Nigerian Government seeks to foster environmental sustainability
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Angela Atabo
Dec, Wed, 2024
Environment
Pollutants: Nigeria begins implementation of MRV systems to mitigate emissions
Emissions
By Angela Atabo
Abuja, Dec.17, 2024(NAN) The Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN), in collaboration with the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), has initiated the process of implementing Monitoring Reporting Verification(MRV)systems to mitigate emissions in Nigeria .
Dr Nkiruka Maduekwe, Director-General, NCCC, spoke at an Inception Workshop to Implement MRV for Short-lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs) in Key Sectors on Tuesday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that MRV programmes help governments to better understand how various sectors contribute to methane and other emissions and identify the most promising mitigation opportunities.
According to Maduekwe, Nigeria as global methane champion, has identified methane as one of the greenhouse gases that should be tackled.
She said the focus was to reduce methane, a short-term lived climate pollutant, also called super pollutants.
Maduekwe said that Nigeria had identified three sectors: oil and gas, agriculture and waste as focus areas in reducing methane emissions.
“We know that if you do not measure something, you are not able to know what it is you need to do; and so, we have understood that monitoring, reporting and verification is very crucial to identifying how much methane we have been able to reduce as a country.
“So, that is why this is very important; this is the inception workshop to kick-start this project and you are very crucial stakeholders to ensure that Nigeria actually has an MRV specifically for short-lived climate pollutants.
“We all know what is happening in Rivers with the black carbon emissions; you touch things and they are black; it is affecting the health of children, adults and we are not even doing the calculation of how much methane is affecting our lives.
“So, when we talk about short-lived climate pollutants, we are talking about something that affects you as a human being; yes, we are talking about greenhouse gases that although short-lived in air but their impact is so devastating compared to carbon dioxide,” she said.
Maduekwe said Nigeria would henceforth monitor the emissions, report them and seek how to verify them.
She said that the workshop would help to draw up guidelines for methane MRV so that at the end of 2025, Nigeria should be able know how much methane have been reduced among others.
Also speaking, Ms Catalina Etcheverry, Programme Management Officer, Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), said the coalition worked to mitigate short-lived climate pollutants including methane, hydro fluorocarbons, black carbon, as well as tropospheric ozone.
Etcheverry said the coalition supported countries that were signatories such as Nigeria in moving towards global methane reductions of at least 30 per cent by 2030.
“To limit warming to 1.5 degrees, countries have to work on significant reductions both on short-lived climate pollutants as well as on carbon dioxide (CO2) across all sectors by 2030.
“Short-lived climate pollutants are actually responsible for 45 per cent of current warming but stay in the atmosphere for a much shorter period than CO2.
“This means that the reductions in short-lived climate pollutants can achieve climate benefits within less than 20 years; it also has a host of co-benefits to livelihoods to health that we should account for.
“We are very pleased that Nigeria is now working on monitoring and tracking of progress of these short-lived climate pollutants across key sectors because it is essential to transparency and determines whether Nigeria is progressing on the longer-term goals of the Paris Agreement,” she said.
Dr Jude Samuelson, Head of Environment, SDN, said the workshop being funded by CCAC, was aimed at integrating the MRV into the national framework.
Samuelson said that the project was conceptualised to support the government of Nigeria to have a robust MRV framework which was necessary for short-lived pollutants with leading gases like methane and black carbon.
“The overall objective is to support the government of Nigeria to have increased capacity to incorporate SLCPs into the national MRV framework to support accurate reporting,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
ATAB/CJ/
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Edited by Chijioke Okoronkwo
Fabian Ekeruche
Dec, Tue, 2024
Environment
HEDA, NiMet, NIHSA to host workshop on climate prediction, flood forecasting
Workshop
By Fabian Ekeruche
Lagos, Dec. 17, 2024 (NAN) The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) and its partners are set to host a train-the-trainer workshop on the interpretation and application of climate prediction and flood forecasting tools.
This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Salako Nurudeen, Communications Manager at HEDA, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
Nurudeen said that HEDA would organise the workshop in collaboration with the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA).
According to him, the initiative is part of the African Activists for Climate Justice project, in partnership with Oxfam and Community Action for Food Security.
He said that the workshop had been scheduled to take place in Abuja, Akwa-Ibom, Kano, Adamawa and Oyo, from Dec. 18 to Dec. 27.
He said that the workshop aimed to address persistent challenges associated with dissemination and understanding of climate-related information in Nigeria.
He quoted HEDA’s Executive Secretary, Mr Sulaimon Arigbabu, as saying that in spite of the timely and reliable Seasonal Climate Predictions (SCP) and flood forecasts provided by NiMet and NIHSA, there was still a significant gap in the interpretation and practical use of the information at the grassroots.
“Key stakeholders, such as environmental and agricultural development officers, often face difficulties translating these forecasts into actionable plans.
“This gap increases vulnerabilities in critical areas like agriculture, food security and disaster preparedness, especially as climate shocks like floods and droughts continue to have severe consequences,” Nurudeen quoted Arigbabu as saying.
He said that the workshop aimed to bridge information gap by enhancing the technical capacity of environmental and agricultural officers.
He said that participants would learn advanced skills to accurately interpret SCP and flood forecasts and apply the knowledge to guide communities in adopting climate-resilient practices.
He added that the capacity building would support decision-making within state ministries of agriculture, as well as support environment and planning, ultimately improving climate-responsive planning and interventions.
He said that the workshop would also address barriers to effective communication of climate forecasts.
“These barriers include language challenges, technical complexity and inadequate outreach strategies.
“By overcoming these obstacles, the project will ensure that climate data reaches and benefits those who need it most, enhancing the resilience of Nigerian communities to climate risks.
“This workshop will strengthen collaboration between NiMet, NIHSA, HEDA and regional stakeholders, aiming to improve access to climate information for frontline communities.
“The initiative further reflects HEDA’s commitment to promoting sustainable development, environmental justice and community resilience in the face of climate challenges.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
FBO/iGO
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Edited by Ijeoma Popoola
Abigael Joshua
Dec, Tue, 2024
Env
The Federal Government has pledged to strengthen collaboration with the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) to foster long term environmental sustainability in Nigeria.
ACReSAL is a World Bank-financed project which aims to address climate change and land degradation in Nigeria’s northern states.
Mr Mahmud Kambari, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, said this on Tuesday in Abuja, at a technical session on the presentation and finalisation of the first phase of the developed Strategic Catchment Management Plan (SCMP) for ACReSAL states.
“ACReSAL project seeks to impact 3.4 million direct beneficiaries out of which 1.68 million (49.41 per cent) will be women,” Kambari said.
He noted that the 200 micro catchment management plans at the state levels would fit together with the 20 SCMP.
“Some catchment management plans have been developed in Nigeria by various MDAs, but this is the first time Nigeria will be developing catchment management plans covering a large landmass of this extent.
“The Hadejia Jama’are strategic catchment management plan, was selected to be finalised based on the government’s development priority and the promise to restore the Nguru wetland,”Kambari said.
Mr Richard Pheelangwah, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, represented by Mr Babatunde Segun, Director Water Supply and Support Services in the ministry noted that water was essential in the execution of the project.
“Together, we can make a lasting impact on the Hadeija Jama’are Catchment, ensuring its health, productivity, and viability for years to come,” he said.
Mr Temitope Fashedemi, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, stated that the workshop was a significant step forward in the collective efforts to enhance resilience in Nigeria’s semi-arid region.
Fashedemi who was represented by Mr Lawal Mohammed, Assistant Director Agricultural Land land Climate Change Management Services added that the workshop would refine strategies and validate collective vision for a resilient agricultural sector.
Dr Joy Agene Task Team Leader (TTL) for ACReSAL and the Senior Environment Specialist for the World Bank Catchment, noted the need to enlighten communities against the devastating effects of flooding.
She said the World Bank would always work with the states and community dwellers to finalize the document for efficient delivery.
“Under ACReSAL we have something we call the micro catchment management plans, this is done at the community level, It is site specific, however this can only be done by the state,” Agene said.
She however noted that the strategic plan which was being discussed is not done by the state but led by federal government agencies.
Mr Abdulhamid Umar, the National Project Coordinator of ACReSAL said that the project would deliver 20 strategic management catchment plans.
Umar said that the project is a pilot project led by the Ministry of Environment and co supported by the Ministries of Agriculture and Food Security and Water Resources and Sanitation.
NAN / Foluke Ibitomi
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