EcoNewsNigeria

                          By Hamza Badamasi Previous studies in ecosystem restoration that support top-down policy approaches to restore land as a component of global land-conservation efforts run the risk of subverting people's livelihoods, food security, and eviction of people from their lands, leading to human rights abuses and eroding long-term conservation benefits, a new study reveals. __ Ecosystem restoration is recognized as a crucial effort in preserving biodiversity and stabilizing our planet.  The United Nations has designated the 2020s as the decade of ecosystem restoration, urging countries worldwide to devote resources to healing the planet. Researchers have proposed a number of global priority maps in order to determine where restoration funding should be directed. For example, Dr. Bernardo B.N. Strassburg and colleagues published a notable and influential research paper in 2020 that uses spatial map...

  By Hamza Badamasi The federal government has unveiled its energy transition strategy as a key step toward universal energy access by 2030 and a carbon-neutral economy by 2060. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo stated during a virtual launch of the country's energy transition road map that Nigeria needs at least an extra $10 billion annually and a total of $410 billion to achieve its net-zero targets by 2060. According to a government statement, Nigeria has already received a $1.5 billion pledge from the World Bank and is currently in negotiations with the US Export-Import Bank for an additional $1.5 billion. He stated that the plan will, among other things, lift 100 million people out of poverty, reduce Nigeria's carbon footprint, drive economic growth, and create jobs.   "For Africa, the problem of energy poverty is as important as our climate ambitions. Energy use is critical for almost every aspect of development; wealth, health, nutrition, water, infrastructure, edu...

  By Hamza Badamasi The Federal Government has officially launched the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to meet its net zero carbon emission targets. The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi , stated at the Official Flag-off Event on the Development of Nigeria's Emissions Trading Framework in Abuja on Tuesday that the Federal Government had decided to establish a trading scheme, with legal framework provided in the Climate Change Act of 2021 for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through a cap and trade-based emissions trading schemes to meet the net zero target. “This flag-off event signals the commencement of activities that would lead to the establishment of the Nigeria Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), sensitize the public, and ensure coordination with other relevant arms of government/development partners under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Environment with active collaboration of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Industries.” Mr. Abdullahi said. Mr....

By Hamza Badamasi China's decision to end climate talks with the US is yet another setback for global warming efforts, which have already been hampered by the oil crisis and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The visit of Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House, to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, has strained relations between the world's biggest two greenhouse gas emitters. This occurred three months before a major United Nations summit on global warming. One hopes that the schism is only temporary. ___ On Friday of last week, China's foreign ministry declared that it was halting talks and collaboration with the US on a number of issues, including crime, undocumented immigration, and climate change. Chinese resentment over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's travel to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, caused the damaging schism, which poses a serious geostrategic risk. Beijing's decision further complicates global climate change negotiation...

By Hamza Badamasi Researchers from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Canada discovered that even low levels of air pollution can be linked to reduced lung function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A large proportion of the Canadian population is particularly vulnerable to air pollutants, the study reveals. — Air pollution is a major threat to global environmental health and one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health Report , air pollution caused nearly seven million deaths worldwide in 2019. Recently, research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine revealed that even exposure to low levels of air pollution can be associated with poor lung function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Researchers measured the amount of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide that 1,500 people were exposed to according to whe...

By Hamza Badamasi      One of the most effective ways to mitigate climate change and protect essential ecosystem services is to preserve and reduce rainforest loss. Rapid monitoring of temporal and spatial data is required to identify the right hotspots for proper monitoring of collaborative advances toward forest-specific emissions reduction goals and more transparent reporting of carbon losses. A recent study has revealed the feasibility of using Earth observation data to trigger carbon loss alerts for Africa's rainforests at a much faster rate and in much greater spatial detail than before.   — Countries are required to present their plans to address the climate crisis under the Paris Agreement, including efforts to reduce emissions caused by deforestation and forest degradation. However, to track progress, the amount of carbon stored in forests must be accurately quantified in a timely manner. Tracking forest carbon in Africa's humid rainforests is hampere...

By  Hamza Badamasi On Friday, July 9, 2022, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for immediate multilateral action in three key areas: the accelerating climate emergency, the food, energy, and financial crisis, and the uneven recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. In a video message, Guterres told the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in Bali, Indonesia, that stronger international cooperation was the only sustainable path to a peaceful, dependable, and prosperous world for all. He declared the climate crisis the number one emergency, alerting that the fight to limit global increase to 1.5 ° c degrees Celsius "would be won or lost" by the end of the decade. "You represent the world's major economies as well as approximately 80% of global emissions." "It is largely on your shoulders to mitigate the worst consequences of the climate crisis," he told the ministers. "Wealthy countries must finally make good on their commitment to providi...