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1HE GllARDIAN, Monda)< November2l,2OD
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The Environment ~n:IU'
More frequent droughts, floods to corne, warns new IPCC report rtJMATE change will make ·\...me drought and noodlng events that have baner~ a number of (ounoies in 20ll
more frequent [n years to come, forcing nations to rethink the way they cope
with disasters, according to a
new tepon by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCq The new lPCC report addresses, for the Om time, how Ime. gTildng upertise In climate
science, disaster risk manag~ mem, and adaptation ca n infonn discussions on how to reduce and manage the risks of extreme events and disasters In a changing climate. The repo rt evaluates the role of climate change in altering chatolcterinics o f u tre me evl!nts. It assesses expenenre with a wide range of optlons
used by Institutions, organisations, and communities to reduce expoSUIl" and vulnel'il+ bility, ancfJmprove r~ilience, to cllmat~ extrema Among these all" early-warning systems, Innovarlons In insurance coverage, Improvements In infrastructure, and the expansion of social safety nfts. Th~ IPCC Sureau at its 38th Session held : In November 2008inGenevaagreedtoconvene a Scoping Meeting. which took place In Oslo, Norway March 2]·26, 2009. The 30th $esslon of the IPCC heJd April 21'2], 2009 In Antalya, Thrkey agreed that Working Groups I and II would jointly prepare a ~ia l R.r:(lI;Irt on Managing e Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters(SREX). WGI is (CKhaired b:y OJn Dahl' of [he ChlOese Met e 0 r 0 l og I c a I Administration, Beijing, China and Thomas Stocker of the University of Bern, Swltierland, WGllis cCKhalred byVlcenre Barros of the University of
DrouBhI. ..Cllusad by climate change "' ., ~
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!The neYi.lPGC reoort,PrQYjtles.lnsights into hOW tflS3Sterlris :mamlgemem .anq ~da~f,'atlon m'~~Y'~~iSt ,' vu'n~8railfe CO)nIJ1 " u~ffies to '-"'II'? ~r-rion~ ~ 'Jb~"\"'~g~l~ . ~ \ 'I~ " " : \ - ' _ 1...... '~ "·'!'\ _ ~taI'6' ___ j ~~:~na~,a~f~l)eQuaI ,~ .-iti~·~s.weP-8:SU'ld, en~~:,~~mpl~im~me. d. (v'erJ SitypffactilfS..:..th_"-"aresti:!nJrt,ghumaovulnerabll~ito~mes ) i..~
_. ~ __ __ H~ _ ~_. _ . ~lJ. Christopher Field of the changing dimate in a world carnegfe Institution for oflnequalitles~. Science,Stanford, USA "It also underlines the comThe Summary for plexity and the dive.rslty of PoUcymakers of the SREX w.lS factors that are shaping approved by the First Joim human vulnerability to Session of IPCC Worlting exrremes--whyforsomecomGroups I and II In Kampala, munlties and countries these Uganda, November 14-17, 20n can become disasters whereand _ .was launched on as for others they can be less November:J8,201l severe,~ headded. Chair of the IPCc, RaJendra Oln Dahl', Co<ha"ir of IPCC Pachaun. said: '11l.1s summa- Working Group I, which ry for policymakers provides together.withWorkingGroup Insights Imohowdisasrerrisk II was responsible for the management and adaptation development and preparamay assist vulnerable com- tionoHhere~rt,sal(J: "'There
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maxi mum and minimum dally temperatures have Increased on a global scale due to the Increase of greenhouse gases.• MChangeslnotherenremes, such as more intense and longer droughts are observed In some regions, but the assessment asSigns medium confidence due to a lack of direct observations and a lack of agreement In the available scientil'lc studla Confidence In an) lonj,tenn trehd In tropical cyclone intensily. ~ quency or du ration Is
Regarding the future, the assessment concludes that I[ is vi rtually certaln that on a global scale hot days become !!Yen honer and occur more often. "Forthe high emissions scenario. Il is liltely that the frequency of hot days wi ll Increase by a factor of 10 in most ~ons of the world~, said Thomas Stocker the other CCKhair of Working Group L "Ukewise, heavy precipitation will occur more often, and the wind speed of tropical cyclones will Increase while their number will likely re main constant or decrease". "Nevertheless, there are many optlons for decreasing risk. Some of these have. been implemented,but many have
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vide benefits across a wide range of possible levels of climate chang!..~ said Vicente Barros, Co--Chalr of Woriting Group II. The other CCKhalr of Worltini Group II, Chris Field added: We hope this report can be a scientificfoundation for sound decisions on Infra· m ucture, urban development, publiC health, and insur-c.Ilce. as well as for planni ng- from community organizations to intemationaI disaster risk management." "'wouldllketo thankthescien'tim and experts who served as authors and review ~iton as well as the many expen reviewers for produc. JOg a comprehensive and scientlfkally sound summary andrepon."saidMr.Pachauri.
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ConseIVationis~ canvass forest regeneration, protection strategy
Conservation By lund. AIaa
1" lrIH environmental Issues
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rhe groUp is Wolljei!,thaI des pile ari;inqreas~ in conseIVaHon efforls, Ihe level of bfodiVeisily cOniinl",s:Io'decline, liuge~ beCausethe ~ressure on biodiversity cOfltinues to increase arid ifillt there isHo.h,dication,ot a significant reduC: HnnintHeiaie6fd'.c!iriein6fodivers;ty ·~t ~
VVgenerating a global concern, especially the dwindling forest reserves,a frontline con- nolo~es, this Situation, he servation group, has renewed said, is pJadng an unsustainits ca ll for a Forest able burden on the eanh's Regenention and Protecdon natural systems. Strategy (FRrS), which will Nigerian Conservation Increase forest reserves from foundation (NCF) President. less than five per cenl now to Chle.! 120m3 Philip Aslodu 25 per cent as recommended . said the 22 n Annual General by the Food and A:gr1cu1rure Meeting (AGM) of [he Organisatio n(FAO). Nlglrfan . Conservation The group, warned that con- Foundation (N01 held at Its leW Conservadon Centre, ~~~':: ra~~bmi~~ro said: "Ufe as we know it will over six. billion over the last not be the same ifour rich blo100 years with the attendanr dlvuslty heriGige is continuexplosion In the consumption ously abused and dramaticalof natural resources by man ly altered. The signs Indicate equipped wi th his new tl!Ch- that thls Is precisely what is
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happening; biodiversity Is dally threatened and this Is not: as a result of any nalUr.l1 dlmate catastrophe. The curre nt threat to biodiversity stems primarily from expanding human populations and Increased human consumpdon of naruraJ re5OUrces-, tie said, adding that People are adopdng wha t' he 'desaibed as the extremely wasteful North American model of Industrial uowth. Aslodu fimented the growIng disregard by the people towards the preservation of the ecosystem to mltlgate the
unfriendly filII outs of the cll· mate change. Mcording to him, the saddening rtilctions 10 human c1ct1vities are already Impacting very ne~ tive1)' on tlle envi ronment, whIch has resulted into a situation., whereby some species have become extinct while others are. highly endangered. To Aslodu, Mthe country Is beginnlng to ~me face-{Oface with the consequences of human actions caused- with the Imbalance in the environment and the Increasing Impactor climate cha nge~. The orga nl1i1tIOn's
Chalnnan, Ambassador Harnzat Ahmadu, said tha t despite an Increase in conservadon efforu. the levd of bil;)diversity continues to decline, largely beta.use the pressure on blodive.rsity cononues to Increase and that there is no Indication of a significant red uction In the rate of decline in biodiversity, nor of a significant reduction in pressure upon It. According to him. the situation in Nigerta is alarming. '11l.ere Is insuffident integration of biodiversity Issues Into broader policies, strategies and programmes of governmenrand the underlylngd rivers of blodlverslty foss have not been addressed. Aaions to promote blodiversity receive Unle or no fi nanciaf support from government and corp>-
ra~ bodies. Thus, the pressure to deHroy habitats for logging, Illegal hunting, and other human activities and pursuits are maJdngconserva· tlon a stnlwe", he observed, noting thailhis is an area that is calling for the attention of all the stakeholders, including govemmentsat aUlevels. Besldt!s, he noted that all Oll· tures to Nigeria recognise the Impamnce of narurt and Its biological diversi£y for theIr sode[\~s and have tlaerefore undentood the need to maintain It. Howevrr, he said paver· _ ry and greed have come in to aller rile precarious balance. For these reasons, he advised that the communities mustbe encouraged to participate fully in aJI conservadon and swtalnable developmenl strategies and efl"ons.