DAILY TRUST

Thursday, November 11, 2010

47 environment@dailytrust.com HOTLINE: 08036417326

Environment
Hamzat Bala Lawal
INFORMATION and Communication Technology (ICT) plays major roles in climate change mitigation and adaptation. This is increasingly being recognized within the climate change technology transfer negotiations because according to the World Development Report 2010, the use of ICT is predicted to reduce total greenhouse gases by 15 per cent by 2020. Beyond climate change mitigation, ICT has a prominent role to play in realizing Nigerias Vision 2020 mandate of building a large, diversified, sustainable and competitive economy that harnesses the energies and talents of its people and guarantee high standard of living and quality of life for its citizens. The convergence between climate change mitigation and meeting growth targets is particularly important to Nigeria. Overtime, the impact of ICT on sustainable development has often been underestimated by policy makers. The importance of this sector can be felt in the construction of ICT enabled energy efficient buildings and electric appliances, manufacturing, logistics and power grids. Others include ICT enabled business models, markets and lifestyles. It plays essential roles in monitoring, modeling, administration and dissemination of climate change information and technology. It has other indirect positive impact on the environment, for instance, through its role in increasing general per capita wealth through productivity, GDP growth and boosting the social well being of the populace. It also helps in addressing the poverty situation in the country. It is clear that ICTs, as both general purpose and specific technologies, are necessary in order to monitor, model, administrate and disseminate climate change activities.

ICT and climate change, an important linkage

ICT products are used for environmental monitoring such as monitoring of weather and climate change, deforestation using satellite imagery, environmental modeling, and computer simulations of climate change. Other administrative uses include carbon trading schemes, dissemination including information sharing, environmental advocacy reduction, physical mail and paper use. Online purchasing; use of e-government services, videoconferencing, telemedicine, and teleporting and other remote working arrangements are all ICTs use in climate change monitoring. Though ICTs are instrumental to greenhouse gas mitigation, it is also estimated that the ICT sector and ICT products are currently responsible for about 2% of global GHG emissions. Unfortunately, the high rate of growth in ICT penetration and increases in processing power means that, without mitigation, the harmful contributions of ICT are likely to grow quickly. For ICTs to contribute to mitigation and adaptation of climate change, the following actions are suggested at different levels. At the national level, there should be a clear policy and regulatory framework for the implementation of ICTs, which will impact on the level of education and skill of potential practitioners. Nigeria must make ICT education compulsory in both secondary and tertiary schools to promote early use of energy efficient equipment. At the global level, where there are international partnerships and influence, synergy is required to implement technology transfer to facilitate the fight against climate change. The developed parties should ensure the transfer of software technologies which are easier and less cumbersome and which will promote climate change mitigation in developing countries. Encouraging ICT development in Nigeria will ultimately inspire local innovations and will promote the use of sustainable sources of energy. As Nigeria prepares its mitigations strategy, the role of ICT in meeting a high economic growth and low carbon economy must be central. In doing so, the linkage between climate change mitigation and meeting the targets of the Vision 2020 will be strengthened. Hamzat Bala Lawal is with the International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development (ICEED) Abuja

TWICE every year, houses along the coast of the lagoon in Lagos are washed away due to rising sea levels and high tide, an impact of climate change.

Stakeholders want Green Tech fund established

By Nasir Imam
EXPERTS, who attended the National Stakeholders Forum for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development in Nigeria, have called for the establishment of a sustainable Green Technology Fund. This will be part of renewed efforts to address the numerous environmental problems facing the country. The recommendation was one of the highpoints of a communiqu issued at the end of the 4th National Stakeholders Forum on the New Institutional Protection and Sustainable Development in Nigeria, held in Abuja. The event, which was organized by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, was attended by government agencies, private sector operators and the academia. According to the participants, there is an urgent need for the government to develop an appropriate strategic implementation plan in order to foster environmental protection and sustainable development. The communiqu said, The National Council on Environment should initiate a regular review of development policies and action plans to ensure adequate and effective mainstreaming of green issues and institutionalise the review of policies to address emerging issues. Also, there is the need for a co-ordinate platform for the formulation of green policies. The government should create the enabling environment for foreign investment in waste management, especially in the area of waste recycling. In his keynote address, the Minister of the Environment, Mr. John Odey, expressed concern over the deteriorating state of the countrys environment, adding that urgent steps must taken to address the problem. He said,We are facing more environmental challenges than ever in the history of our national development. Our river systems are becoming more contaminated than ever before. Erosion has eaten deep into our valuable arable land and land for human settlement. The air we breathe is no longer fresh. It is being polluted with obnoxious fumes and emissions from rickety automobiles in our land. Our urban areas are filled with filth.

Yuguda removes water treatment plant from ministry of water resources

From Ahmed Mohammed, Bauchi
GOVERNOR Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State has removed the Gubi Dam Water treatment Plant from the states Ministry of Water Resources and brought it under Bauchi State Water Board. A statement from the office of the Secretary to Bauchi State Government signed by the Permanent Secretary Political Affairs, Hashimu Yakubu, says that the Water Board being the statutory creation has been vested with the responsibility of supervision, maintenance, and operation of Gubi Dam Water Treatment Plant. The statement indicated that the ministry of Water Resources therefore has nothing to do with the operation and management of the Water Board and the Gubi Dam Water treatment Plant. It noted that Governor Isa Yuguda has approved the appointment of Engineer Aminu Aliyu Gital as the acting General Manager of the Bauchi State Water Board who will be reporting the activities of the board directly to the Governors office. No reason was given for this development but water scarcity hits Bauchi metropolis as a result of faults from the engines that supplied water and the two generators that supplied electricity to the treatment plants, a situation the state government said it is working hard to overcome