Today, The last day of the Towards COP21 [En Avant La COP21] commenced with an outline of the course of events for the day and also a Resume of the past days by Mr. Ambroise Pierre.
Afterwards, Mr.
Olivier DELFOSSE, the director of the French development Agency [AFD- Agence
Français de Developpement] gave a speech he stated some examples of global
warming effects and enlightened us on the fact that it has far-reaching
consequences that might be felt years after. He pointed out that although
Nigeria does not emit as much green gases as other countries of the world, with
population growth, that is bound to increase. Mr. Olivier thereafter went after
to highlight dome effects of climatic change being experienced already in Nigeria
that include Diminishing rainfall and rivers in the North because of increased
deforestation and increased susceptibility to flooding in the south. He also
stated that there were several projects at hand sponsored by the AFD that aimed
to reduce those.
Following that was a speech from a European Union
Representative who commenced with Thanking the Institut Français, The French
Embassy, AFD, Federal Ministry of Environment, Embassy of the Federal republic
of Germany British High Commission, IRD [Institut de recherche pour le developpement] ,
Fondation GOODPLANET, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation and all others for making
the then concluding event a reality. He then continued by stating that the
effects of climate change which are obvious have to be curbed. He stated that
the EU aimed at reducing Climate Change by 40% by 2030. He correctly pointed
out the need to sensitize people as many people out there are either completely
ignorant of its effects and others remain unconvinced about the phenomenon
affects them.
The movie eventually commenced a little after the speeches. It
was a Green Carpet Premiere of Nowhere to
Run: Nigeria’s Climate and
Environmental Crisis by Jacqueline Farris, 53 mins, Directed and Photographed
by Dan Maccain
It was a marvelous showcase of the natural and amazingly
stunning landscape of our country [Especially in Cross River State] and its forest
resources, which are depleting at an alarming rate, sadly. It showed how 50% of the recurring communal
conflicts are because of Shrinkage of grazing and farm lands which forces
Herdsmen further south. It highlighted the Shrinkage of the Lake Chad and the drastic
economic effects for the inhabitants who subsist on it.
Furthermore, it highlighted the fact that Nigeria Accounts
for 0ne-sixth of the gas flaring in the world and the devastating effects of
the oil spillage on the Niger Delta environment, which is the third largest
Wetland in the world. The increased risk of flooding in the Niger Delta was mentioned
as it was stated that a meter’s rise in tide could submerge an estimated 75% of
the Niger delta. 
It spoke about Effects of Erosion, Solutions Such as
Renewable energy sources such as Solar, wind, Gas, etc. powered electricity and
more. For more information, watch the trailer here- Click.
It ended with a
round of thunderous applause from the audience who obviously enjoyed it. Proceeding
it was an interactive session between several members of the audience and Mr.
Amaha Nwankpo. There were suggestions
ranging from Sanctions from the global community on Nigeria’s gas flaring and
making Climate Change an elective in Nigerian schools on all educational strata
to a broadcast of the aforementioned movie on all Nigerian stations translated in
the major Nigerian Languages. Mr. Ahem proposed a dropping of the Coal Embargo
as there is a current clean and environmentally friendly generation that
requires coal. The Event culminated with a TERRIFIC Cocktail, which boasted of
assorted drinks and food ;)
 |
|
|
0 comments:
Post a Comment