CLIMATE CHANGE: EVIDENCE OF WARMING

Temperature records going back to the late 19th Century show that the average temperature of the Earth's surface has increased by about 0.8C (1.4F) in the last 100 years. About 0.6C (1.0F) of this warming occurred in the last three decades.

PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

Satellite data shows an average increase in global sea levels of some 3mm per year in recent decades. A large proportion of the change in sea level is accounted for by the thermal expansion of seawater. As seawater warms up, the molecules become less densely packed, causing an increase in the volume of the ocean.

But the melting of mountain glaciers and the retreat of polar ice sheets are also important contributors. Most glaciers in temperate regions of the world and along the Antarctic Peninsula are in retreat.

Since 1979, satellite records show a dramatic decline in Arctic sea-ice extent, at an annual rate of 4% per decade. In 2012, the ice extent reached a record minimum that was 50% lower than the 1979-2000 average.

The Greenland Ice Sheet has experienced record melting in recent years; if the entire 2.8 million cu km sheet were to melt, it would raise sea levels by 6m. Satellite data shows the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is also losing mass, and a recent study indicated that East Antarctica, which had displayed no clear warming or cooling trend, may also have started to lose mass in the last few years.

But scientists are not expecting dramatic changes. In some places, mass may actually increase as warming temperatures drive the production of more snows.
The effects of a changing climate can also be seen in vegetation and land animals. These include earlier flowering and fruiting times for plants and changes in the territories (or ranges) occupied by animals.

ECO-COOLER

Climate change translates in to increase in temperature no doubt, put at the average of 15°C. Some part of the world in Bangladesh experience scorching temperatures, especially those living without possible means to power air conditioner.

PHOTO CREDIT: GREY DHAKA GRAMEEN

DIY Eco-cooler is a cooling system consisting of used plastic bottles and a piece of cardboard.

The mechanism of Eco-cooler is such that the temperature of the hot air rushing in to the bottle is expanded before cooling takes place as the air passes through the neck of the bottle. The temperature is reduced by 5°C within a short time.

Eco-Cooler has shared the blue prints for anyone to make their own DIY cooling system

To make A DIY Eco-cooler, take the following 6 Steps

To make a homemade cooling system, grab a piece of a heavy duty cardboard and trim it to fit the window of your choice.

Next, cut holes in a grid pattern that are large enough for a bottle neck, but be sure the cuts are spaced out according to the size of the bottle.

Find as many used bottles as you can, and the bigger the size difference between the body and the rim, the better, notes Eco-Cooler.

Slice along the body of the bottle and cut away the tops of the caps before placing them back on the bottle – this helps fix the bottle into the board.

Pushing the cut bottle from the outer side of the board, twist the cap from the inner side and tighten in to keep the bottle in place.

And finally, place the Eco-Cooler in the window with the wide part of the bottles facing outside.

Hot air will rush into each bottle, which is pushed to the rim where it starts to expand – this expansion is what cools the air before it enters the room

CLIMATE CHANGE: GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Going by BBC News looking at what we know and don't know about the Earth's changing climate.

What is climate change?
The planet's climate has constantly been changing over geological time. The global average temperature today is about 15°C, though geological evidence suggests it has been much higher and lower in the past.
However, the current period of warming is occurring more rapidly than many past events. Scientists are concerned that the natural fluctuation, or variability, is being overtaken by a rapid human-induced warming that has serious implications for the stability of the planet's climate.

What is the "greenhouse effect"?
The greenhouse effect refers to the way the Earth's atmosphere traps some of the energy from the Sun. Solar energy radiating back out to space from the Earth's surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases and re-emitted in all directions.
The energy that radiates back down to the planet heats both the lower atmosphere and the surface. Without this effect, the Earth would be about 30°C colder, making our planet hostile to life.

MAN COMMITTED SUICIDE IN IMO

The body of Nnaah was found dangling from where he hung himself on Wednesday 16th November, 2016 in Umuezikeoha in Uba-Umaka village, Njaba Local Council of Imo State, Nigeria. He was said to have committed suicide in the presence of his helpless bed ridden Father Mr. Iwuanyawu who is battling stroke.

Information gathered confirmed that late Nnaah got a visa to travel to South Korea and in a bid to source for fund was bent on selling the only plot of land the family farms on. The Father did not agree to sell even when the deceased brought a buyer that offered the sum of N1,000,000 million. Mr. Iwuanyawu turned down the offer but rather seek the opinion of his first Son, Emeka presently living in Senegal.

According to the tradition and custom of Umuaka, sacrifices have to be performed if anyone commits suicide by hanging, no one is allowed to touch the dead body before bringing it down for burial. Only some certain set of people in igbo land are permitted to touch the dead body.

Report going round revealed that Nnaah had threatened to kill anyone that stands in his way of  selling the plot of land in Umuezikeoha village. He went about furiously shouting he will kill someone and kill himself before the ugly incident happened.

Visitors have since been trooping in to the village to confirm the story.

BOY LYNCHED AT ORILE WAS NOTORIOUS

Following the argument that came after the jungle justice meted out on the thief caught at the popular Alafia busstop in speculating story of a 7-year old boy burnt over stealing Garri, more revelations are going round confirming he was a notorious thief in his 20's that had in the past terrorized and successfully dispossessed many of their valuables.

Digging further, the ugly incident happened on Saturday 12th November, 2016 at the Alaafia busstop, Orile. The boy met his waterloo as he was trying to rob a woman of her valuables and phones. Luck ran against him when an Hausa man caught him in the process. The rest of the gang escaped while the Hausa man sustained injury from been stabbed as he held him down.

Some of the residents confirmed that the Hausa had for long meant to target the lynched boy who seized the opportunity on Saturday when the sad event eventually happened. Just as notorious as the area is, the resident are shying away from going public on the matter and police are seen to be equally neutral on it as no arrest has been made so far.

GUNMEN KILLED 6, STOLE 700 CATTLE IN NIGER

Gunmen stormed Kukoyi community, Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State killed 6.


The council's chairman, Mark Jagaba disclosed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the unknown gunmen suspected to be cattle rustlers made away with about 700 cattle and killed 6 in an attack that lasted for about four hours.

LUTH OR DUMP SITE

Huge refuse dump is what characterized the back of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Idi-araba, Lagos. This is to call the attention of the Lagos State Government to what becomes of the one-time 'State of the Heart Teaching Hospital'.

Its a deplorable thing to behold, giving to the environmental impacts on the health of the patients, medical personnel, nonclinical staff. The residents living within the vicinity are the worst hit with severe health risks.

Least to talk about the size of the garbage which makes it easier to describe the place behind LUTH as "A Dump Site" for years.

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Stakeholders recently met in Abuja at a roundtable organised by the National Assembly Joint Committee on Climate Change to discuss feasible steps towards the implementation of the Paris Agreement, in order to mitigate against the effects of climate change in Nigeria.

PHOTO CREDIT: DAMILOLA OYEDELE

Developing countries like Nigeria have been said to be suffering the effects of climate change, much more than the developed nations whose advanced technologies contribute more to the destruction of the ozone layer. It is necessary to note that several archaic practices such as gas flaring and bush burning, which still occur in Nigeria, significantly destroy the environment.

Climate change threatens development across all sectors of national economy. It contributes to drought, floods, food and water scarcity, damages critical infrastructure. A culmination of these and other effects result in various forms of insecurity, such as the now rampant farmers/herdsmen clash.

Previous agreements for climate change, such as the Kyoto Protocol were not adequate for mobilising global action, which is the only way to protect and restore the environment.
The Paris Agreement, which was adopted last year, and open for signatures and ratification by states is expected to address the inadequacies of the Kyoto Protocol. 74 countries, excluding Nigeria have signed the agreement, while 19 others have ratified it. Nigeria withheld signature due to the need for internal consultations, but the country has pledged to work with other African countries, on the environment.

The agreement seeks to keep temperatures below two degree celsius, provide more than $100 billion in support from developed countries to their developing counterparts, and increase support for technology transfer and capacity building.

Nigeria’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) target emission reductions of 20-45 per cent by the year 2030, by working towards economy wide energy efficiency, efficient gas power stations, working towards ending gas flaring, climate smart agriculture, reduction of transmission losses, and renewable energy.

Crucial Roundtable
To this end, the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Climate Change recently held a roundtable with climate impacted Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government, to discuss concrete and verifiable preparations towards the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Participants at the one day meeting discussed the steps being taken to ensure Nigeria meets the targets it has set for itself, its preparations for 2016-2020, and in particular, how the National Assembly can assist the relevant MDAs achieve their mandates.

Participants at the conference included lawmakers, officials of the United Nations Development Programme, Ministry of Environment, and relevant agencies.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Climate Change, Hon. Sam Onuigbo, representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency, in his address said the roundtable was borne out of the need to create and cement partnerships which are critical to the climate challenge.

“I want to categorically say here that this 8th NASS is determined to do whatever it takes to help MDAs surmount our climate challenge. We in the NASS understand that dimensioning climate change risks to Nigeria’s economy would reveal opportunities to be harnessed for holistic and dynamic systems approach for supporting and sustaining gains already made by our economy,” Onuigbo said.

The lawmaker added that Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind in fight to secure the environment for future generations, and should not be out-paced in regional and international actions that are required to create sustainable and climate-friendly solutions.

“Consequently, it is absolutely necessary that you factor these ambitious NDCs and the President’s commitment into your 2017 budget proposals in order to accommodate some of the new challenges, especially as they affect the NDCs. Mainstreaming climate change into 2017 budgetary proposals is particularly necessary to plug likely gaps and to lay solid foundation for the actualisation of the overall aim of the NDCs. Essentially, we would be demanding accountability on this when the CI-MDAs come before our committee to defend their 2017 budgets.

“Let me be clear: The Standing Orders of the House of Representatives clearly empower the HRCCC to ensure legislative scrutiny and oversight over treaties and agreements that are likely to arise from coordinated efforts under the UNFCCC. The mission of the HRCCC has been to, through legislative intervention in line with the NASS Legislative Agenda, promote resource allocation to climate-friendly programmes that will enhance Nigeria’s resilience to climate impact across all the economic sectors,” Onuigbo added.

The Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Dr. Pa Lamin Beyai, called on Nigeria to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Paris agreement.
He however noted that the potential can only be harnessed through legislation and effective oversights, that would facilitate successful implementation of national policies aimed at addressing the adverse effects of climate change.

“It would serve to ensure the efficient use of scarce resources that would lead to job creation, poverty reduction and prosperity that leaves no one behind, all of which are pillars of the green economy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he said.

“Thus it is crucial that the National Assembly be better equipped to appreciate the impact of climate change on the economy, the imperative of reducing ecological scarcity and environmental risks and why adequate budgetary appropriation for climate responses and activities is required,” Beyai added.

The Deputy Director, Climate Change, in the Ministry of Environment, Dr. Tarfa Yerima, speaking while he made a power-point presentation, harped on the need for an inter-ministerial cooperation for effective governance on climate change.

He listed some of the benefits which the country stands to gain from an effective implementation of the Paris agreement to include; increased productivity through crop intensification, halt of deforestation, improved management of water resources, reduced flaring emissions, recover energy for use in economy, improve mass transit, reduce congestion of roads, and reform of petrol and diesel sectors.

He called for the urgent restoration of Lake Chad, to save the estimated 20 million Nigerians who depend on its water and environmental resources, and the push for Nigerians to harness solar and wind energy as power sources.

Conclusion
As Yerima noted, Nigeria’s success in implementation of the Paris agreement would be measured by how its national policy actions comply with the agreement.
The first step however has to be the signing and ratification of the agreement, and legislation on climate change that would ensure funding and implementation.
Climate change standards and enforcement regulatory bodies have to work to ensure that carbon emissions are significantly reduced.

THREE PERSONS DEAD IN DIESEL TANKER ACCIDENT

Three persons have been confirmed dead in a diesel tanker accident, as the tanker collided with another truck, causing a fire explosion, on a major bridge along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, in the early hours of Wednesday.

Traffic started building-up as early as 4:00am in what many thought was due to the re-construction of Lagos-Ibadan expressway which started last week. An anonimous eye witness gave his own side of the story blaming the accidwnt on the failure of the fuel tanker's system.

Men of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), NSCDC, Fire Service and Police were all on ground to ease the flow of traffic and evacuation.

CLIMATE CHANGE: PMB Commits To Nigeria's Emission Reduction

President Muhammadu Buhari has declared the resolve of the Nigerian Government to ensure implementation of policies that will address climate change.

He says Nigeria will emerge as one of the world’s best examples of how reducing emissions could benefit the environment and the economy.

In his speech at the 22nd Session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) taking place in Marrakech, Morocco, President Buhari outlined the plan of the administration towards aligning with the global objectives on climate change and ensuring inclusive growth and environmental sustainability.

“In Nigeria, we are launching a strategic plan for the implementation of our Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and we have equally embraced the issuance of green bonds as an innovative means and alternative way of raising climate finance both locally and internationally.

“We cannot afford to wait until 2020. We are already making far reaching changes to all sectors of our economy including through: Substantially increasing the use of climate smart agriculture, diversification of our energy mix through renewable and efficient gas power, creating a more efficient, cleaner and lower-carbon oil and gas sector especially through a gas to energy programme and initiating the implementation of the clean-up of the Ogoni-Land in the Niger-Delta region,” he said.

President Buhari also announced Nigeria’s ambitious but achievable commitment to ‘green growth’.

“We have reflected our determination for green growth in my country’s ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contribution. We have also announced our plans to reduce emissions by 20% by the year 2030, with the intention of raising this target to 45%, with the support of the international community. This is one of Africa’s most ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contributions – covering all emissions from all parts of the economy,” he told the gathering.

President Buhari also affirmed that Nigeria had no choice but to key into the global action on climate change.

“In Nigeria for instance, the impact is being felt by the more than 2.1 million people displaced by devastating floods that the country has continued to suffer since 2012. If not addressed by 2050, the human and financial cost would be colossal. For us in Nigeria, the larger dimension of the challenge goes beyond emission rights. Survival rights are also at stake,” he explained.

The Nigerian President equally reminded the gathering of the agreement at the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly that climate threats and security threats go hand in hand and called for concerted efforts on them.

“The Lake Chad Basin for example, has shrunk to a mere 10% of its original size, and this has seriously affected the livelihood of over five million people and contributed to the growth of insecurity in the region, including the emergence of Boko Haram as a terrorist group. Hence the urgent need to resuscitate Lake Chad.

“In this regard, I seize this opportunity to express gratitude and appreciation to those who have responded to our call and to encourage other well-meaning partners to join in our efforts to revive the Lake Chad Basin,” President Buhari said.

He expressed the readiness of Nigeria to join hands for the change that the whole world is working towards.

“We, therefore, stand ready to engage in meaningful partnerships to tackle the menace, and call on our neighbours and developing partners to fulfil their financial obligations in support of efforts to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change,” the President declared.

He also called on world leaders to recommit themselves to the achievement of the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement which they collectively signed in 2015 for the benefit of this and future generations.

“Nigeria has submitted its instrument of ratification for the new global agenda on climate change. We urge others to do the same in order to make the world a safe place,” he added.