5 November 2009
editorial
THE recent call by former Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Kofi Annan, for global cooperation to avert the catastrophic consequences of climate change ought to be heeded by Nigeria as the country falls within the category of vulnerable and least developed nations that would bear the brunt of the greenhouse emissions, if appropriate actions are not taken.
The UN scribe, who warned about the growing dangers of climate change, such as rising sea levels, drought and other extreme weather conditions, said the world was under a serious threat in which the least developed nations of the world would suffer most despite accounting for less than 2 per cent of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and with the least resources to tackle it.
Annan, in his keynote address at the recent Global Editors' forum held in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the theme: "From Kyoto to Copenhagen: Confronting Global Warming and Achieving Energy Security," also called for solidarity and the involvement of world leaders in commitments to meeting targets aimed at averting destruction of the earth on a colossal scale.
Unlike in the past when lack of obligation by developing countries was overlooked, the new initiative is towards having a binding agreement that would compel nations of the world to make contributions. Under this dispensation, major developing countries would commit themselves to unilateral mitigation actions and deviations from "business as usual" attitude, while the developed world would commit itself to deep cuts to compensate for their historical carbon emissions and assist the less developed world financially to achieve their targets.
Although recent preparatory meetings ended in deadlock, the forthcoming UN Summit on Climate Change in December in Copenhagen, Denmark, charged with replacing the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse emission gases, would, hopefully, bridge the gap rather than widen it. The Kyoto-Protocol, a UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was first adopted on December 11, 2007, in Kyoto, Japan, and came into force on February 26, 2008. As at October, 2009, 184 countries had ratified the protocol. The most notable non-member is the United States of America.
Nigeria is one of the countries that are at risk of the effects of climate change in form of sea level rise along the coastline, intensified desertification, erosion, flooding disasters and general land degradation. It faces both the problems of adaptation, including controlling desertification, conserving potable water, preventing sea level rise as well as issues of mitigation - eliminating gas flaring and preserving the forests.
In the midst of this, are lack of environmental awareness policies that can ameliorate hazards.
Climate change issues are too serious to be left in the hands of a few people. Consequently, there is an overwhelming need to empower the masses through education, for them to appreciate the consequences of climate change and adopt best environmental practices. Nigeria's low literacy rate and mass poverty are factors in attitudinal change. For sensitization programmes to succeed, government must address these factors. Poverty, for instance, causes deforestation and desertification and must be tackled.
Also, because Nigerians depend more on importation of fuel, control over what is imported into the country is lax. In the past, foul fuel had found its way into the markets. When the octane level of fuel is too high it produces dangerous emissions that have resulted in air-borne and other diseases. An oil producing country desirous of green environment must, therefore, own functional refineries that can guarantee quality fuel.
Other countries have achieved a lot by investing in alternative energy sources. Denmark is evolving a system that mitigates the effect of global warming. Since 1980, Denmark has experienced growth at 78 per cent, and still the energy consumption has remained stable. In September, 2009, the world's largest offshore wind Turbine Park in the North Sea with 91 wind turbines at sea was commissioned. These turbines will produce enough electricity to supply 200,000 households. Though Nigeria is a late joiner, we believe that with political will, it can adapt to environment-friendly practices.
As the giant of Africa, Nigeria must lead the way in research and environmentally friendly policies that can make the country and continent green. Nigeria has the capacity to be the African voice at the December Summit by making sure that issues relevant to the continent are placed on the negotiation table.
The December Summit is crucial and we counsel that the leadership of the country must ensure that they attend.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 Daily Champion. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
