TheCable

Despite directly impacting our communities, health, and livelihoods, climate-related reports usually take a back seat to dominant news beats like politics and business.

Climate Watch aims to ensure you never miss important stories on climate change and actions being taken toward limiting its impact.

Here is a round-up of last week’s climate stories:

• The federal government has partnered with the European Union (EU) to reduce environmental waste in the country. Balarabe Lawal, minister of environment, said Nigeria is generating about 32 million tons of solid waste annually. The minister said this presents circular economy business opportunities across the waste management value chain which should be harnessed for job creation. Read more here.

• Iziaq Salako, minister of state for environment, on April 4, said the federal government has moved to stage three in the plans to phase out ozone-depleting substances in the country. Salako spoke during the inauguration of the ozone and climate-friendly air conditioning manufacturing line at Sacral Industries in Lagos. He said the project would generate foreign exchange for the country from the export of the company’s products and savings from local production. The minister said the project would create jobs and generate wealth for Nigerians. Read more here.

• The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has expressed commitment to eliminate lead from paint products in the country. Last week, NESREA and Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria) organised a workshop to raise awareness on the dangers of leaded paints and sought the use of safer alternatives. Aliyu Jauro, director-general of NESREA, said lead is a highly toxic substance that poses severe health risks, especially to children. He said exposure to the substance could result in irreversible neurological damage and developmental disorders. Find out more here.

• Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) said it has signed grant agreements with 19 clean energy developers for the deployment of solar energy solutions across Nigeria. The organisation said the agreement is part of its stand-alone solar for productive use (SSPU) programme. Joseph Nganga, interim CEO of Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), said the project is making a significant contribution to the drive for a sustainable future by empowering clean energy developers. Find out more here.

  Advertisement

• Joseph Utsev, minister of water resources and sanitation, said Nigeria will host the sixth African regional conference of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID). The event is slated to take place in Abuja, the nation’s capital, from April 14 to 16. The minister said the conference presents a significant opportunity for Nigeria to demonstrate its dedication to improving water and land management, especially in agriculture. Read more here.