Climate change directly affects our communities, health, and livelihoods.
Yet, media coverage often prioritises politics and business over climate-related stories, leaving crucial environment news under-reported.
Climate Watch seeks to bridge this information gap, ensuring that important climate change stories and mitigation efforts stay on your radar.
Here is a round up of last week’s climate stories:
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- The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) says Lagos generates an average of 13,000 tonnes of waste daily. NAN reports that Muyiwa Gbadegesin, managing director of LAWMA, said the agency, in partnership with private sector participation (PSP) operators, has been efficiently evacuating waste across the state.According to Gbadegesin, LAWMA and its PSP partners deploy 102 compactor trucks daily for waste collection.He also noted that LAWMA’s marine waste evacuation team is actively working to remove waste from coastlines, lagoons, and drainage channels to prevent environmental hazards.
“From disposing waste properly through accredited PSP operators and cleaning of gutters in front of our houses, to sorting waste at source, we all have roles to play,” he said.
“Now, we have a glass recycling plant in Lagos, and people are beginning to see the economic potential in materials such as PET bottles.”
- Nenibarini Zabbey, the coordinator of the hydrocarbon pollution remediation project (HYPREP), says three species of mangroves have been restored in Ogoni land. Speaking in a statement, Zabbey said HYPREP’s mangrove restoration efforts include the white and black species. He said the mangrove restoration is part of a broader environmental initiative that includes shoreline cleanup, soil and groundwater remediation, and public health improvements. Read more here.
- A magistrate court in Calabar, Cross River state, has discharged Odey Oyama, an environmental and climate activist. Oyama was arrested in January for protesting the exploitation of the Olulumo Effi rainforest in the state. The arrest reportedly followed his “peaceful resistance” to deforestation activities by Chinese and local collaborators in the forest. The Olulumo community, in a statement, said the court has discharged and acquitted Oyama and four others of all charges against them. Find out more here.
- The National Park Service (NPS) has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling climate change through carbon reduction initiatives. Ibrahim Goni, the conservator-general of the NPS, said the federal government approved the establishment of 10 new national parks in 2020. He added that this would play a significant role in reducing carbon emissions and conserving the country’s natural resources. Read more here.
