chicks and moving them to aviaries on the island while awaiting release into the wild. From there, the birds will be monitored and new chicks will be introduced into the aviaries and released until they reach 20 breeding pairs. Before we know it, a self-sustaining wild population will be in place!
If the snake problem on Guam can ever be solved is anyone’s guess. So far, nothing has brought their numbers down to meaningful levels, so for now, the Guam kingfisher will make a new home on Palmyra Atoll.
In a show of growing interest in grassroots-led climate action, the South African embassy in Brazil extended an invitation to members of the South African delegation who were attending the Renew Our Power (ROP) gathering this week. The meeting, held on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at the embassy, offered a platform for climate leaders to share the stories, strategies, and solutions they are building through community-driven energy justice work.
South African ambassador to Brazil, Mphakama Nyangweni Mbete
The delegation was warmly received by senior consular officials, who expressed keen interest in the delegation’s presence in Brazil and their participation in the ROP gathering. The embassy’s outreach aimed to better understand the climate justice work South Africans are advancing at home and the significance of ROP in their organising efforts.
“This invitation was more than symbolic; it was a chance for the voices of youth and grassroots activists to be heard at a diplomatic level. We spoke about the real power of community-owned renewable energy, the urgency of just transitions, and the learnings we’re carrying home to strengthen our work,” said Khaliel Moses, Fair Finance Campaigner at 350Africa.org.
The delegates highlighted how experiences at ROP – from learning about accessible solar technologies and alternative financing models to exchanging youth empowerment strategies – will directly inform their ongoing efforts in communities in South Africa.
They also called on the embassy to:
Amplify youth and community-led renewable energy initiatives;
Represent grassroots climate justice perspectives in multilateral spaces including BRICS, COP30, and the G20;
Support people-centered storytelling and the building of collective power in the transition away from fossil fuels.
In response, consular officials expressed support for the delegation’s work and encouraged them to submit a summary report and formal list of demands. The embassy committed to sharing these insights with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and the Office of the Presidency.
“This is a moment of recognition. Our communities are building the solutions. What we need now is for our institutions to meet us there, to open doors, shift narratives, and act with urgency,” adds Khaliel.
The South African delegation says it will continue to engage with officials in the coming weeks to ensure that the voices and visions shared in Brazil help shape a just and inclusive energy future at home.
Lhyfe, a producer of green and renewable hydrogen for mobility and industry, has disclosed that the French Prime Minister has officially confirmed, by signature, a €149 million grant for its future green hydrogen production plant located near the Grand Canal of Le Havre. The facility is expected to reach a capacity of up to 34 tonnes per day.
3D modelling of a Lhyfe green hydrogen production site (onsite)
The project was selected in 2022 by the European Commission as part of the third wave of IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) dedicated to hydrogen. In March 2024, the French government announced its decision to award the grant to Lhyfe, through Roland Lescure – then Minister Delegate for Industry and Energy – during a visit to Le Havre.
The contract signed with Bpifrance outlines the terms of implementation for the public funding. Lhyfe will receive an initial advance of €18 million by June 2025, enabling it to cover investments already made since 2022 and to launch the next stages. A second tranche will be released in the following months based on the achievement of milestones specified in the contract.
Subsequent payments will take the form of reimbursements for eligible and duly justified expenses, contingent upon the successful completion of predefined annual milestones, over a four-year period and up to a maximum total amount of €149 million.
With the Green Horizon project, Lhyfe intends to produce up to 34 tonnes of green hydrogen per day near the Grand Canal du Havre (Normandy), one of Europe’s largest industrial port areas.
This site will supply the region’s needs in terms of decarbonisation of industry and mobility. The plant will be located near the Yara site in Le Havre, whose decarbonisation roadmap includes the use of green hydrogen. Yara is interested in and supports Lhyfe’s project.
The Lhyfe production site, to be located on a 2.8-hectare plot of land in Gonfreville-l’Orcher, is expected to be completed by 2029 and will be one of the first large-scale production sites for decarbonised hydrogen produced by water electrolysis in France and Europe.
Completion of this project will help demonstrate the technical feasibility and economic viability of this solution, which is an essential complement to direct electrification for decarbonising economies, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and meeting the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets set out in the Paris Agreement.
According to the promoters, this type of pioneering project must be implemented swiftly to pave the way for the larger-scale facilities needed to meet the ambitious targets for installed electrolysis capacity (4.5 GW targeted in France by 2030) and greenhouse gas emission reductions outlined in the French and European hydrogen and decarbonisation strategies.
For this project, Lhyfe has already submitted the building permit and the environmental authorisation request. Grid connection and availability of the necessary power have been secured.
Matthieu Guesné, founder and CEO of Lhyfe, said: “We are proud to receive this grant, which reflects a strong vote of confidence from the French government and the European Commission in a SME that is capable of innovating, meeting complex technological challenges and rapidly turning its ambitions into reality. It also recognises our ability to invest heavily and rally renowned international partners to our side.
“By contributing to the decarbonisation of Le Havre industrial-port area starting in 2029, the Green Horizon project marks a real turning point – one that is essential if we are to decarbonise our industrial uses on a large scale. With this project Lhyfe will surpass the 100 MW milestone in installed electrolysis capacity: a true industrial leap forward!”
About the announcement of the French National Hydrogen Strategy, Guesné stated:“The release of the French National Hydrogen Strategy is excellent news for both the French and European markets. We’ve been looking forward to it for several months, and it now provides the clarity and long-term visibility that stakeholders across the hydrogen ecosystem need to make informed decisions and move forward.
“By setting a realistic production target of 4.5 GW by 2030 and supporting it with subsidies and a dedicated support mechanism for low-carbon and renewable hydrogen production, the French government is aligning its tools with its ambitions. France is home to major industry players, who will strengthen the entire value chain and position our country as European leader in the sector.”
In what appears to be another failed geoengineering experiment, Canadian company Planetary Technologies has withdrawn from Cornwall’s St. Ives Bay, effectively abandoning their experimental attempt to capture carbon dioxide after the community raised serious concerns.
St. Ives Bay, Cornwall
After public outcry and scrutiny from community members, the company that dumped magnesium hydroxide in the open ocean has ceased operations. Despite Planetary Technologies’ assurances of safety and claims of environmental benefits, local residents and environmental groups raised significant concerns about the potential risks to marine life and the lack of transparency.
The project was funded by the UK government and by Elon Musk, in a growing trend of geoengineering projects being funded by Silicon Valley billionaires.
According to observers, these highly speculative techno-fixes raise serious human rights concerns, along with urgent questions about accountability and oversight – especially given their potential to harm ocean ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
Sue Sayer, MBE, Founder and Director, Seal Research Trust, said: “We’re celebrating common sense – for Cornwall, for seals, for safe seas, and for livelihoods. It’s a relief to see that community voices can still influence decision-making by asking the right questions and feeding them into licensing authorities to ensure due diligence is done.
“There’s a vital lesson here: if you want to do something in Cornwall, you need to do it properly – with communities involved from the very start to make sure the project is designed responsibly. David Attenborough once said, ‘the sea will save us’ – but geoengineering it with unknown consequences is a high-risk strategy. Planetary Technologies are ending the way they started: by failing to inform the Environment Agency or the public.”
Senara Wilson Hodges, Coordinator, Keep Our Seas Chemical Free, said: “The prospect of further chemical testing in St. Ives Bay has caused deep concern to our community for two years. We’re relieved that Planetary Technologies have ceased operations, and we know this is because the community insisted on holding them to account. We asked important questions and demanded answers. We found out that the design of their experiment was shoddy, its financing was unethical, and they were profoundly ignorant about the marine ecosystem of our bay and the community living around it.”
Mary Church, Geoengineering Campaign Manager, Center for International Environmental Law, said: “The scrapping of a highly controversial geoengineering trial in Cornwall represents a huge victory for the local community. Their tireless efforts ensured that Planetary Technologies’ experiment in St. Ives Bay faced the necessary scrutiny, revealing critical flaws in the process. Ocean alkalinity enhancement technology would not only entail massive, energy-intensive mining operations but also threaten essential marine ecosystems and jeopardize the oceans’ capacity to absorb carbon.
“Manipulating our oceans is not the answer to the climate crisis. Marine geoengineering poses grave dangers to ocean ecosystems and human rights. States have legal obligations to urgently prioritise real solutions to the climate crisis, starting with a full, fast, fair, and funded fossil fuel phase-out.”
Coraina de la Plaza, Coordination, Hands Off Mother Earth! (HOME) Alliance, said: “The community of St. Ives Bay stood together against marine geoengineering and Planetary Technologies. This is a monumental victory that belongs to the community and benefits the planet and future generations. Geoengineering approaches, including marine geoengineering, do nothing to address the root causes of the climate crisis, and they only distract from and delay real solutions. While there is still a lot to do to stop marine geoengineering, this great victory reflects the power of communities.”
The Tinubu Media Volunteers (TMV) on Friday, April 18, 2025, applauded the impact of the Federal Government’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative.
CNG station
Mr. Chukwudi Enekwechi, Chairman of the group, in a statement, acknowledged the inflow of N760 billion investments into the CNG initiative in the last one year.
“We note that with the removal of fuel subsidy at the inception of the President Bola Tinubu administration, and the attendant increase in cost of premium motor spirit (PMS), the Federal Government rolled out the CNG Initiative.
“This has led to cheaper cost of transportation for many Nigerians as CNG continues to take root in the country, but more commendable is the attraction of about N760 billion in private investments into the venture in the past one year.
“In dollar terms, the initiative has attracted about 491 million dollars investments into the country, and there are signs that more investments would flow in subsequent years,” TMV said.
Additionally, the group said the CNG Initiative had generated 84,000 direct and indirect jobs, based on information provided by Mr. Michael Oluwagbemi, the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), Programme Director.
“We also note that within a period of one year, CNG conversion centres have increased from seven to over 200 centres across the country with expectations of an increase to 10,000 before the end of 2025.
“In addition, we commend the Federal Government for providing 405 buses to ease the transportation needs of Nigerian workers based on an agreement with Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) during the wage increase negotiations.
“We want to state that this initiative is not only pragmatic, but has potential to reduce unemployment, boost the economy, and increase the mobility of Nigerians when it takes firm root,” continued TMV.
The group, however, urged the managers to do more to ensure that the immense benefits of the CNG initiative put smiles on the faces of Nigerians.
The group said it looked forward to an extension of the CNG initiative to 25 sites and 15 states in line with the pledge of the managers of the programme to ramp up its activities.
In a set of milestone decisions at its 44th meeting, the Adaptation Fund (AF) Board approved over $137 million in new projects – a new record that eclipsed the $100 million mark in a single Board meeting for the first time since its operations began 18 years ago.
Members at the 44th Adaptation Fund Board Meeting
Further, the Board doubled the Fund’s country spending caps from $20 million to $40 million while also raising the cap on individual single-country projects from $10 million to $25 million and raising the cap on regional projects from $14 million to $30 million.
The $137 million in new projects included approvals of 16 full concrete adaptation projects on the ground, which raises the Fund’s total to nearly $1.4 billion committed to about 200 projects across the globe. The Board also endorsed another 15 project concepts and pre-concepts, and committed over $1.2 million in project formulation grants to help develop them further.
Several countries received AF funding for the first time, including Saint Kitts and Nevis(which is a small island developing state), Somalia (a least developed country), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eswatini, and Philippines, representing 37% of the total funding approved.
Further, several countries received funding for the first time through the Fund’s single country Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) programme. These included Senegal (also a least developed country), Armenia, Bhutan, and Cote d’Ivoire.
The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, a regional implementing entity of the Fund, had its first project concept endorsed by the Fund and will receive a $130,200 grant to further develop the proposal in St. Kitts and Nevis.
The Board also approved $30 million for the launch of a new regional aggregator programme for channeling LLA grants to a wide range of local actors including non-accredited entities, to accompany its existing funding windows for single-country LLA programmes. It also continued its innovation in adaptation programme, as well as the Fund’s learning, scale-up and regular regional project grant programmes. All of these grants are offered to countries in addition to its regular country projects and are not subject to the country spending caps.
These funding decisions are aligned with the mandate the Fund received from Parties at the UN COP29 climate conference last year that calls for a tripling of outflows from 2022 levels by 2030.
The Board will review the new country spending caps after the Fund’s current five-year medium-term strategy concludes in 2027 and before the next one begins, with an eye to fulfilling the tripling of outflows by 2030.
Additionally, the Board amended its legal agreements for implementing entities in the administration of project grants to allow entities to apply their rules, policies, standard practices and procedures that should enable them to comply with AF’s policies, guidelines, standards and procedures. These changes, along with the increased country spending caps, will strengthen the Fund’s ability to channel more adaptation resources to where they are most needed.
“This meeting was a remarkable success. The Board’s decisions will help to greatly further the important work of the Adaptation Fund in serving the most climate-vulnerable communities around the world. Approving a record amount of new project funding and doubling the country funding cap for countries puts the Fund on target to meet its share of the new collective quantified goal on climate finance (NCQG) set last year,”said the Board’s new Vice-Chair Mr. Washington Zhakata, of Zimbabwe.
Zhakata served as the meeting’s Chair in the absence of new Board Chair Mr. Antonio Navarra of Italy, who was unable to attend last week’s meeting.
“The Board’s approval of such a large work program reflects the tremendous adaptation needs vulnerable countries are facing and helps put the Adaptation Fund on the path to meet the goals of the NCQG to triple its flows of approved projects. As well, doubling the cap on funding that countries can access to $40 million is a huge milestone for the Fund, and will help us reach more vulnerable communities that are in urgent need of adaptation solutions,” said Mikko Ollikainen, Head of the Adaptation Fund.
“I am very pleased with these outcomes, which endorse the great work the Fund is already doing in delivering tangible impacts to developing countries and will help us fund more and larger projects to meet their growing adaptation needs,” added Ollikainen.
Other key decisions included the Board accrediting the National Environment Trust Fund (NETFUND) of Kenya as the Fund’s 36th national implementing entity (NIE) under the Fund’s pioneering Direct Access modality, which helps drive country ownership in adaptation. Kenya marks the first country to have two NIEs with the Fund. The Board previously authorised countries to have up to two NIEs to help build national capacities to address adaptation sustainably over the long term. Kenya’s other NIE is the National Environment Management Authority.
The Board also reaccredited two of its existing NIEs, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust in Belize and the Interprofessional Fund for Agricultural Research (FIRCA) in Côte d’Ivoire.
The Board further set the Fund’s 2025 resource mobilization goal at a floor of $300 million, which is aimed at addressing the urgency of climate change and the global adaptation financing gap. Demand for the Fund’s work continues to rise, with a nearly $600 million pipeline of projects in development.
The 16 full proposals approved, which are tailored to address countries’ adaptation needs in the most vulnerable communities, include projects in:
Argentina, $10 million, implemented by the Development Bank of Latin America
Armenia, $4.9 million, implemented by the Environmental Project Implementation Unit (LLA project)
Bangladesh, $10 million, implemented by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development
Bosnia and Herzegovina, $10 million, implemented by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Côte d’Ivoire, $4.9 million, implemented by FIRCA (LLA project)
