Envisioned Disaster: Climate Change

The Solution: I-Green, U-Green; We-Clean  Area: Disaster Prevention and Adaptation

By Samuel Duru, Nigeria.

Envisioned Disaster: Climate Change

Why Climate ChangeThe impacts of climate change are beginning to be felt and will worsen in the decades ahead unless we take action now. There will be unpredictable changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme climatic phenomena leading to natural disasters – heat waves, floods, mud or landslides, bush fires and ocean surges. The resulting natural disasters will cause economic losses, population displacements, ecological refugees, stresses on resource sharing, social conflicts and general destabilization of social systems.

The irony of climate change as a global problem is that developing countries who contribute the least to cause the problem are the most vulnerable to its impacts. Developing countries are likely to suffer the heaviest degree of damage from climate change because they are the least endowed with resources to combat the problem and their economies are based largely on natural resources-dependent sectors that are climate-sensitive. My country, Nigeria, is one of those countries.

Nigeria's high vulnerability to climate change stems first from its geographical location – in the tropics and with a long coastline. It stems secondly from our being a developing country with little capacity to adapt to climate change due to low levels of awareness, human and financial resources, and institutional and technological capability. As a developing country also, we are particularly vulnerable because a large share of our economy is dependent on climate-sensitive natural resources (TAR 2001).

Problem StatementWe are already bearing the brunt of climate change in my country, Nigeria. Climate change has disrupted seasonal cycles; harmed ecosystems and water supply – it has affected agriculture and food production, and exacerbated soil erosion and flooding – increasing breeding for disease vectors. Malnutrition and vector-borne diseases are prevalent in my country; these are adverse effects of climate change. Malaria remains the number one disorder in Nigeria. “Every 30 seconds, a child dies of malaria in Nigeria according to UNICEF. In one year, an estimated 300,000 children die as a result of malaria attack and several millions of those who survive are left to suffer the consequences of the attacks. About 3.5 million persons in Nigeria are at risk of the extreme consequences of malaria which is so widespread; it affects one out of 12 people in a day in Nigeria.”

In the southern part of Nigeria, lives are being washed away as flood and erosion remove top-soil, destroy roads, affect freshwater resources and threaten lives and property. Northern Nigeria is in the throes of a desertification problem and the menace of a rapidly advancing Sahara Desert – reducing the availability of agricultural land as well as surface and underground water resources. The extreme temperatures and dryness of the North and the flood and erosion of the South assist in shrinking resources upon which livelihoods and development depend. Conceivably the greatest source of insecurity and instability in Nigeria today are resource and environmental conflicts – among competing water users, farmers against farmers, and cattle herdsmen against farmers. These resource conflicts dot the national landscape, from the mayhem in Adamawa, Benue, Taraba and Kebbi to Anambara and the entire Niger Delta.

Climate change is part of the larger challenge of sustainable development in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the greater proportion of Nigeria’s population which happens to be the most vulnerable to the perilous impacts of climate change: “children and youth”, are not aware of climate change, neither are they aware of the smallest and simplest actions they can take as individuals or teams to mitigate the scourge.

Dreadful Future Scenarios

Nigeria has a coastline that is more than 800 km long. Calculations show that a 0.2 m rise in sea-level will inundate 3,400 km² of our coast-land; a 1.0 m rise will cover 18,400 km². The whole of the Niger Delta is under 6,000 km² and the total mangrove area in the country is about 8,000 km² (Onofeghara 1990). Our economy depends critically on the important economic activities that take place in our coastal region and we have important cities, infrastructure and installations in the region. One prediction is that 'Nigeria will lose close to $9 billion as a result of the catastrophe (sea-level rise) while, at least, 80 per-cent of the inhabitants of the Niger Delta will be displaced due to the low level of the oil-rich region'. Guardian Newspaper, September 17, 2001, p.80).

More so, water borne diseases like cholera will rise with rising floods. In addition, in the coastal regions, upswelling of the sea as a result of increased sea surface temperature (SST) increases the abundance of phytoplankton, which in turn supports a large population of zooplankton – which serves as a reservoir of cholera bacteria. Widespread cases of cholera around tropical seas in the past have been explained by this process (TAR 2001). Diseases like cerebro-spinal meningitis (CSM), which currently occur in Nigeria's dry belt in the peak of the dry season and are known to be associated with high temperatures and low humidity, may be accentuated by climate change, while direct impacts in the form of heat stroke may arise with increasing incidence of heat waves.

Deficiencies in freshwater availability and the diversion of resources to combat climate-linked natural disasters may worsen already poor sanitary and health facilities in the country.

My Elixir: I-Green, U-Green; We-Clean

Project AimThe initiative is aimed at climate change prevention and adaptation in Nigeria. “I-Green, U-Green; We-Clean” will beef up the inadequate climate change awareness and education among children and youth. It will also turn their apathy into action by engaging them in hands-on green activities within their schools and communities, and encourage them to model their green habits/actions wherever they are and in their daily living.

How It Will WorkThe project will be run in the local primary and secondary schools. It will raise pupils’ and students' awareness of climate change and sustainable development issues through classroom study as well as school and community action.

Project Implementation PlanI-Green, U-Green; We Clean project will be run in two Local Governments; one, Aba South and the other Aba North, over one year. The project will involve: training and education, distribution of handbooks, posters, stickers and flyers; environmental education films, training of volunteers within school communities, formation of Green clubs, co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of school-based project activities. It is expected to reach between 15 and 30 schools.

This project, which is viewed as a pilot, will emphasize:

Training and EducationWe will introduce climate change: as the “moral challenge of age” to pupils and students through training and education. My team members and will contact school authorities, form teachers, and train volunteers at the designated community schools, to liaise with about the training of children and youth on climate change prevention and adaptation. We will arrange presentation at the various schools in early June 2012, to educate children and youth about climate change and its adverse impacts on us all. Also, we will introduce them to the concept of Green Clubs, and distribute climate education materials. More so, the Green Clubs will provide an introduction to the importance of water both locally and globally and raise awareness of how simple actions can substantially cut down water use.

Schools will be encouraged to reduce their water consumption by assessing how much they use every day and by looking at the size of their meter, identifying leaks and drips, adapting the flow rate on taps and reducing the amount of water used in toilets. Making a difference requires playfulness and fun, hence we will make a projection of a video called “the climate injustice” and other environmental education films.

Tree Planting

We intend to launch a campaign: “one tree per pupil/student” to ensure that everyone participates in planting about 5000 indigenous tree species in the respective schools. Trees would be planted around the schools and in the under-greened parts of the rural communities as one of the ways to restore the impaired natural aesthetic of the environment.

Project Implementation Plan Continued

Awareness Raising Workshop

We will organise a 2–day training workshop to train teachers, volunteers, pupils/students, and eco-champions in the respective schools and on how to use the I-Green, U-Green; We-Clean environmental education toolkit which will be given to the schools.

Green Clubs

Through the Green Clubs, we will educate children and youth on growing and eating healthy, organic produce. Volunteers and teachers from the respective schools will meet with members of their Green Club every week and the children/youth will do all the digging, planting, weeding, harvesting and ultimately eating of fresh fruit and vegetables they grow themselves. They will monitor water use through drip irrigation and compost all the waste.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

The regular monitoring of project implementation shall be carried out based on the benchmarks indicators specified for the project activities, outcomes and overall goals. All stakeholders will work together to create a list of lessons learned. Qualitative monitoring shall be based on field visit, workshop reports, and feedback from the students and schools. External evaluation of the project will review by independent reviewers, review of project implementation and completion reports, performance audit reports, and an evaluation at the midterm and end of the project.

The Relevance and Effectiveness

The relevance of I-Green, U-Green; We-Clean project can be buttressed by the following point:

Public awareness on climate change is inadequate in Nigeria, worst still among children and youth. Hence, activities aimed at increasing climate change awareness and education should command the greatest attention. Nigeria is in dire need of activities which will enhance the overall visibility and understanding of the complex issues involved in addressing climate change.

Moreover, I-Green, U-Green; We-Clean will be very effective because the solution to climate change will involve a broad array of ideas, down-to-earth actions, technologies and policies—many tried and true, and many new and innovative. Also, awareness and education will foster lifestyle changes and environmental responsibility.

The InnovativenessThe democratic and participatory approach of I-Green, U-Green; We-Clean project, makes it innovative. This will encourage children and youth to take active role in how their school can be run for the benefit of the environment, highlighting the importance of civic values. More so, the project will encourage social inclusion by taking climate change awareness to the grassroots to educate and engage local children and youth whose future is mostly threatened by the scourge.

And a more brilliant and innovative thing is that I-Green, U-Green; We-Clean project, is approaching this work with both the playfulness and fun that creativity requires and the seriousness that the planet needs.

Are There Similar Ideas?Yes, Involved NGOs, such as NEST, are concerned with public education and building the institutional capacities for action on climate change. However, their programmes and activities are mostly at the federal level. And there is need for more down-to-earth climate actions to complement the efforts of other environmental organizations and agencies especially in the grassroots . Fortunately, I-Green, U-Green; We-Clean project can meet most of these needs.

Goals and Targets of I-Green, U-Green; We-Clean

To help children and youth become adequately aware of climate change; understand its risks, and their role in local and global adaptation efforts.

To turn environmental apathy into action by getting young people involved in hands-on activities that benefit the environment.

To form Green Clubs in all the local schools involved in the project. To up-green under-greened areas in the local communities by planting

5000 indigenous trees. To train young climate champions and stewards in the local schools. To teach young people the importance of water and how to use water

wisely. To teach children and youth how to start and maintain school gardens using

organic methods, avoiding the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, use minimal amounts of water, become knowledgeable on building and maintaining good soil, where to plant, how to grow and what plants work within our region.

To teach young people how to stay healthy and free from vector-borne diseases.

Impacts of “I-Green, U-Green; We Clean”

“I-Green, U-Green; We Clean” will contribute immensely towards climate change mitigation and sustainable living.

Greener minds and communities will emerge by dint of my project, instilling environmental stewardship and a greater sense of place in young people; contributing to Target 7D of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The project will directly reach 30 schools, impacting positively on thousands of pupils and

students.

It will restore the natural aesthetic of under-greened parts of the local communities.

It will ultimately raise up an army of environmental stewards and champions.

Finally, by helping young people in schools grow their own vegetables and fruits, I-Green, U-Green; We Clean” will therefore promote healthier eating habits.

Picture Credits 

By PM, News, Lagos/Photonews@SaharaReporters

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/death-toll-rises-100-ibadan-flood-photos-pm-news-lagos BBC News, Ibadan

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14774793

Arguments to Demonstrate My Project’s Success in Real Life

I strongly believe that children can become stewards of the environment if they are taught the proper environmental practices early enough in life, hence I-Green, U-Green; We-Clean will be a huge success in real life.

Moreover, since climate change and environmental degradation are largely the result of improper attitude of man towards the environment, I think there should be proper training and attitude re-orientation; which will foster lifestyle adjustments that will benefit the planet.

I have done a project similar to I-Green, U-Green; We-Clean in the past as can be seen in the pictures of me and students below: