DON’T GET EXCITED, JUST YET!
Rains have been increasingly insane this year, you can see from images and videos shared on the media. And if you live in Jos, Nigeria, there’s been more heavy downpours, sleets, hails and thunderstorms that come with the rain every other day. It has been scary even for homes built with the most fortified bricks and mortar. These are all patterns of climate change / global warming… the change in patterns, increased intensity, floods.
Lately, I have seen that African leaders now chip in climate change talks in their lethargic speeches read from papers, written by aides. Regardless, do not get excited (I bet you’re not….) that they are now somewhat interested in discussing climate change. Just like many other times, these talks still reek of lack of creativity and innovation, hypocrisy, cluelessness, knowledge gap, poor policy, planning and implementations, and a hint of prevalent corruption.
If you think this opinion is too brash, then you should look through their track record (evident, especially in Nigeria) in electricity, security, curbing corruption, food security, availability of portable water, education, healthcare…. a long list of basics. It would inform you that at some point in time, though avoidable, climate change / global warming will unavoidably overwhelm us.
Generally, with an elementary knowledge in the science of climate change and sustainability, one can recommend ten mitigating measures and solutions off the top of my head (short-term & long-term). So it saddens me that even at crucial, high-priority events where these leaders speak at, the narrative is almost always to plant trees, the need & call for exorbitant funds to transition to a green environment, and a bundle of other blanket statements . . . . . . .
— “The newly-expanded commonwealth makes broad commitments to address climate change; 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting”
— “Localize, Rebuild, Finnovate”; Africa Finance Corporation Summit 2022.
— “We must cultivate the habit of planting trees as part of efforts to mitigate climate change and address global warming”; Deputy director, parks and recreation FCTs Nigeria.
— “Africa needs to come in very forcefully to chart a different path, Africa first needs to come together to put out a vision that is ours for climate change or carbon neutrality by 2050, 2070 or whenever it is convenient”; Osibanjo, AFC Summit 2022.
I am not even convinced yet that we would be close to the fulfillment of the commitment made to the Paris Agreement to reduce GHG emissions by 45 percent by 2030.
Sometimes, I doubt that these people comprehend what they are discussing, as there seems to be no concrete agenda put together for climate change yet. I mean we cannot even get drainages right in Nigeria…. most evidently in Lagos, and now Abuja. As a matter of fact, Nigeria’s president in 2021, blamed flooding for the rising food insecurity in the country. Yet currently, there is no flood management policy in Nigeria.
In 2021, Nigeria experienced its worst flooding recorded in recent history. Total losses were put at US$16.9 billion. What are the lessons from 2021? What plans were put in place for the next rains to come? Floodwalls, seawalls, barriers, dams, spillways, diversion channels?
(A slight veer)…. Where are policies around plastic production, usage, and disposal? The recycling plants? Plans for carbon tradeoffs?
If leaders can’t & don’t fix the basics, they’ll never get a chance with climate solutions. However, while leaders are deficient, everyone can help limit climate change, and everyone can solve small scale climate problems.
In the coming weeks I will be discussing how we can live with floods, when it comes to that.
See you next edition.
Rhoda,
for Climate Thursday!
