Climate Watch: FG sets up committee to mitigate flooding

Despite directly impacting our communities, health, and livelihood, climate-related reports usually take a back seat to dominant news beats like politics and business. Climate Watch aims to ensure you never miss important stories on climate change and actions being taken toward limiting its impact.

Here is a round-up of last week’s climate stories:

• During the inter-ministerial media briefing at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, last week, Mohammed Abdulahi, minister of environment, said the activities of loggers and charcoal merchants were being supported by some powerful individuals at the state level. Abdullahi said the protection of loggers by state governments had hindered efforts of the federal government to control deforestation.
• In the same vein, Abdulahi said the federal government has set up a committee to look into the causes of incessant, and also proffer solutions to mitigate future occurrences of flooding across the country. The minister urged governments in flood-prone states to move people living within those regions to the uplands, adding that the federal government would continue to provide early warning signs. Read more here.
• Last week on International Waste Day, António Guterres, UN secretary-general, said the planet was being treated like a garbage dump and that the pollution was affecting the environment and people’s health. Guterres called on countries and production companies to invest in waste management systems. He said reusing and recycling products must be considered before disposing of them as waste. Read more here.
• Also, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has commenced the placement of abatement notices on houses without waste bins starting April 1. Ibrahim Odumboni, LAWMA’s managing director, said the measure was to ensure proper waste management and promotion of a clean and healthy environment in the state. Odumboni encouraged residents to use waste bins, warning that a task force has been set up by the agency to enforce and ensure compliance in all homes. 
• At the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue hosted by the German government, last week, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) said Africa, with a reserve of mineral resources, is the perfect place to build batteries to power electric vehicles. Akinwunmi Adesina, AfDB president, said Africa is a great source of clean energy, adding that the world needs to utilise the continent’s renewable energy sources. Adesina said Africa must be given time to transition to the use of natural gas while calling on Germany to invest in a cleaner future for the continent. Read more here.