Climate Watch: FG will mitigate climate disasters with early warning systems, says minister

Despite directly impacting our communities, health, and livelihoods, 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:

• The government of Cameroon has signed an agreement with Nigeria to implement policies and programmes on forest management and wildlife preservation. During the official signing of the agreement, Jules Ndongo, Cameroon’s minister of forestry and wildlife, said the pact became necessary due to the illegal exportation of wildlife across the borders of both countries. He said due to the historical and fraternal ties between Nigeria and Cameroon, there is a need to enhance shared prosperity. On his part, Balarabe Lawal, Nigeria’s minister of environment, assured Ndongo and the Cameroonian delegation of the federal government’s determination to achieve targets through the partnership. Read more here.
• In his message to commemorate the annual Earth Day, Antonio Guterres, the United Nations (UN) secretary-general, has appealed to everyone to protect the planet from pollution and biodiversity loss. This year’s Earth Day theme — “Planet Vs Plastics” —implores nations to adopt policies to curb plastic pollution. Guterres said all hands must be on deck to rescue “our planet and mobilise for climate action”. Read more here.
• Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), says there is a need for the world to move closer to an instrument that addresses the full life cycle of plastics. She said elements of instruments to curb plastic pollution include eliminating single-use plastics and strengthening recycling efforts. Andersen added that world leaders must agree on clear, measurable time-bound targets and ensure a just transition. Read more here.
• Iziaq Salako, minister of state for environment, on April 24, said there is a need to adopt nature-based solutions to address the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution in Nigeria. Salako said the world is facing a climate emergency that requires bold and ambitious actions from all leaders. The minister said nature-based solutions will offer natural advantages and a better potential to improve the livelihoods of citizens. Read more here.
• The federal government has pledged support for regional efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change and encourage weather and climate-smart sustainable development. Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, gave the assurance at the 2024 edition of the Regional climate outlook forum for West Africa and the Sahel on April 26. Keyamo said the government would deploy climate-smart predictions and warnings to enhance the socio-economic development of the citizens. He added that the issuance of disaster early warning will be taken seriously by the government to avert losses. Keyamo said the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s (NiMet) seasonal climate prediction (SCP) report will help to forestall the reoccurrence of flooding witnessed in the country in 2022. “In 2022, we had one of the worst cases of flooding in decades,” Keyamo said. “After the flood period, millions of people had lost their homes and livelihoods. “Experts and researchers in meteorology and climate sciences from West Africa and the Sahel had dedicated their intellect to develop a comprehensive forecast for the region, targeting the coming rainy season. “Just as the general airspace is a continuum in aviation, weather and climate events are also transboundary, hence the need for us to work together irrespective of boundaries. “We should downscale the outcomes of this forum to our local and rural communities to achieve the United Nations’ target of Early Warning for All (EW4ALL) by 2027.”