FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY RESIDENCE TO ENJOY 30 FREE CHANNELS AS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES DIGITAL SWITCH OVER

The federal government has announced that residence of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja will enjoy 30 free channels with the launch of the Digital Switch Over (DSO) in broadcasting in Abuja on Thursday 22nd December.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced this in Abuja, on Monday, during the tour of key facilities of Pinnacle Communication Limited, the signal distribution for the Abuja DSO.

He noted that over 450,000 Set-Top Boxes have been provided for the flag-off.

“We are impressed by the speed, commitment and passion of Pinnacle to this project and we have come here to ensure that no stone is left un-turned to ensure smooth Digital Switch Over in Abuja on Thursday,” he said.

“It’s a revolution in the broadcasting ecosystem as far as Nigeria is concerned because not only are we going to have better clarity and audio but the average resident of FCT who is in possession of our Set-Top Box will have 30 free channels from news, entertainment, music. This is going to open a new vista for content,” he said.

The Minister expressed confidence that within three years of the digital transition, one million jobs will be created in the development of television content, technical services, software development, as well as the installation and repair of Set-Top Boxes for over 24 million TV households, among others.

The Minister said even though the Digital Switch Over will not take place in one fell swoop across the country, the Federal Government remains resolute in its commitment to meeting the 2017 deadline for the DSO.

Also speaking at the Call Centre of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), he said the government is equally concerned about customers’ satisfaction, which informed the setting up of the Call Centre where subscribers can call to make inquiries or complaints for prompt response.

Alhaji Mohammed, who was accompanied by the NBC Director General, Mallam Ishaq Modibbo Kawu, and the Chairman of DIGITEAM Nigeria, Mr. Edward Amana, inspected facilities at the Monitoring Room, Transmission Station and the Call Centre.

TOWN PLANNING LAWS CAN BE USED TO MANAGE CLIMATE CHANGE - AYADE

Prof. Ben Ayade, a lawyer and Governor of Cross River State is a Professor of Environmental Sciences. He had led a delegation of some governors from Africa to participate in a Climate Change Summit   in Paris, France. He was privileged to be the only African governor that spoke at the summit.
He discussed how to combat climate change through environmental laws and legislations as well as the global effects of climate change in this interview.
Excerpts:

By Onozore Dania

What is your view on the state of  our Environmental laws?

Our environmental  laws governing and   regulating the impact of human activities on the  environment  are still developing,   like other human activities, there is always a room for improvement.

Mind you  environmental law  covers a broad spectrum of activities which include air, water, land, flora or fauna. It includes  laws  that relate to the protection of animals,the conservation and preservation  of forests and plants.

How can the campaign for environmental protection work through appropriate legal frame works?

We can do this through our town planning laws. For example, in Cross River today, we are ensuring that for every single house, you must have a minimum of four trees on each side of the house to ensure that there is a full interaction between the plants and the residents in the house. Therefore, public campaign by way of advocacy,   by way of doing it physically, by way of laws,   by way of legislations,   by way of radios, adverts, physical door to door campaigns are all the things you do to sharpen the consciousness of the ordinary man to the realities   of climate Change. And of course, they also must have some posters that must show them the risks and incidental implications of climate change. I do know that where I grew up, most of the streams that we used to play in as little children have all dried up. Those are the effects of climate change because all the water sheds have all gone. These are the things we must distill down to the grassroots for them to appreciate that this climate change is real, it is not a theory, it is not academic, it is real.


Governor Ben Ayade
As a lawyer, what makes you engage in the campaign for the environment, environ-mental protection and climate change?

I actually feel that I am living out my dream,   I am giving back   to humanity. First of all,  I am   a Professor of Environmental Science and I do realize that the issue of climate change is real and Nigeria is affected seriously. I also understand that global problems are like environmental issues, even though global in nature, the solutions are local. And so, in   my own little way as governor of Cross River State that has 58 percent of the entire forest cover of Nigeria, I owe Nigeria and indeed all Africa the responsibility of demonstrating that indeed, we can actually reverse the cataclysmic effects   of climate change and instead of speaking, I am doing the working, talking. So, I talk it and I do it.

How can the common man on the street contribute to protecting the environment and ozone layer against climate change?

The immediate one is afforestation and of course training them to be able to prohibit or reduce or attenuate deforestation. When you are deforesting, because most communities are dependent on their forest resources for their means of livelihood and the issue of absolute conservation means that you are dislocating the communities from their dependence on the forests. The critical thing to do now, is forest management as opposed to conservation. So when it comes to forest management, it allows the community to harvest from the forest in a   sustainable manner. So you take such trees that are old, tired and are of no value while replacing them with the young ones. It is completely different from conservation where it is absolute ban of some sort. And for the rural poor and for the general public to add value to the climate change, they must start from keeping their small nurseries, planting their own trees and ensuring that they live in green economy.

TROUBLING STORIES OF AJAOKUTA STEEL PLANT,

The Ambassador of Russia to Nigeria, Mr Nikolay Udovichenko, in this interview, speaks on the relationship between his host and home countries and Russia’s alleged move to influence the just concluded presidential election in the United States.


What is the trade volume between Russia and Nigeria?

The  trade volume between Russia and Nigeria  may not be too substantial – about $500 million.  But  we  should  bear in mind that there is no oil and gas share in  it.  Not accidentally  that while  trade volumes between Nigeria and other countries decreased  sharply  this year,  trade  statistics  between our countries stay  at the same level or  even  become slightly higher. In our trade  relations,  we  are focusing on sharing  technologies,  modern solutions, supplying  agric  products  to ensure  Nigeria’s  self-sufficiency.

Meanwhile, we would like  to promote cooperation in the sphere of power supply. Our giant  companies such as Gazprom,  Rosatom,  Lukoil  are ready to work with Nigerian partners on mutually beneficial  conditions.  In this  regard,  I would like to  specifically  emphasize  Gazprom,  which is  keen on  developing  more active  ties  with Nigeria.


Nikolay Udovichenko
It is obvious that the  local  market has a  great  potential for increasing bilateral  cooperation.  For Nigeria investments in the domestic gas supply will have a huge multiplier effect on  GDP,  create new jobs.  Gazprom  is  ready  to develop  joint  projects across the gas chain in Nigeria and  is  looking forward to seeing  the long-term policies for gas industry put in place.  In this respect, the average Russian investor is encouraged by the New National Gas Policy drafted by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and its “Nigeria-first” approach.

So, cooperation  in gas market between  Gazprom  and NNPC  may  greatly  benefit  Nigeria.  We hope that the companies will pass from purchases of spot gas  to utilization of all opportunities that Gazprom possesses as global gas market leader.

All these questions of  bilateral relations  were discussed  during the regular session of the  Russian-Nigerian  Bi-national  Commission,  which took place in November in Abuja. During this  session,  Russian and Nigerian parties  reached a number of  agreements  in various sectors.  Following this meeting,  in particulars, delegation from Edo State has already visited  Krasnodar,  one of the most developed  agric  regions of Russia,  where they held  talks with  poultry and  mes processing plants, milk and other  agric  companies, discussed issues related to the development of the Nigerian agricultural sector.

I am sure that prospects of our bilateral relations will benefit  both countries  and  definitely  result  in  increasing  our trade volume in future.

Apart from  energy   you talked about  are there other areas where  the Russian government would   like to improve   in these bilateral  relations?

I have  already  mentioned the agricultural sector which  is  considered  the cornerstone of Nigeria’s diversification policy.  Russia is ready to supply  foods as well as  develop local production of  agric products, processing equipment and machinery.

One of the important issues that  was also discussed during  the Bi-national Commission  session is  resumption of aluminum production, which was established with the assistance of the Russian company,

Rusal, at the  Alscon  plant in  Akwa Ibom  State.  In fact, it was a very helpful development for Nigeria’s economy – it received a new  aluminium  industry, many people found jobs, a power plant supplied the local community with electricity. But  as a result  of inexplicable court decision, this production was stopped a few years ago, and up till date, the company has not been allowed to resume operations. Nigerian authorities promised they would  examine the possibilities to resolve this issue for the benefit of all parties involved.  Of  course,  we  have also  confirmed our readiness to participate in reviving  Ajaokuta  Steel Plant and developing the machinery-building industry.

There are many  other  spheres where we have  big  potentials.  I’d  like to stress once again that the embassy  has a firm intention to bring business and investors from our countries together in order to discuss different options of cooperation.  I can say for sure  that if  such  giant Russian companies  asGazprom,  Rusal  succeed in Nigeria,  it will be  a  very  positive signal for other Russian  enterprises.

Recent bombings by Avengers  of Niger Delta, have they, in any way, affected any Russian company?  Or  will Russian companies think twice before bringing more business here?

Directly,  these events have not affected Russian companies.  But, of course, all emergency  situations  negatively impact on  investment climate.  Obviously, any  investor  seeks safe  haven and wants the security his  investments guaranteed, although the key task when entering a new market is  to find a reliable  partner in the country.  The embassy maintains contacts with Russian companies – we  consult  them  about current situation, prospects of cooperation, possible risks and, certainly, do our best to  create better conditions for cooperation. In any case, we wish acceptable and long-lasting  settlement in Niger Delta to be reached as soon as possible, because business  doesn’t  like waiting too long.

How many Nigerians benefited from different education and training programs in Russia over the last two years?

First of all, I would like to mention the scholarship  that the Russian government is  granting  to Nigerian citizens. In cooperation with the  Federal  Ministry of  Education  we worked outan absolutely transparent system of selection  based on personal interviews with each aspirant and conducted by a joint selection committee.  Under this  program,  about100  aspirants from Nigeria  depart  for  Russia  each year  for higher education in the spheres most needed by the Nigerian  society. We also  provide  short term training courses  for the law enforcement and security forces staff. Each year dozens of Nigerian  policemen  raise professional level  in training centers of  the Ministry of Interior  of Russia.  I  hope  we will  be able to increase  the number ofparticipants of  such programs.

What is the procedure of visa issuance and how many visas  are given  to Nigerians?

First of all, we  are trying to make this procedure as clear as possible and ease it where possible.  For example, this year, we  lifted  requirement  to presentNDLEA  certificates  when applying for the   Russian  visa.  In fact, the only criterion is  to go through  personal interview.  If we  see that applicants can clearly explain why they want to go to Russia and their purposes are frank and legitimatelike studies, work, business, then  they  will  have  no problem to receive visa.  Coming back to the number of visas given to Nigerians, we issue up to 2,000 visas every year.

There   are some allegations that Russia is selling drones to the Nigerian government to fight Niger Delta Avengers.  Is that true?

I  tell  you  frankly that there were no supplies of drones from Russia, which  could be used  for such purposes. We are  in close cooperation  with the Nigerian government on the issue of  some military supplies, but  it’s  not  about  drones.

What was Russia’s contribution to the just concluded election in the US?

I doubt that there  was any  Russian contribution  to the outcome of the US election. Another matter is that somebody  wanted  Russia  to  be  involved in the campaign.  The name of  our country  was used  to blame one of the candidates, but if  anybody  mentioned  Russia  in this context, it  didn’t  mean  that was true.  That’s  why many allegations we heard from different  corners  are not  reliable.  Finally, I am sure  these speculations  had no  impact  on the choice of American people. Russia  was  ready to work with any president elected during  the US  election.

Could I guess,  firm Russian position on key issues of international agenda,  including  Syria crisis settlement,  resulted in the fact  that  its  name  was mentioned  in  media  more often.

INSIDE PHOTOS OF ZAHRA'S WEDDING AS THE PRESIDENT TURNS 74

AT THE BALL

BOI TRAINS 976 NYSC CORP MEMBERS UNDER ITS N2B GEF SCHEME

 
The Bank of Industry (BoI) has commenced a nationwide capacity building programme for 976 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members under its N2 billion Graduate Entrepreneurship Fund (GEF) scheme.

The fund, an initiative of the bank in partnership with the NYSC, was launched on Oct. 5, 2015, to address the high rate of youth unemployment in the country. During the inauguration of the second edition of the GEF scheme on Thursday in Lagos, Mr Waheed Olagunju, BoI Acting Managing-Director, said that the programme would harness youth resourcefulness for economic development.

Olagunju said that the success recorded in the first phase of the scheme reinforced the bank’s commitment to youth empowerment. He noted that N439.8 million was approved for 260 of the 976 participants in the first phase, while N194.4 million had been disbursed for execution of 140 projects.

“These young Nigerians have not only taken themselves out of the job market, but have become employers of labour creating, 560 direct jobs and over 2000 indirect jobs,” Olagunju said. He also noted that the training, holding simultaneously in seven centres across the country, had been extended to four days, adding that the participants’ business plans would be developed during training.

Olagunju said that the 10 business consultants involved in the training had been tasked with handholding the participants through the early stage of their business to ensure sustainability. According to him, the programme will encourage youth entrepreneurship, close entrepreneurship capacity gap, deepen financial inclusion by de-risking corps members for loans and ensure sustainability of businesses through mentorship.

Mrs Ibukun Awosika, Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria, advised the youths to be different and creative, tenacious and embrace values that would lead to economic growth of the country. "I know that this country will be great and its greatness lies in the youth: Your efforts are part of nation building; make them count and do not be the missing link,” Awosika said.

Brig-Gen. Sule Kazaure, NYSC Director-General, urged the corps members to ensure the sustainability of the training and called for supervision of the programme to achieve its objective. The director-general appealed to the BoI to expedite action in processing loan requests after training.

He said that delay in doing this and release of funds to some beneficiaries in the previous batches of the scheme led to their withdrawal from the programme. Kazaure urged other organisations to emulate the BoI through partnership with NYSC for provision of training and seed capital that would turn corps members into job creators.

Mr Godswill Okpeku, a participant, said that the training would boost his knowledge and position him for financial assistance that would aid the business growth. "My dream is to invest in aquaculture because agriculture is the path to prosperity: Despite recession, people must surely eat; I see myself meeting that need and also providing job in the process,” he said.

EX-ABUJA MINISTER BALA MOHAMMED'S SUIT AGAINST EFCC ADJOURNED

Ex-Abuja Minister Bala Mohammed’s suit against EFCC adjourned as the substantive case in the alleged violation of fundamental rights filed by Bala Mohammed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been adjourned until January 26.

The case, which was adjourned at the last sitting on Wednesday before Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf of an FCT High Court, could not go on.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the date of adjournment was at the instance of all the counsel.

Mr. Mohammed, former minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, had been in the custody of the EFCC since October 21 following petitions against him from members of the public. The former minister filed a motion on Notice on November 16 before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf for enforcement of his fundamental rights which he claimed the EFCC had violated.

Mr. Baba-Yusuf on November 29 granted him bail, adding that the bail was granted according to the Provisions of Sections 165 and 158 (b) of the Administration of Justice Act 2015.

The judge held “the right to bail includes the right to fair hearing’’.
The judge also held that the applicant had met the bail conditions given to him by the EFCC, but EFCC failed to verify it.

Mr. Baba-Yusuf adopted the bail condition given by the EFCC as an administrative bail. He granted him bail without any amount; two sureties of the rank of directors in the Federal Civil Service, who must have certified landed properties in Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC. He also ordered that the applicant should deposit his international passport in the court.
(NAN)

NNPC KNOWS NOT HOW MANY OIL BLOCK NIGERIA HAS - COO

NNPC doesn’t know how many oil blocks Nigeria has. The Chief Operating Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation set tongues wagging when he revealed to the House of Representatives that he did not know the number of oil blocks Nigeria has.

Bello Rabiu appeared before the House committee investigating the controversial Malabu oil deal and OPL 245 on Tuesday afternoon. After telling the committee that the NNPC was not directly involved in the controversial deal, Mr. Rabiu was asked to give details of Nigeria’s oil fields.

Razak Atunwa, the chairman of the committee, said he posed the question because he believed it would help lawmakers to determine Nigeria’s oil revenue prospects amidst the lingering financial crisis. "I don’t know the answer to that question,” Mr. Rabiu said.

Mr. Rabiu said statistics about oil prospecting licences and oil mining licences were not kept with the NNPC, but the Department of Petroleum Resources and directed lawmakers to contact the department for the information.

Mr. Rabiu also told the committee that the NNPC Act gave the Minister of Petroleum the absolute power to exercise discretion on award of oil licences.
“The NNPC Act, even till today, clearly stated that the minister can award oil exploration licences at his discretion,” Mr. Rabiu said.

The licence for the OPL 245 oil field was awarded to Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd. in April 1998 by a former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete. The oil firm was later traced to the minister.

CARBON TAX RELATED TYPES OF TAXES: EMISSIONS TAXES AND ENERGY TAXES

Emissions Taxes and Energy Taxes

Two other types of taxes that are related to carbon taxes are emissions taxes and energy taxes.

An Emissions Tax on GHG emissions requires individual emitters to pay a fee, charge or tax for every tonne of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere while,

An Energy Tax is charged directly on the energy commodities.

In terms of mitigating climate change, a carbon tax, which is levied according to the carbon content of fuels, is not a perfect substitute for a tax on CO2 emissions. For example, a carbon tax encourages reduced use of hydrocarbon fuels, but it does not provide an incentive to mitigate or improve mitigation technologies, e.g. carbon capture and storage.

Energy taxes increase the price of energy uniformly, regardless of the emissions produced by the energy source (Fisher et al.., 1996, p. 416). An ad valorem energy tax is levied according to the energy content of a fuel or the value of an energy product, which may or may not be consistent with the emitted amounts of green house gases and their respective global warming potentials.

Studies indicate that to reduce emissions by a certain amount, ad valorem energy taxes would be more costly than carbon taxes. However, although CO2 emissions are an externality, using energy services may result in other negative externalities, e.g., air pollution. If these other externalities are accounted for, an energy tax may be more efficient than a carbon tax alone.

Fee and Dividend is another type of tax, where the money collected from the tax is returned equitably to all households, effectively taxing carbon emitters and rebating those that burn less carbon.

CARBON LEAKAGE

Carbon leakage is the effect that regulation of emissions in one country/sector has on the emissions in other countries/sectors that are not subject to the same regulation.

Leakage effects can be both negative (i.e. increasing the effectiveness of reducing overall emissions) and positive (reducing the effectiveness of reducing overall emissions). Negative leakages, which are desirable, are usually referred to as "spill-over".

According to Goldemberg et al.. (1996, p.28), short-term leakage effects need to be judged against leakage effects in the long-term. A policy that, for example, saw a carbon taxes set only in developed countries might lead to leakage of emissions to developing countries.

However, a desirable negative leakage could occur due to a lowering in demands of coal, oil, and gas from the developed countries and thus the world prices. This will lead to developing countries being able to afford more of any hydrocarbon fuel type, thus being able to substitute more oil or gas for coal, in effect lowering their national emissions. In the long-run, however, if the transfer of less polluting technologies is delayed, this substitution by income effects might have no long-term benefit.

Carbon leakage is central to the discussion on climate policy, given the confluence of issues that are currently being debated, including the 2030 Energy and Climate Framework and the review of the EU carbon leakage list by 2014.

SOCIAL COST OF CARBON (SCC)

In economics, comparing impacts over time requires a discount rate. This rate determines the weight placed on impacts occurring at different times.

The impact of the extra tonne of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere must then be converted to the equivalent impacts when the tonne of carbon dioxide was emitted.

The social cost of carbon (SCC) is the marginal cost of emitting one extra tonne of carbon (as carbon dioxide) at any point in time.

To calculate the SCC, the atmospheric residence time of carbon dioxide must be estimated, along with an estimate of the impacts of climate change.

According to economic theory:
a) if SCC estimates were complete and markets perfect, a carbon tax should be set equal to the SCC.
b) Emission permits would also have a value equal to the SCC. In reality, however, markets are not perfect, and SCC estimates are not complete (Yohe et al.., 2007:823).

An amount of CO2 pollution is measured by the weight (mass) of the pollution. Sometimes this is measured directly as the weight of the carbon dioxide molecules. This is called a tonne of carbon dioxide and is abbreviated "tCO2".

Alternatively, the pollution's weight can be measured by adding up only the weight of the carbon atoms in the pollution, ignoring the oxygen atoms;
This is called a tonne of carbon and is abbreviated "tC".

Estimates of the dollar cost of carbon dioxide pollution is given per tonne, either carbon, $X/tC,
or carbon dioxide, $X/tCO2.
One tC is roughly equivalent to 3.7 tCO2.

Estimates of the SCC are highly uncertain. Yohe et al. (2007:813) summarized the literature on SCC estimates:
Peer-reviewed estimates of the SCC for 2005 had an average value of $43/tC ($12/tCO2) with a standard deviation of $83/tC.

The wide range of estimates is explained mostly by underlying uncertainties in the science of climate change (e.g., the climate sensitivity, which is a measure of the amount of global warming expected for a doubling in the atmospheric concentration of CO_2).

Different choices of discount rate, different valuations of economic and non-economic impacts, treatment of equity, and how potential catastrophic impacts are estimated.

Other estimates of the SCC spanned at least three orders of magnitude, from less than $1/tC to over $1,500/tC.
The true SCC is expected to increase over time.

The rate of increase will very likely be 2 to 4% per year. A recent meta-analysis of the literature on the estimates of the social costs of carbon, however, finds evidence of publication bias in favor of larger estimates.

The US federal government, based on Executive Order 12866 and the findings of an interagency working group, has had an official estimate of the SCC since 2010. It was $36/tC02 in 2015 (about $132/tC).

In 2014, the Department of Energy factored in that cost when promulgating regulations on standards for commercial refrigeration equipment. Industry groups sued over the issue. In 2016 the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the rules.

RESISTING CARBON TAX IS CONTRIBUTING TO GLOBAL WARMING

Worldwide, 27 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide are produced by human activity annually. The physical effect of CO2 in the atmosphere can be measured as a change in the Earth-atmosphere system's energy balance-the radiative forcing of CO2. Carbon taxes are one of the policies available to governments to reduce GHG emissions.

In the Kyoto Protocol (an international treaty), CO2 emissions are regulated along with other GHGs. Different GHGs have different physical properties: the global warming potential is an internationally accepted scale of equivalence for other greenhouse gases in units of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The scientific consensus is that human-induced greenhouse gas emissions are the primary cause of global warming, and that carbon dioxide is the most important of the anthropogenic GHGs.

A number of countries have implemented carbon taxes or energy taxes that are related to carbon content. Most environmentally related taxes with implications for greenhouse gas emissions in OECD countries are levied on energy products and motor vehicles, rather than on CO_2 emissions directly.

Opposition to increased environmental regulation such as carbon taxes often centers on concerns that firms might relocate and/or people might lose their jobs. It has been argued, however, that carbon taxes are more efficient than direct regulation and may even lead to higher employment. Many large users of carbon resources in electricity generation, such as the United States, Russia, and China, are resisting carbon taxation.

CARBON TAX ECONOMIC THEORY

David Gordon Wilson first proposed a carbon tax in 1973. In economic theory, pollution is considered to be of negative effect (negative externality) on a party not directly involved in a transaction, resulting in to market failure.

A carbon tax is also an indirect tax—a tax on a transaction—as opposed to a direct tax, which taxes income. A carbon tax is called a price instrument , since it sets a price for carbon dioxide emissions.

Economic Theory of Carbon Tax
“Economists like to argue, about climate change as much as anything else. But on the biggest issue of all they nod in agreement, whatever their political persuasion. The best way to tackle climate change, they insist, is through a Global Carbon Tax.”— The Economist, 28 November 2015

A carbon tax is a form of pollution tax. Pollution taxes are often grouped with two other economic policy instruments: Tradable pollution permits/credits and subsidies. These three environmental economic policy instruments are built upon a foundation of a command and control regulation.

The difference is that classic command-penalty regulations stipulate, through performance or prescriptive standards, what each polluter is required to do to be in compliance with the law. Command and control regulation is not considered an economic instrument as it is typically enforced by narrower means such as stop or control order, though it may include an administrative monetary penalty in site-specific regulations.

The instrumental distinction between a tax and a command-and-control regulation is determined by the enacted legislative names, and whether they contain "tax" as a defined term within the Act, for example British Columbia's Carbon Tax Act versus Alberta's Specified Gas Emitters Regulations, Alta Reg 139/2007.

Prices of hydrocarbon fuels are expected to continue increasing as more countries industrialize and add to the demand on fuel supplies. In addition to creating incentives for energy conservation, a carbon tax would put renewable energy resources such as wind, solar and geothermal on a more competitive footing, stimulating their growth.

CARBON TAX

Carbon tax is a levied tax on carbon content of hydrocarbon fuel like coal, petroleum and natural gas from everyday use. Combustion of hydrocabon release Carbon Dioxide (CO_2).

Emission of CO (Carbon Monoxide), a heat trapping "GreenHouseGas" GHG released during fossil fuel combustion has negatively impacted the climate resulting to global warming.

There is definitely a correlation between the combustion rate and the carbon content of both CO_2 and CO released as they are on the increase.

Emission tax can however be levied on the fossil fuels carbon content. Carbon tax offers social and economic benefits.
1) It increases revenue without altering the economy while
2) Simultaneously promoting objectives of the Climate Change Policy.

2016 DOCUMENTARY ON CLIMATE CHANGE "BEFORE THE FLOOD"

Leonardo DiCaprio came out with "Before The Flood" a documentary on Climate Change that took an incredible three-year journey with his co-creator and director Fisher Stevens on a tour across the globe documenting environmental impact of climate change and humanity's ability to reverse what maybe the most catastrophic problem man kind has ever faced. 

Also filming how interconnected the world's weather is and at urgent breakng point. Discussing carbon tax issue and remediation.

CUSTOMERS HAIR RIPPED OFF AT THE SALOON

Hairdresser Rips Off Her Customers Hair From The Lady’s Head After Her Boyfriend Ranaway To Escape Paying For It. Below is the picture of the lady.

The incident happened at the Rich and Famous hair Salon in Zimbabwe, and according to reports, the victim, identified as Nothando, had gone to the salon with her boyfriend, who left when she was getting her hair done.

He allegedly promised to come back and pay for the hair, but never showed up again. Nothando reportedly tried escaping, but her plot was foiled as she was caught and the weave was cut by the hairdresser identified as Pamela. She also got a beating from the hairdressers.

SHELL TECHWORKS

SHELL TECHWORK is collaborating with technology entrepreneurs and start-ups outside the industry to help solve one of the world’s greatest challenges: how to meet growing demand for affordable energy with less environmental impact.

Shell TechWorks is an open innovation programme which brings together entrepreneurs and technology start-ups from outside the energy industry. Its goal is to find faster, more cost-effective ways to deliver technologies that the industry needs, for environments where safety is paramount, to produce more energy now and in the future.

Founded 2013 in the USA as a commercial start-up company inside Shell. Its office is located in the world’s most innovative square mile, in Cambridge, Massachusetts – a hub for leading technology organisations including Google, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Microsoft, Draper, Apple and Novartis.

For more information, contact techworksboston@shell.com

CLIMATE CHANGE: WINTER WEATHER HEADING FOR THE WEST

Another round of snow is in the forecast for the western half of the country, but this time we are forecasting feet for some areas.  Road trips for Thanksgiving holiday this weekend remains a concern for many as another round of snow forecast towards e western half of the country.

Over the weekend, winter weather alerts were issued and also in to the beginning of the new week as winter storm across the west. A bit of winter precipitation in Arizona with the weather advisory effect all through Sunday for Eastern and Northern Arizona.

Siskiyous, Cascades and Wasatch Mountains are expecting the greatest accumulation. At the mountainous areas one could see up to two feet of snow.  The Rockies also will get fair share of snow with at least half a foot in their forecast by the end of the weekend.

LAGOS: BEST SECURITY, SAFETY CONSCIOUS STATE IN AFRICA

Lagos emerges best security, safety conscious State in Africa at the award ceremony held in Johannesburg, South Africa organised by the Security Watch Africa (SWA).

The Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command also emerged as the best anti-crime police squad in West Africa, while the RRS Commander, ACP Olatunji Disu took home the award of the most outstanding police operational officer in West Africa.

The awards were presented to officials of the State Government at the 2016 lecture series of SWA organized in partnership with Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa (SIGLA) and the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.

While receiving the award for the State on behalf of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, thanked the organizers for recognizing Lagos State, saying that it was gratifying to note that the efforts of government on security were appreciated.

He said ever since emerging as Governor of Lagos State, Mr Ambode has made safety and security one of the focal objectives of his administration as he believes that there cannot be any development in the absence of security.

“I want to assure this gathering that Governor Ambode is very much committed to the security of lives and property of the people of the State and he is not tired of daily improving on the security situation in the State. The Governor believes that businesses cannot thrive in an environment devoid of safety and security, hence the massive efforts and initiatives geared toward security,” Bello said.
On his part, RRS Commander, who took time to lecture the gathering on the duties of the RRS, said being a unit of the Lagos State Police Command, the Squad is responsible for robberies and emergencies like collapsed building and other related situations.

He said the RRS is usually the first responders in emergency situation, adding that the Unit was also blessed with highly dedicated officials who carry out 24-hour job on a daily basis.

Speaking on the awards to RRS and to him, Disu said: “We like to appreciate the awards given to us and this will surely go a long way in motivating our men back home to know that everything they do is appreciated because the belief of an average police man in Nigeria is that police job is a thankless job and nobody appreciates what they do, but the awards will also spur us to better serve the people,” the RRS Commander said.

IT'S BLACK FRIDAY

Walmart, Target, Best Buy roll out Black Friday deals

Walmart, Target and Best Buy have rolled out their Black Friday plans.
Target (TGT) will open its doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Best Buy (BBY) stores will open an hour earlier at 5 p.m. Best Buy will also close at 1 a.m. early Friday and reopen at 8 a.m.

And Walmart (WMT) will start a Black Friday event at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Most Walmart stores are open 24 hours.

All three major retailers are also announcing expanded plans for digital and in-store deals.

Related: Macy's is opening even earlier on Thanksgiving

Walmart says the majority of its Black Friday deals will be available on its website starting at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thanksgiving. It's advertising HDTVs from $125 to $398, drones for as little as $30 and more than 750 DVDs and Blu-ray movies starting at $1.96.

Best Buy is offering hundreds of dollars in savings on Macbook Airs and DSLR cameras. The company is also selling video games for less than $30 and the Fitbit Charge 2 for less than $130, savings of $30 and $20, respectively.

Related: Amazon to customers: Start shopping

Target, meanwhile, is offering a selection of deals through Thursday, including 30% off shoes and 25% off Apple TV models. The company says it is also bringing back its 10 Days of Deals and Black Friday Presale promotions.

PRESIDENTIAL AIRCRAFT GIVEN TO THE MILITARY RECENTLY HAS CRASHED

Presidential Aircraft Crashes in Makurdi, Benue due to lack of expertise

Agusta AW 101, one of the presidential aircraft recently given to the military, has crashed at the Nigerian Air Force base in Makurdi, Benue State.

The plane, a medium-lift helicopter specially designed for military operations, reportedly crashed due to poor training of crew members who manned its operation, according to a report.

The rate of casualties is currently unknown and there is no official statement from the Nigerian army.

Extent of the damage, still very sketchy. The aircraft was repainted after hand over from the initial white and green to camouflage.

MONTHLY ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION EXERCISE CANCELLED IN LAGOS

The Lagos State Government has cancelled the monthly environmental sanitation exercise held every last Saturday of the month, following resolution arrived at in Wednesday’s Executive Council meeting which approved the need for a review of the environmental laws and procedures in the state in order to meet the present day challenges and to promote a clean and healthy.

The statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde said “It is no longer appropriate to restrict movement of people for three hours in a mega city like Lagos at a time they should be pursuing commercial and entrepreneurial activities.

“In the last two decades, Lagos has grown exponentially into a mega city with the attendant huge environmental problems associated with managing a population of over twenty million people.

“But sadly, the environmental laws, policies and procedures being practiced in the State have not been able to match the phenomenal growth and the dream of a 24-hour economy, hence the need for the reform.”

Ayorinde said the State Government was aware of a recent Court of Appeal judgment.

He said that the thrust of the fresh initiatives, among others, is to promote holistic and modern solutions to the unique environmental challenges confronting the State, while encouraging citizens to voluntarily partner with government to achieve the desired goals.

It said,  “After a careful consideration, the State Executive Council has therefore resolved that the present economic climate can no longer support the continued lock down of a mega city like Lagos, when the citizens should be free to engage in commercial and entrepreneurial activities that can promote economic growth and prosperity.

“Furthermore, Government will also accelerate the introduction of fresh reforms through the passage of the new harmonized environmental laws that will drive meaningful changes in areas of harmonized billing, waste management, modern Landfill sites, noise pollution, introduction of an Environmental Trust Fund and an Environmental Advisory Council.

“The Government wishes to reiterate its strong commitment to a clean and secure environment for the benefit of its citizens, and will continue to provide the necessary leadership to meet the environmental challenges of a mega city like Lagos. Lagosians and visitors alike are therefore urged to embrace these changes and imbibe a culture of voluntarily maintaining and preserving their environment to create a beautiful and healthy city that we all can be proud of.”


The statement added that the State Government would henceforth be tougher in ensuring expeditious enforcement against contraventions of its policies and regulations and as such, residents should voluntarily comply with the necessary laws and support government in its bid to have a clean and healthy environment

DSS STORMS NAICOM

Department of State Security, DSS, in Abuja, stormed National Association of Insurance Commissioners, NAICOM headquarters today, took away the Commissioner of Insurance, Mohammed Kari, into custody. Reason for arrest, still sketchy.

The operatives of the Nigerian Secret Service who earlier arrested judges suspected to be corrupt in a sting operation have whisked away another public official away.

Expecting more details on the development as further made available.

VIDEO: WOMAN CAUGHT VICIOUSLY SLAPPING A NEWBORN BABY

The woman caught beating and slapping a baby in a video that went viral last week has been identified as the biological mother of the newborn and not a nanny as most people assumed.

She is Aygul Kozabahaevna and has since been arrested by the Police in the Central Asian Republic of Uzbekistan.

Her reaction some said is related to post-pastum depression, simply put as mental illness.

SENATE: KACHIKWU TO BE SUMMONED OVER $115bn CHINA, INDIA DEALS

Senate to summon Kachikwu over $115bn China, India deals

The Senate on Tuesday said it will probe into Nigeria’s recent oil deal with India, which worths over $80bn and another with China worth $15bn, with an additional $20bn deal with China’s two biggest petroleum companies.

The upper chamber of the National Assembly has therefore mandated its Committees on Petroleum (Upstream), Petroleum (Downstream), Petroleum (Gas) and Foreign Affairs to summon the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, to explain the details of the deals.

The move was made following a motion moved by the lawmaker representing Edo-Central Senatorial District, Senator Clifford Ordia, titled, ‘The Need for a Detailed Explanation of the $15bn Proposed MoU with Indian Government and Over $80bn MoU Signed by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources with Chinese Firms.’

“The Senate observes that outside these (MoU for $80bn investments), the two largest oil companies in China, Sinopec and CNOOC, signed investment MoUs with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, committing the companies to further investments in Nigeria’s upstream oil sub-sector to the tune of $20bn,” Ordia said while moving the motion.

The senator said the Senate was aware that the Minister of State for Petroleum negotiated a $15bn investment with India, where the Indian government would make an upfront payment to Nigeria for crude oil purchases.

He said, “The Senate is further aware that the two countries have agreed to sign an Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate investments by India in the Nigerian oil and gas sector, and specifically in areas such as refining, oil and gas marketing, upstream ventures, the development of gas infrastructure and in the training of oil and gas personnel in Nigeria.

“The Senate notes that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources also carried out a road show in China, where a Memorandum of Understanding worth over $80bn to be spent on investments in oil and gas infrastructure, pipelines, refineries, power, facility refurbishments and upstream financing spanning five years were signed with Chinese companies.”

CBN, NOT PART OF MOVE TO JAIL HOARDERS

The Central Bank of Nigeria has denied being a party to a legislation that seeks to bar citizens from holding foreign currencies for more than 30 days.

The Nigerian Law Reform Commission had recommended a review of the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Act to the Senate.  It recommended that people who have foreign currencies in their possession for more than 30 days should be jailed for up to two years or pay a fine of 20 per cent of the amount.

Reacting, the Acting Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okorafor, denied knowledge of the proposed clause recommending a jail term of two years for any holder of foreign exchange in cash or a fine of 20 per cent of the amount.

He stressed that the apex bank, in line with its mandate, was committed to safeguarding the international value of the country’s legal tender.

He said, “To the best of my knowledge, the Central Bank of Nigeria has not proposed any bill seeking to arrest and jail persons holding foreign exchange for more than 30 days.”

He also denied that the CBN was planning to confiscate funds in domiciliary accounts of individuals, saying such a claim was false.

CBN: MONETARY POLICY RATE RETAINS AT 14%

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria today left the Monetary Policy Rate unchanged at 14 per cent.

The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, who announced the decision of the committee at the end of a two-day meeting held at the apex bank’s headquarters in Abuja, explained that all the 10 members that attended the meeting agreed to maintain the current monetary policy stance.

Apart from the MPR which was retained at 14 per cent, the governor said the committee also voted to retain the Cash Reserves Ratio at 22.5 per cent.

Also retained are the Liquidity Ratio, which was left at 30 per cent; and the Asymmetric Window which was left at +200 and -500 basis points around the MPR

LITTLE EMMANUELLA CROWNED PRINCESS OF COMEDY

Australian Government Crowns Little Emmanuella Princess Of Comedy And Gives Mark Angel Leadership Award.

Emmanuella was crowned the Best New Comedienne and Princess of Comedy. As a fast rising comedienne became the youngest recipients of the Afro-Australia Music & Movie Awards (AAMMA).

The AAMMA AWARDS was established by Scrim Entertainment (owned by Daniel Okoduwa) to celebrate Artists of African origin irrespective of borders or National identities.

Other recipients in the past includes Hollywood icon Vivica A Fox, Ramsey Nouah, Anne Kansiime, Desmond Elliot, Pascal Atuma, TUFACE Idibia, John Dumelo, Mercy Johnson, Monalisa Chinda, Awilo Longomba, Emerson Bockarie, Jimmy B, Ejike Asiegbu and many others. The organisers described the talent of Emmanuella as simply phenomenal.

Mark Angel Comedy Won Best Subsaharan Channel In The Just Conclude Youtube Awards.

ENTERTAINMENT: KANYE WEST HOSPITALIZED

Kanye West Hospitalized After Cancelling Saint Pablo Tour

LILY HARRISON

Less than a day after cancelling the remainder of his Saint Pablo tour, Kanye West has been hospitalized.

E! News has learned that the Grammy-winning rapper admitted himself into a Los Angeles area hospital Monday evening. A source tells us that "he is exhausted."

According to NBC News' sources, no criminal activity was involved and the decision to hospitalize the "Fade" rapper was for "his own health and safety."

We've also learned that the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call at 1:20 p.m. and upon the authorities' arrival, "the disturbance call became a medical emergency" only.

The news comes on the heels of Yeezy's controversial rant mid-concert about his recent rift between longtime friends Jay Z and Beyoncé as well as his comments on Hillary Clinton and President-Elect Donald Trump.

"The remaining dates on the Saint Pablo Tour have been canceled," a rep for West told E! News in a statement. "Tickets will be fully refunded at point of purchase."

KANYE WEST CANCELED HIS WORLD TOUR

Kanye West Cancels Remaining Saint Pablo Tour Dates

"The remaining dates on the Saint Pablo Tour have been canceled," a rep for West told E! News in a statement. "Tickets will be fully refunded at point of purchase." The Grammy-winning "Fade" rapper canceled Sunday's show at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., without explanation. After arriving 90 minutes late to his show in Sacramento Saturday, West ranted about Beyoncé, Hillary Clinton and Jay Z—then left after three songs, shouting, "I'm on my Trump s--t tonight."

"Beyoncé, I was hurt 'cause I heard that you said you wouldn't perform unless you won Video of the Year over me and over 'Hotline Bling.' Now, don't go trying to diss Beyoncé. She is great. Taylor Swift is great. We are all great people. We are all people. But sometimes we be playing the politics too much and forgetting who we are just to win. F--k winning. F--k looking cool. F--k being cool," the 39-year-old rapper told his fans. "I've been sent here to give y'all my truth even at the risk of my own life, even at the risk of my own success, my own career. I've been sent here to give y'all the truth. Jay Z—call me, bruh. You still ain't called me. Jay Z, call me, Jay Z; I know you got killers. Please don't send them at my head. Just call me. Talk to me like a man."

Kanye West Talks Kim Kardashian and Touring With Family

West was next scheduled to perform at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., Tuesday, with more concerts scheduled in Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Louisville, Orlando, Philadelphia, Toronto, Washington D.C. and more major cities through New Year's Eve.

When E! News' Ken Baker spoke to West backstage after one of his gigs in August, the rapper revealed his goal was to "take the concert experience to another level." To do that, he had his stage suspended above a mosh pit, so fans could better experience his show. "I wanted people to get into it and have a fun time, make it not be just about watching the artist, but people watching their friends and singing along to the lyrics and being able to see themselves, their outfits. It's not just about what you're seeing on the screen or what you're seeing me doing up on the stage, but what you and your friends are doing," he said, adding, "I want people to come to the Pablo shows and know it's just going to be the best time they've had in their life."

TOURISM AND SANITATION: SANITATION COMPETITION IN ILE-IFE

His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Ogunwusi was crowned Ooni of Ife, followed by the presentation of staff of office by the Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on the 7th of December last year.

Ile ife has since been witnessing transformations in various economic sectors such as Agriculture, Education, Transportation, Youth Development and Women Empowerment, Improved Sanitation Exercise, Infrastructure and Tourism Revolution leading to the rejuvenation of festivals like Olokun , Osara, Oramfe, Olojo and so on and so forth.

In preparation of making Ile-ife "A World Class Tourist Destination", Ooni Ogunwusi launched "Gba'Femo" Literally connoting 'Keep Ile-ife Clean'. A multi-million naira Environmental Sanitation Program which has since engaged about 200 youths in collaboration with the Local Government Authorities.

Ooni Ogunwusi, accompanied by his Queen, Olori Wuraola, while commissioning the project with two (2) new Leyland trucks and waste disposal bins declared that "Environmental Sanitation or Cleanliness" is crucial in the drive to make Ile-ife 'ATourist Destination'.

Challenging each and every household to ensure cleanliness at home and their environs. Quite rewarding is the sanitation competition as the cleanest street would be receiving an award of one hundred Thousand Naira every month.

The two new leyland trucks and waste disposal bins provided by the monarch would go round the city collecting refuse, transport to designated dumpsite for recycling and reclamation process that is "A Waste To Wealth Program'.

Appeal for support and co-operation has gone to all and sundry in Ile-ife and its environs to make the program successful.

TOURISM: MOREMI STATUE OF LIBERTY IN ILE-IFE

Queen Moremi Ajasoro Statue of Liberty first of its kind was yesterday unveiled, the tallest in Nigeria and the 3rd in Africa (42ft) as part of the drive of the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II to turn Ile-ife to the hub of “Global Tourism Destination’’

She was a brave and pretty queen who in order to solve the problems facing her people, offered anything she had to give in sacrifice to the spirit of Esimirin river so as to discover the strength of the enemies of Oodua race. She is a heroine who liberated the people of Oodua land from slavery invasion of faceless terrorists.

The Queen Moremi Ajasoro Statue of Liberty is the first of its kinds in this great fist of cultural exhibition and transformation of Ife into a major tourist zone.

Ooni Ogunwusi in extolling the virtues of the great African Heroine, praised God for making one of his greatest dreams come to reality within his one-year on the throne of his forefathers. Described the heroine (Moremi) as the real mother of liberty in the world whose legacy must not be left in the oblivion.

“God Almighty has given me the grace of achieving one of my greatest ambitions within my first year on this sacred throne of Oduduwa.

“Moremi Ajasoro, an Ife queen who in her lifetime exhibited an unrivaled heroism of world’s liberty dedicated her life to the liberation of mankind by sacrificing her only child to free the people of Oodua land from the invasion of some faceless terrorists thousands of years ago.

The 42ft Moremi Liberty Statue, erected right where Moremi lived before she became a diety thousands of years ago, as a goddess of liberty. 

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TOURISM AND CLIMATE CHANGE

CALABAR CARNIVAL AND FESTIVAL 2016 THEME: CLIMATE CHANGE

"Africa's Biggest Street Party" 2016 is here again! The Calabar Carnival and festival in Nigeria showcases the richness of our cultural diversities, multi talented artistes, mosaic of costumes attracting tourists and millions of spectators cutting across the continent and the rest of the world.

The carnival, a big time party usually starts December 1 till 31 has truly pushed Cross River State to be the number 1 Tourist Destination in Nigeria and the continent at large. It has been endorsed by many multinational companies and their horizon is still rising.

We're bowling, so let's go there! Have fun and dance to the variety of tunes from the line up of international and home based artistes.

There are series of activities for this year edition Themed "CLIMATE CHANGE" which include 10,000 Tree Planting to support the "GREEN CARNIVAL"

ORDER OF PROGRAMS:

1st -10th  (DECEMBER) MILLENIUM WEEK

12th -17th  (DECEMBER) SPORT FIESTA

19th -24th (DECEMBER) THE TINAPA FAMILY FUN FESTIVAL

25th -31st  (DECEMBER) THE CARNIVAL WEEK

YOUR TOILET SECRET GOLDMINE

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT!
DON'T FLUSH!

Tanakawho/Flicker

Bacteria feeds on excrement and other wastes leaving behind sludge. Just so you know, that sludge is "secret goldmine" says Paul Westerhoff an Environmental Engineer at Arizona State University.

Secret goldmine better still called 'Money in Metal' as estimated by Westerhoff contains large quantities of gold, silver and other valuable metals seep into bio solids from a variety of sources such as teeth fillings and industrial processes.

Miners not targeting such metals translates to society flushing millions of naira down the drains and toiltet.

Waste Equivalence:
57 Pounds (25.86 Kg): Amount of sludge a person produces annually.
N220,000: Value of metals in a ton of sludge.
N3.2 Billion: Estimated worth of all gold and silver that could be mined annually from the waste of 1million people.
N5.2 Billion: Estimated worth of all metals that could be mined annually from the waste of 1 million people.



SOURCE: March/April 2016 Issue of Popular Science, under the title “Waste Not, Want Not.”
TAGS: WASTE,  SLUDGE,  METALS,  GOLD, SILVER, RESOURCES, MINING
(NICOLE LOU)

GLOBAL WARMING PAUSITY

In the last few years, there has been a lot of talk about a pause in global warming. Commentators argued that since 1998, there had been no significant global warming despite ever increasing amounts of carbon dioxide being emitted.

Scientists have tried to explain this in a number of ways. These include:
1) Variations in the Sun's energy output
2) Decline in atmospheric water vapour
3) Greater storage of heat by the oceans.
But so far, there is no general consensus on the precise mechanism behind the pause.

Sceptics highlight the pause as an example of the fallibility of predictions based on computer climate models. On the other hand, climate scientists point out that the hiatus occurs in just one component of the climate system - the global mean surface temperature - and that other indicators, such as melting ice and changes to plant and animal life, demonstrate that the Earth has continued to warm.

In fact, a study published in Science journal in June 2015 doubted there had been a warming hiatus in the first place.

Predictions on temperature rise in future?
In its 2013 assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecast a range of possible scenarios based on computer modelling. But most simulations indicate that global surface temperature change by the end of the 21st Century is likely to exceed 1.5°C, relative to 1850.

A threshold of 2°C is generally regarded as the gateway to dangerous warming.
Even if we cut greenhouse gas emissions dramatically now, scientists say the effects will continue because parts of the climate system, particularly large bodies of water and ice, can take hundreds of years to respond to changes in temperature. It also takes greenhouse gases decades to be removed from the atmosphere.

FOSSIL FUEL: EFFECTS OF CARBON DIOXIDE

Scientists believe we are adding to the natural greenhouse effect with gases released from industry and agriculture (known as emissions), trapping more energy and increasing the temperature. This is commonly referred to as global warming or climate change.

The most important of these greenhouse gases in terms of its contribution to warming is water vapour, but concentrations show little change and it persists in the atmosphere for only a few days.

On the other hand, carbon dioxide (CO2) persists for much longer (it would take hundreds of years for it to return to pre-industrial levels). In addition, there is only so much CO2 that can be soaked up by natural reservoirs such as the oceans.

Most man-made emissions of CO2 are through the burning of fossil fuels, as well as through cutting down carbon-absorbing forests. Other greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide are also released through human activities, but their overall abundance is small compared with carbon dioxide.

Since the industrial revolution began in 1750, CO2 levels have risen by more than 30% and methane levels have risen more than 140%. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is now higher than at any time in at least 800,000 years.

CLIMATE CHANGE: EXTREME WEATHER

The scale of potential impacts is uncertain. The changes could drive freshwater shortages, bring sweeping changes in food production conditions, and increase the number of deaths from floods, storms, heat waves and droughts. This is because climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events - though linking any single event to global warming is complicated.

Scientists forecast more rainfall overall, but say the risk of drought in inland areas during hot summers will increase. More flooding is expected from storms and rising sea levels. There are, however, likely to be very strong regional variations in these patterns. Poorer countries, which are least equipped to deal with rapid change, could suffer the most.

Plant and animal extinctions are predicted as habitats change faster than species can adapt, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the health of millions could be threatened by increases in malaria, water-borne disease and malnutrition.

As an increased amount of CO2 is released into the atmosphere, there is increased uptake of CO2 by the oceans, and this leads to them becoming more acidic. This ongoing process of acidification could pose major problems for the world's coral reefs, as the changes in chemistry prevent corals from forming a calcified skeleton, which is essential for their survival.

Computer models are used to study the dynamics of the Earth's climate and make projections about future temperature change. But these climate models differ on "climate sensitivity" - the amount of warming or cooling that occurs as a particular factor, such as CO2. goes up or down.

Models also differ in the way that they express "climate feedbacks".
Global warming will cause some changes that look likely to create further heating, such as the release of large quantities of the greenhouse gas methane as permafrost (permanently frozen soil found mainly in the Arctic) melts. This is known as a positive climate feedback.

But negative feedbacks exist that could offset warming. Various "reservoirs" on Earth absorb CO2 as part of the carbon cycle - the process through which carbon is exchanged between, for example, the oceans and the land.


The question is: how will these balance out?