The director of a Non -governmental organization “African climate reporters “Comrade Mohammed zakariyya has called on federal government of Nigeria to stop fossil fuel project in the country ,and embrace new technologist from renewable energy as the alternate alternatives to carbon emission ,so as to save human, animal and even the aquatic lives against all forms of environmental degradation ,and global warming problems.
Also adding that there is the need to grow the renewable energy market in Nigeria in an effort to move towards cleaner sources of power which could be generated from the Solar,Wind ,and other useful ways from hydro-energy.
He stated this during one week international conference on climate change and the threat to new diseases in African, which was held in kaduna north western Nigeria.
According to him Fossil Fuel are the major energy source being used in Nigeria today which means that Nigeria is not free from the dangers inherent in the use of Fossil Fuel. Stating clearly that Nigeria may not be able to entirely free itself from Fossil Fuel use but it should minimize it’s consumption and dependencies on it,in other to avert increase diseases related to climate changes.
The activist says there is a need for the Nigerian government to reduce its dependence on fossil fuel and look for renewable energy to support the effort of the global community on climate change and other environmental challenges that is affecting the society.
“we will keep on disturbing Nigerian Government and African union “AU” to double-up effort in the fight against desertification, deforestation, and global warming, stressing that they will not stop till when African government start reacting on ways to halt fossil fuel problems ,and embrace new technologies from Renewable energy, as the ultimate solution to global warming”
He said ,to be frank Nigeria is blessed with abundant energy in fossil fuel, abundant sun and abundant hydro energy, so if these things are well harnessed; many problems will be reduce drastically.
There is a slow reaction by African Government toward ending fossil fuel to zero carbon economy in the region,due to lack of commitment and fund , as they defend heavily on foreign assistance to tackled many climatic and environmental problems.
“The calls for renewable energy revolution in Nigeria to end fossil fuel must be maintain, so as to save the environment against all forms of man-made-generated problems to the universe ,”
He stated that revolution would enhance global energy security, promote enduring economic growth and tackle environmental challenges, and break the long-standing link between economic growth and carbon dioxide emission levels.
“Nigeria is also blessed with vast renewable energy sources such as solar, hydro and wind. But not much attention has been paid to the development of renewable energy, which is one of the means of tackling the global challenge of climate change”
“As for us ,we will maintain our commitment and dedication which is aimed at educating the society on ways to embrace new technologies from renewable energy”
The transition from fossil fuel such as natural gas to renewable energy is paramount in providing the country with clean energy, as it will solve the problem of pollution caused by the use of fossil fuel.
Nigeria has the potential to exploit abundant solar energy resources that come with its geographical location around the equatorial sun-belt.
Nigeria should take a cue from countries that have developed their renewable energy resources in a bid to diversify their energy mix and provide cleaner energy to their citizens.
We strongly believe that a zero carbon development is essential for Nigeria. So we are looking at a post-petroleum economy and how Nigeria can transform from fossil fuel dependency to renewable oil dependency
The Environmental Non-governmental organization NGO and Civil society organization need to be committed in the fight against fossil fuel ,and support the government at all cost in reduce carbon dioxides release from local campanies and textile industries.
He then suggested that there is the need for transitioning from fossil fuel to renewable energy in Nigeria,as this according to him will also help achieve improved power generation, which is sacrosanct to the development of the country’s economy.
Also in a paper presented by Nurudeen Bello on “Effects of Climate Change in Nigeria”, he stated that the adverse effect or impact of climate change such as temperature rise, erratic ranfall, sandstorm, desertification, low agriculture yields, drying of water body lake Chad basin, gully erosion and constant flooding are daily realities in Nigeria.
He said climate change also known as global warming refers to rise in average surface temperature on earth, saying and overwhelming scientific consensus maintained that climate change is due to human use of fossil fuel which released carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas estimates into the air.
“the gases trap heat within the temperature, which can have a range of effects on ecosystems including rise in sea levels, severe weathe event, drought that render landscape more susceptible to widefires”,
Further more ,he note that the continued heavy reliance on fossil fuel-powered generators in Nigeria by government institutions, businesses and households for electricity supply constitutes a major threat to the nation’s climate change plans.
Diesel or petrol generators are often used in most countries as backup or emergency power when the national grid fails or during power outages or to provide energy in remote areas. But in Nigeria,
generators have become the primary source of electricity for most businesses and households, as supply from the national grid remains abysmally low.
Earlier, guest speaker Dr. Yusuf Nadabo, Hod Anatomy Kaduna University on “The Important of Science Journalism”, enjoined Nigeria media practitioners to show more interest, commitment and zeal to science news and reporting as exemplified in western world for purposes of information and promotion of science research and encouragement.
According to him, science research, discovery and presentation without proper publicity remains a limbo and of little benefit to large public, saying valuable times spent to read extensively is what it takes to make a good science and climate reporter, and nothing to fear.
African climate reporters from French speaking neighboring countries and Nigeria, attended the event which took place at conference hall of the womanhood foundation of Nigeria office located at college road u/dusa, Kawo, Kaduna, Nigeria.
In another paper which was presented by Dr. Tabi Joda, GreenAid Africa Executive Director and global Coordinator of DRR-Nonstate Actors Network.
He pointed out clearly that In Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon alone, 50 metric tons of plastic fragments food packages, straws and table water bottles and empty sachet water bags are drained into the Atlantic Ocean every day.
Adding that ,Over the last ten years the amount of plastic bags produced and used worldwide surpass the amount produced and used during the whole of the 20th century. Regrettably, 50% of the plastic we use, we just use them once and throw away.
If we can place in a heap the amount of plastic bags we throw away into the environment each year, it will stretch from earth to the moon and back twenty five times.
Globally, more than one million plastic bags are used every minute and an average individual throws away approximately 185 kg of plastic waste per year. An average household dumps about 900kg of plastic waste in a year. Similarly, an approximate 500 billion plastic bags are used and 135 billion plastic water bottles are thrown away every year. Plastic waste accounts for around 10 percent of the total waste generated in households worldwide.
The disaster Risk!
Every piece of plastic in the ocean breaks down into segments such that pieces from a single liter of plastic bottle could end up on every beach throughout the world. Similarly, almost every farmland is partially covered by plastic. Apart from the harmful effects of plastic bags on animals, plants and aquatic life, the toxic chemical from plastic waste are harmful to the human body when absorbed.
A study has shown that apart from Americans who have up to 93% of people tested positive for BPA (a plastic chemical), level of effect are even higher in other parts of the world especially Africa where recycling and waste management policies and orientations are low or even absent in most places. Other studies have shown that some of these compounds found in plastic have been known to alter human hormones or have other potential risk on human health.
Alongside the hazardous risks on human health, over one million sea birds and over 100,000 marine mammals are reportedly killed annually from toxins originating from plastic waste in our oceans. 44% of seabird species, 22% of cetaceans, 32% of sea turtle species and a growing list of fish species, crabs and prawns are killed by plastics or have their habitat altered by plastic in or around their bodies.
Plastics also degrade soil quality leading to low crop productivity and consequently poverty, hunger and food insecurity.
This is evident in the polluted land fields and shores stretching from Limbe West Cameroon through Lagos Nigeria, Cotonou in Benin, Lome in Togo and the entire West coast and beyond. Billions of kgs of plastic are visibly swirling over 40 percent of the world’s ocean surfaces.
Plastic waste constitutes approximately 90 percent of all trash floating on the ocean’s surface, with 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile. It constitutes 80% of pollution that enters the ocean from the land. In an ariel view of floating mass of plastic debris at the coast of Douala in Cameroun, the size of floating garbage could equal the size of Uganda. Recent researches prove that it takes over 500-1000 years for plastic to degrade.
Indeed ,In samples collected in Lake Erie, 85 percent of the plastic particles were smaller than two-tenths of an inch, and much of that was microscopic. Researchers found that 1500 and 1.7 million of these particles occupy each square mile. This consequently means that virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made 100 years ago still exists in some shape or form except for those incinerated.
A Lecturer with Shehu Idris College of Health Science and Technology, Makarfi, Kaduna, and Faculty of Vetenary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Shuaibu Mohammed, Ameer, S. has revealed that there about 70,000 cases of sleeping sickness in Nigeria every year, and an estimated 6o million people are at the risk of the infection in sub Saharan Africa annually.
Shuaibu Mohammed who also lecture in kaduna State university, department of environmental management, raised the alarm Wednesday in kaduna in a paper presented at the First Annual Conference on Climate Change jointly organized by African Climate Reporters and Womenhood Foundation of Nigeria.
Titled: Climate Change and Parasitic Shift: Strategy for the Fulani of Northern
Nigeria, the expert noted that one of the consequences of climate
change is the shifting boundaries for many components and processes within the
systems.
“Climate change is a natural phenomenon that is characterised by global
warming, rising sea level and other extreme environmental events.
“Climate is essential to ecosystem services and stability. One of the consequences of climate change is the shifting boundaries for many components and processes within the systems”, he said.
He also said that among these components are pathogens and infectious diseases.
“Vector-borne diseases are particularly sensitive to warming because temperature changes can alter vector development rates, shift their geographical
distribution and alter transmission dynamics. “Trypanosome, a vector-borne
disease of humans and animals, was recently identified as one of the 12 infectious diseases likely to spread owing to climate change. It is the most critical
factor that limits the southwards migration of Fulani.
“ln Northern Nigeria, climate change impacts are mainly flood, drought and rural urban migration”, he said, adding that desertification in the far north; the expansion of the savannah in the middle belt and the contraction of the rain forest down south “may expand availability of pasture and distribution of tsetse fly.
The Fulanis and associated tribes, according to him, are the custodians of over 90% Of cattle in Nigeria, stressing that “these cattle are the major sources of meat and dairy products in Nigeria.
“The distribution of Fulani in Nigeria is determined not only by pasture and water but also by presence or absence of cattle parasites such as trypanosome. Sleeping sickness, or African trypanosomiasis, has been identified as an infectious disease that is very likely to be affected by climate change. It is caused by a parasite carried by Tsetse flies which infects the nervous system and, if untreated, is fatal.
There are around 70,000 cases of sleeping sickness every year, and an estimated 6o million people in sub Saharan Africa are at risk of infection”, he said.“This paper reviewed the life cycle of trypanosome, the migration pattern of the Fularni and suggests the possible environmental, public health and economic consequences of the parasitic boundary shifts”, he stated, saying the proposed
strategy of mitigation and adaptation requires the collaboration of all stake
holders for sustainability.
Also in a paper presented by Nurudeen Bello on “Effects of Climate Change in Nigeria”, stated that the adverse effect or impact of climate change such as temperature rise, erratic ranfall, sandstorm, desertification, low agriculture yields, drying of water body lake Chad basin, gully erosion and constant flooding are daily realities in Nigeria.
He said climate change also known as global warming refers to rise in average surface temperature on earth, saying and overwhelming scientific consensus maintained that climate change is due to human use of fossil fuel which released carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas estimates into the air.
“the gases trap heat within the temperature, which can have a range of effects on ecosystems including rise in sea levels, severe weathe event, drought that render landscape more susceptible to widefires”, he said, pointing out that the change is real, despite deniers by small minority voices questioning the validity of the assertion and prefer to cast doubt on the preponderance of evidence.
African climate reporters from French speaking neighboring countries and Nigeria, attended the event which took place at conference hall of the womanhood foundation of Nigeria office located at college road u/dusa, Kawo, Kaduna, Nigeria.
