Ice melt has caused sea levels to rise by eight mm since 1992, according to leading scientists on Thursday. Australian scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) teamed up with international researchers to study the Antarctic and concluded that the eight-mm rise in sea levels corresponded to approximately three trillion tonnes of ice melt. Their research was published in the scientific journal Nature on Thursday. Using 24 different satellite-based estimates, the group demonstrated a tripling of ice-loss in western Antarctica between 1992 and 2017. Lead author and senior scientist, CSIRO Oceanographer Steve Rintoul, expressed concerns over the…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The African Development Bank (AfDB) Tuesday said it would invest $120 million in the next 2-3 years to boost the production and transformation of cassava and eight other commodities on the continent. The Director for Agriculture at AfDB, Dr Martin Fregene, who said this at the fourth International conference on cassava organized by the Global Cassava Partnerships for the 21st Century, GCP21, in Cotonou, Republic of Benin on Monday added that the nine commodities include: cassava, rice, maize, sorghum/millet, wheat, livestock, aquaculture, high iron beans and orange fleshed sweet potatoes. “Transforming cassava on the African continent would help African nations to…
By Stellamaries Amuwa The minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewale has said that Nigeria emerged 7th amongst the high TB burden countries globally and second in Africa, which has further underscored the need for concerted efforts towards the reduction of the burden of the disease. Adewale made this known at a symposium on tuberculosis themed: “Raising Future Leaders To end TB in Nigeria,” yesterday in Bingham University Karu, Nassarawa State. According to the minister, who was represented by the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Clement Uwaifo, Nigeria is one of the countries on the list of 30 high burden…
India went big in their commitment to Beat Plastic Pollution today, with an announcement to eliminate all single-use plastic in the country by 2022. This unprecedented ambitious move against disposable plastic will drastically stem the flow of plastics from 1.3 billion people and business in the fasted growing economy in the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed World Environment Day as the start of a global movement to defeat single-use plastics, highlighting India’s rapid economic development can be done in a way that is sustainable and green. “It is the duty of each one of us, to ensure that the…
South Sudan is on the verge of eradicating guinea worm since no transmission was reported in the country in 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, a senior official said on Friday. Makur Kariom, the Undersecretary in the Ministry of Health, said South Sudan would soon achieve the goal of total guinea worm eradication thanks to targeted interventions like improved hygiene and public awareness. “We have been going on for more than 17 months now without cases of Guinea worm reported in the country. So, guinea worm is not in the country as we talk,” said Kariom. He said South…
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said everybody needs to do something to stop plastic pollution from getting into the world’s oceans Guterres, who stated this in his message for World Oceans Day, said everybody could contribute “from carrying your own water bottle, to volunteering for a local clean-up”. The UN chief reminded everyone of the major role the oceans had in everyday life, as the lungs of the planet, providing most of the oxygen that we breathe. “The oceans make our blue planet unique in our solar system – and not just visually,” he said. He added that they helped regulate “the global climate…
World Health Organisation (WHO) experts said they have recorded 62 Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during this latest outbreak, with 38 confirmations and 27 deaths. Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response of WHO, Dr Peter Salama reported in Geneva that “very strong progress” in response to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, one month after the start of the diseases. He said that the first phase – protecting urban centres and towns – “has gone well, and we can be cautiously optimistic.” “There have been 62 Ebola cases in the DRC during this latest outbreak, with 38…
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday requested the African Export – Import Bank (AFREXIM) to align its lending schemes with the agricultural priorities of the Federal Government. The President made the request when he received the President of the Bank and Chairman of its Board of the Directors at the State House, Abuja. President Buhari acknowledged the fact that Nigeria was the biggest beneficiary of AFREXIM’s loans and facilities. He, however, observed that in spite of the impressive array of lending to institutions and industries in Nigeria, agriculture did not feature very well and needed to be taken on board. He…
The Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Mr Erik Solheim says the Programme would support Nigeria’s waste management to reduce, reuse and recycle plastics in the country. He said this in Abuja on Friday when he paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of State for Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Jibril. Solheim expressed happiness over the way the private sector in the waste management organised itself to provide technical solutions for effective collection and recycling of bottles in the country. The director said that beverages companies should devise ways to ensure that consumers return the used bottles to prevent…
ActionAid Nigeria says there is need for increased budgetary allocations and committed implementation of provisions of annual budgets in the agricultural sector. Mrs Gift Owonipa, the ActionAid Programme Manager in Kogi state, made the call at the inauguration of the state’s Public Financing of Agriculture Budget Committee on Thursday in Lokoja. According to Owonipa, from the analysis of the state’s 2018 total budget of N151.677 billion, N9.946 billion representing 6.56 per cent was allocated to agriculture, as against 4.53 per cent in 2017. “However, the point of concern for us is still the implementation of the 2017 budget which is…