Climate Watch: Nigeria bracing for floods, and sea incursion in Ondo community

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 towards limiting its impact.

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

• Mohammad Abubakar, minister of environment, said the federal government is working to restore mangroves in Ogoniland following years of oil spills. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) had found extensive damage to mangroves in Ogoniland when undertaking its 2011 environmental assessment of the area. During a recent meeting on mangrove restoration, the minister restated the government’s commitment to improving lives in Ogoni communities. Get more details on the federal government’s mangrove restoration plan here.

• On World Biodiversity Day held every May 22, a professor of environmental resource management, Elizabeth Andrew-Essien, asked Nigerians to take personal responsibility for the protection of their environment.  She said population explosion and pollution — such as oil spills running into river bodies — are causing a decline in Nigeria’s biodiversity. Essien said climate change also fuels biodiversity loss, given that high temperature affects life on earth and leads to the extinction of species. Get more details on what biodiversity means here.

• The International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report which said the world needs to scrap future fossil fuel projects in order to reach net-zero carbon emissions and reduce global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius by 2050. In the report released on Tuesday, the IEA gave steps that countries can take towards sustainable energy and a greener future. You can find more details from the report here.

• Following flood predictions by the National Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), states are beginning to take steps to forestall the impact of flood in their communities. States like Abia and Kano are already taking mitigation steps. The Kano emergency management agency last week said it will work with the state’s ministry of environment to ensure all waterways are cleared to prevent flooding. Read the report here to see other steps being taken. You can also read TheCable’s special report on how prepared Nigeria is ahead of this year’s flooding.

• Repeated sea incursion in Ayetoro community of Ondo state has driven residents to protest the government’s alleged neglect and unresponsiveness. Bearing placards with various inscriptions, the protesters threatened to relocate to the state government’s house. They lamented that over 2000 people had been displaced and over 200 houses destroyed in the community as a result of the incursion.