STAKEHOLDERS WARN GOVT TO BE ON GUARD OVER CLIMATIC DEBATE

STAKEHOLDERS WARN GOVT TO BE ON

GUARD OVER CLIMATIC DEBATE

BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU..

PAEDIA EXPRESS RELEASED REPORT RECENTLY IN WHICH IT STATED THAT THE NORTH POLE WAS SHIFTING,SADLY THIS WAS NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY

Rising from a one day thought provoking workshop ,stakeholders in the nation’s environmental sector have declared that except government in all tiers in the land take the climatic debate very seriously then the future was indeed very bleak.

At the program which held at the National Broadcast Academy in Keja,Lagos,Nigeria ,participants and speakers were very unequivocal in asking for a concise blueprint on Nigeria’s  response to the global climatic debate over the continual depletion of the ozone layer by the heavily industrialized nations of the world.

In his opening remarks,Director ,National Broadcast Academy ,Engineer Abiola Ajibola said that to claim ignorance of the climatic problem  will mean that  any individual  could be  tagged as a person of lower intelligence.

He noted that the rising sea levels globally was something f grave concerns to people living in coastal cities like Lagos,Nigeria..

He explained that coastal cities were usually the populated areas of the world  due to the economic advantages as farming,mineral exploration occur leading to the effects of global warming .

He pointed out that due to the level of activities going on at the moment ,when sea level rises it can have effects on all coastal habitats  leading to erosion ,flooding ,threats to wildlife population.

He listed the gains of the program to the understanding of climatic risks ,building capacity for the media and having an agenda for resilience to climatic change.

In a related issue,the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment ,Dr Babatunde Adejare said that it is a statement of fact that most of Lagos was below sea level aside from the presence of several creeks.

He assured that due to the peculiar coastal nature of the state ,government was aware of its challenges hence it was critical for the people to know the implications of their actions .

He recalled that reports were abound of how people  planted coconut by the ocean front in ancient times in the Lagos area but sadly as at   today sand mining has taken over the landscape thus endangering everybody.

He pointed out that the state has several million of trees available to it but it was however vital the growth of the trees was sustained.

His Words:”There is a layer separating us from the Sun called the Ozone layer which protects us from the direct impact of the sun,however because of the emission from the earth  holes have being punctured in this layers such that excessive sunlight heats up the Sea,Ice caps leading to a massive rise in Sea Levels”

“a lot of  chemical reaction can also be stimulated to block this holes on the Ozone layers ,we must implement our laws that tend to protect our immediate environment “

In her own submissions, Dr Ibidun Adeleke,a researcher at CCaR said that the program was a collaborative project of about four cities with funding from a research body in Canada.

She pointed out that Lagos was singled out in Africa for selection because it was sure that the city will be affected someday seriously by global warming .

He quoted a direct statement credited to President Barak Obama of the United States on the hurdles climatic change poses to mankind as research studies showed that we must all be concerned.

It was gathered at the workshop that a study showed that the Lagos coastline will undergo a great change by 2029 as the current trends of green house emissions will alter the climate of most places.

It was gathered that a UNESCO official in Nigeria and ECOWAS ,Mr Emmanuel Upea in 2000 had stated that his memories of Lagos ,Nigeria smacks of the rivers and lakes many residents have to swim across during the rainy season hence it was vital that all must be adequately insured as stakeholders while laying strategies for building resilience to the flooding posited on the press to focus on public interest ,provide information before, during and after flood incidences as the media are risk managers who are supposed to help shape perception of climatic issues.

Sources said:”if NIMET Says that Surulere  will not likely be flooded ,I will expect the media to go out there and find out if the residents of that area are ready in terms of adaptation so as to prevent the fire brigade approach”

“provide information that is relevant to the target audience lives that will then assist them to make informed choices about the risk they face”

“Disseminate information on how to recognize hydro meteorology and geophysical signs and how to act on early warning s while providing information of emerging vulnerability and hazarads”

This reporter was also informed  that climatic change issues should be farmed in such a way that it will have an impact on nearly every human systems among which includes health, economy, national security among others..