ANALYSIS: Dealing with global warming and its impacts

 

Former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore once said that people around the world ought to undergo an urgent action on global warming.

Founder of the Climate Reality Project, Gore believes that climate change is something that is man-made and man can play a significant role to check it and eliminate it in the future.

According to scientists, climate change is a change in average weather conditions, or in the time variation of weather around longer-term average conditions.

They agree that to limit the impacts of climate change, people need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally.

In addition to this, Minister of Science and Technology Ogbonnaya Onu says there is need for government and stakeholders to tackle climate change by using renewable energy sources.

“I wish to acknowledge that we have been doing some things pertaining greening the environment and stimulating economic growth like introduction and adoption of renewable energy and re-forestation project.

“The objective is to bring to the fore, its relevance, considering the global impact of climate change with its attendant environment degradation.

“The current development in the country is no longer sustainable environmentally like gradual shrinking/drying up of Lake Chad basin and increase in desert encroachment.

“Others are loss of our ecosystems, reduced agricultural yields and sorts, rising sea levels and floods in southern part of the country, marine erosion and landslides in south-eastern part of the country’’, he says.

The minister explains further that there ought to be high desire to preserve the environment because urbanisation and industrialisation have come so stay.

Similarly, Mr Bitrus Bako, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, observes that environment should be sustainably managed for present and future generations.

“I am confident that when this transition was fully understood and implemented, it would help to place the nation on proper perspective to mitigate and adapt to the scourge of climate change.

“It will also re-enforce the place of science, technology and innovation as veritable tools for the economic development of the country.

“It is a business of making paradigm shift from resource-based economy to knowledge-based economy, stimulating skills to transit environment to path of greatness and sustainability through Green Growth Technology.

In his view, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke from University of Reading, UK, explains that the Governing Inclusive Green Growth in Africa (GIGGA) project is focused on Nigeria,
Kenya and Ethiopia.

“GIGGA Network is to support interdisciplinary collaboration among UK and international African researchers, as well as non-academic stakeholders to Green Growth in Africa.

“Kenya’s vision 2030 provides vision and policy framework for sustainable development, Ethiopia’s Climate Resilient Green Economy aims to put the country’s green economy on front runner.

“But Nigeria has no stand-alone green growth plan but incorporates Green Growth in its Economic Recovery and Growth and Plan.

However, the Federal Government says it will reclaim all land lost to gully erosion and assist flood-prone communities in the country, according to Mr AbdulGaniyu Aminu, the Head of Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.

Aminu quoted Onu as saying that the recent inauguration of gully erosion control works at Okwohia, Obowo/Ihitte Uboma Local Government, Imo would bring relief to the Okwohia community
which had for long been devastated by ecological challenges.

“The approval of the project is a clear testimony to the present administration’s resolve to ensure that no part of the country will be allowed to suffer any neglect due to geographical location.

“To further consolidate on the gains of this stride, the Federal Government’s execution of projects across the country also demonstrates the sincerity of purpose of All Progressives Congress-led administration towards better environment’’, he quoted the minister as saying.

Also, the Permanent Secretary, Ecological Fund Office, Dr Habiba Lawal, said that the project was initiated through a request for an urgent intervention forwarded to the Ecological Fund Office.

She explained that the request was forwarded by Sen. Benjamin Uwajumobi, representing the Imo North District in the Senate.

Lawal said that the inauguration and hand-over of the project to the benefiting community would enable the people to take over and ensure maintenance and sustainability.

Further to government’s intervention such as this, a public health officer in Osun, Mrs Adenike Aluko, stressed the need for more appropriate and effective waste management system to reduce pollution to check climate change.

According to her, relevant stakeholders ought to be proactive towards sustaining system capable to reduce emission from waste generation.

She suggested the use of clean technologies in production system, pointing out that pollution emission worsened the impact of climate change.

She further called on relevant stakeholders to genuinely invest more in development of renewable energy technology to reduce the effect of climate change.

“Using alternative energy, such as wind, solar and geothermal energy was healthier than fossil fuels because of the emission of carbon monoxide to the environment.

“Investing in renewable energy technology would be the right step in achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

“Scientific knowledge allows people to develop new technologies, solve practical problems and make informed decisions’’, she observed.

Aluko also urged Nigerians to partner with government in ensuring steady funding of research on new measures to mitigate the impact of climate change.

According to her, science and technology sector cannot progress without proper funding and such funding will ultimately come from the society that will reap the benefits.