INTRODUCTION
Last week, we x-rayed open defecation- meaning, causes and effect on climate change we also looked at the 10 Steps to ending open defecation by the year 2030. Today, we shall continue with same and profer some recommendations to ending climate change. Enjoy.
10 STEPS TO ENDING OPEN D.EFECATION BY 2030 (continues)
- TRY A COMMUNITY-LED APPROACH
It is not a silver bullet, but some of our country programs have
had success in applying the community-led total sanitation
(CL TS) approach. As far as we can see, the key is to ensure it is really community-driven, which can be tricky when CLTS becomes governmental policy. Governments might feel pressured to push communities into being open defecation-free (ODF), rather than it being a real journey of community learning
- DO NOT COUNT THE LOOSE
There are pockets of changes in Nigeria in certain states where they have realized that the focus should be on counting open defecation-free communities, and not toilets. The previous supply-driven approach has resulted in graveyards of toilets, where they are used as storage
- MAKE THE CASE TO GOVERNMENTS
The best way to encourage government is when population demands it. Somehow this creates a vicious cycle, but one that could be made virtuous. In the shorter term, if sanitation becomes a priority for donors, development banks and NGOs,, it will also influence government priorities. We need to be better at making the case that it is a great investment, with tremendous return, due to the impacts on public health, education, gender and dignity. For local governments, it is key they see that delivering on sanitation might help them win their next elections.
- ENCOURAGE HAND-WASHING
Not defecating in the open, keeping toilets fly-proof, and washing
hands after using the toilet and before preparing food are the
three key indicators for declaring a community ODF. We see
hygiene and sanitation messages as linked, especially the need for
systematic hand-washing with soap or ash. But systematic hand-
washing is a more difficult habit to create, and we are working
with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in
Nigeria to test the addition of emotional triggers to the normal
CL TS approach.
- SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS
It is a very unsexy area, but maybe if more people start asking
Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency and other donors
about how they are supporting the sustainability of these
programs, they might change their reporting rather than just
focus on toilet building. I have noticed that Oxfam have added
“fix a well” to their list of gifts this year, which is great, but I wait
for the day when I can gift “empty a pit latrine” to my family.
- DON’T RELY ON BUSINESS
Pit-emptying and sludge transportation are the two links in the
sanitation chain with the most business potential for the private
sector, but there is no single case of profit-driven sanitation
success at scale, not even in developed countries. If markets have
not delivered sanitation in the past, that is for a reason. While the
private sector and markets have a big role to play, we need to be
very clear: sanitation is profitable from a public health and
dignity perspective, and it requires public investment.
- TEACH FEACES AS A RESOURCE
If you do CLTS first, you teach disgust of the shit and I don’t
think you can un-teach it, so then there are problems with using
biogas and other things that come from it. If you teach feaces as a
resource first you can motivate people to bring their shit to you
and then teach hygiene later. This is highly culture-specific but
open defecation is not just about desirable toilets. We need to
support sanitation chains to make shit valuable enough for
someone to come and collect it. Until we can empty them, toilets
won’t be sustainable and people will keep using open defecation
rather than a full-pit latrine.
RECOMMENDATIONS/ SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE
CHANGE
KEEP FOSSIL FUELS IN THE GROUND
Fossil fuels include coal, oil and gas. The more that are
extracted and burned, the worse climate change will get. All
countries need to move their economies away from fossil fuels as
quickly as possible.
EDUCATION AND SENSITIZATION OF THE CITIZENS
Educate and sensitize the populace on the importance of good sanitation and hygiene as well as the diseases caused by poor hygiene. Rallies and sensitization programmes should be organized by governments with the aim of eradicating open defecation.
INVEST IN RENEWABLE ENERGY-
Changing our main energy sources to clean and renewable
energy is the best way to stop using fossil fuels. These include
technologies like solar, wind, wave, tidal and geothermal power.
Switch to sustainable transport. Petrol and diesel vehicles, planes
and ships use fossil fuels. Reducing car use, switching to electric
vehicles and minimizing plane travel will not only help stop
climate change, it will reduce air pollution too. The government can help households heat our homes in a green way – such as by insulating walls and roofs and switching away from oil or gas boilers to heat pumps.
IMPROVE FARMING AND ENCOURAGE VEGAN
DIETS
One of the best ways for individuals to help stop climate change
is by reducing their meat and dairy consumption, or by going
fully vegan. Businesses and food retailers can improve farming
practices and provide more plant-based products to help people
make the shift.
RESTORE NATURE TO ABSORB MORE CARBON
The natural world is very good at cleaning up our emissions, but we need to look after it. Planting trees in the right places or giving land back to nature through other means is a good place to start. This is because photosynthesizing plants draw down carbon dioxide as they grow, locking it away in soils.
PROTECT FORESTS LIKE THE AMAZON
Forests are crucial in the fight against climate change, and
protecting them is an important climate solution. Cutting down
forests on an industrial scale destroys giant trees which could be sucking up huge amounts of carbon. Yet companies destroy
forests to make way for animal farming, soya or palm oil
plantations. Governments can stop them by making better laws.
PROTECT THE OCEANS
Oceans also absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere, which helps to keep our climate stable. But many are
overfished, used for oil and gas drilling or threatened by deep sea
mining. Protecting oceans and the life in them is ultimately a way
to protect ourselves from climate change.
REDUCE HOW MUCH PEOPLE CONSUME
Our transport, fashion, food and other lifestyle choices all have
different impacts on the climate. This is often by design – fashion
and technology companies, for example, will release far more
products than are realistically needed. But while reducing
consumption of these products might be hard, it’s most certainly
worth it. Reducing overall consumption in more wealthy
countries can help put less strain on the planet.
REDUCE PLASTIC USE
Plastic is made from oil, and the process of extracting, refining
and turning oil into plastic (or even polyester, for clothing) is
surprisingly carbon-intensive. It doesn’t break down quickly In
nature so a lot of plastic is burned, which contributes to
emissions. Demand for plastic is rising so quickly that creating
and disposing of plastics will account for 17% of the global carbon budget by 2050 (this is the emissions count we need to stay within
according to the Paris Agreement).
SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN NIGERIA
REFORESTATION
Reforestation is a term that is defined as the restocking of existing woodlands and forests in a particular environment or community, where the woodland or forestry are often depleted. Through reforestation, a balanced ecosystem and resources are achieved with assured longevity for the life span of the forestry.
Various extensive studies and analysis have shown that the improved forest cover is essential in reducing the effects of climate change. Further, the resulting forest cover acts as a carbon sink. Indeed, the concept that forests can serve as a carbon sink has necessitated increased reforestation as a way of dealing with climate change globally.
Trees are crucial in removing excess carbon dioxide that is emitted from greenhouses. It is widely known that much of global warming is due to the emission of greenhouse gases and other types of emissions. Therefore it has been continuously debated as all scholars are not unanimous as to the ability of reforestation to have a significant impact on the reduction of atmospheric greenhouse gases. Regardless of this lack of consensus, the fact remains that they would still be an impact as a result of reforestation.
This is in line with the United Nation’s Convention for Climate Change, COP 24 Paris Agreement, implemented on the 4th of November 2016 which mandated every party country of the United Nations, to amongst other things:
- substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to limit the global temperature increase in this century to 2 degrees Celsius while pursuing efforts to limit the increase even further to 1.5 degrees;
- review countries’ commitments every five years;
- provide financing to developing countries to mitigate climate change, strengthen resilience and enhance abilities to adapt to climate impacts
Nigeria being a party to the Paris agreement plans to plant 25million trees in a bid to lower Green House Gas emissions in Nigeria. However, reforestation requires enough land to help in global efforts aimed at stemming climate change and it therefore comes as a relief that Nigerian Governors Forum have decided to back the Federal Government’s commitment under the Paris Agreement.
It must however be observed that, for an agreement signed in 2016, few concrete steps have been taken in line with the above mentioned commitments of the administration
AFFORESTATION
It is the process of planting trees where they never existed before or are few in number. This process is seldom debated upon unlike reforestation because there is empirical evidence to support the notion that afforestation helps in carbon sinking and helps in the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and therefore reduces the effects of green house emissions and subsequently positively impacts climate change. The carbon sinks can, however, either be permanently or temporary in nature. It suffices to point out that planting tree where none existed is crucial in mitigating the effects of climate change. The captured carbon dioxide is combined with the solar energy and converted into food by trees As such, trees are integral in completing the carbon cycle.
CONCLUSION
In the last three decades, the impact of flooding has
increasingly worsened from significant to threatening
proportions, resulting in loss of lives and properties. Though
detailed statistics are not available regarding the losses
sustained by urban dwellers and flood victims, it is
obvious from available records that irreparable losses have
been sustained by citizens of Nigeria due to what have become recurring natural disasters in our cities.
Apart from houses that collapse as a result of flooding, schools buildings and bridges are also similarly affected. Markets places and farmlands are submerged for weeks and are sometimes
washed away. Hence flooding in Nigeria needs to addressed. It is easy to be overwhelmed, and to feel that climate change is
too big a challenge to solve. But we already have the answers, now it is a question of making them happen. In order to succeed, all of these solutions need strong international cooperation between governments and businesses, including the most polluting sectors.
Individuals can also play a part by making better choices about
where they get their energy, how they travel, and what food they
eat. But the best way to help stop climate change is to
take collective action. This means pressuring governments and
corporations to change their policies and business practices.
Democratic Governments want to be re-elected and businesses can’t survive without customers. Demanding action from them is a powerful way to make change happen.
Conclusively, the effect of our climate change is seen on almost
everything that distorts nature. We need to adhere to the above
solutions so that the atmosphere can be restored. If India, with a
population of almost seven times bigger and a land area three-
and-a-half times bigger than Nigeria, can eradicate or drastically
reduce open defecation, Nigeria should also be able to do so.
What it requires is the will backed up by consistent, deliberate
action. (The end).
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Climate change is happening, humans are causing it, and I think this is perhaps the most serious environmental issue facing us”. (Bill Nye).
LAST LINE
God bless my numerous global readers for always keeping faith with the Sunday Sermon on the Mount of the Nigerian Project, by humble me, Prof Mike Ozekhome, SAN, CON, OFR, FCIArb., LL.M, Ph.D, LL.D, D.Litt, D.Sc. kindly, come with me to next week’s exciting dissertation.
