Peterside seeks collaborative efforts to tackle climate change menace

Dakuku Peterside, director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has identified the need for countries, states and governments to join efforts in tackling the scourge of climate change.

According to a statement signed by Isichei Osamgbi, head, corporate communications of NIMASA, the DG, said this at a climate change event held in Lagos recently.

Peterside, who was represented at the event by Sussana Asagwara, director of Marine Environment Management Department, said that climate change is now a serious global concern, even as he cited the recent Hurricane Harvey and Irma that are currently ravaging some parts of the United States as one of the effects of climate change.

“Climate change presents a serious cause for concern to humankind. The frightening phenomenon has completely altered the atmospheric composition of the earth leading to an intense warming of the globe. It has continued to pose unquantifiable threat to social, political and economic development. It is also of great devastating effects as seen by the unprecedented destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in Texas and Florida respectively” Peterside added.

According to him, the global effects of climate change had challenged every country across the globe to scamper for mitigating factors.

“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as it is now evident in over 193 countries including Nigeria. These countries are no longer standing aloof; they are taking heed to tame with the monster. On a global scale, climate change is having profound impact on ocean warming, decrease in polar ice and glacier, increase in extreme storm events, sea level rise and coastal flooding, which severely affect lives in many regions of the world,” he explained.

Peterside, who said that maritime, is an international business that depends on global regulatory framework to operate efficiently, stated that shipping is the most environmentally sound mode of cargo transportation and contributes to overall greenhouse gas emission.

He said that the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the United Nations body saddled with the responsibility of formulating policies to regulate global maritime activities, have joined worldwide efforts at addressing climate change through effective regulatory frame work and adoption of realistic solutions such as the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex VI that deals with air pollution.

He pointed to the fact that Nigeria is one of the countries expected to be most affected by the impact of climate change through sea level rise, coastal erosion and storm surges as a result of her stretch of coastline.

The NIMASA boss further disclosed that the agency has come up with strategies that include implementation of the MARPOL Annex VI and regulation of bunker fuel of vessels calling at Nigerian ports. “This will also check the level of sulphur emission fuels and other related gas of concern with which the engines might be running.

Uzoamaka Anagor-Ewuzie