 Thank you for staying with us. You used to watch in the breakfast on plus TV Africa and right now We're talking about climate change and the need for sustainable practices in and Nigeria Well, we have our guest grace all the cheese is a co-founder and executive director at climate action Africa. Good morning, Matt Thank you for joining us Good morning. Thank you for having me. Okay, so let's talk climate change I'm sure a lot of people are asking what does Nigeria have to do with climate change Especially because we just went to cup 28 with the president and some other delegates from Nigeria and Most people are like climate change doesn't happen in Africa Weather is warm all around so while we have in this conversation climate change and we're also talking about sustainable practices So just you know, walk me through climate change first then we start to talk about the sustainable practices Yes, I mean climate change and the science of it really is just say that there's global warming There's this whole ecosystem that has to support the world and as we human activity So things like driving your car Putting on your generator cutting down wood to cook with oil and gas industry Manufacturing there are all these carbons and methane their emissions what they call greenhouse gases that go into the air and they keep affecting The global warming space and it's making it hotter So temperatures have gradually been increasing for about a hundred years now and last year actually was the hottest year in human history So everybody on the planet all organizations human activity is increasing greenhouse emissions Which is causing climate change So when I when I first asked and I said most people are wondering what does Nigeria have to do with climate change? You had a reaction like Really is having a quote, you know, is I even more people say there was that reaction? But how important is it for us to start to look at climate change? It is very important because as much as the data has shown that Africa has not contributed a lot to greenhouse gases because we are not as industrialized as the rest of the world It doesn't matter because right now the sun or the ecosystem within which planet earth exists It's not going to destroy one place and leave another place if the world is going to collapse Everybody's going to be affected by it, which is why climate action is actually global Climate change is global and climate action as well has to be global effort Nigeria's we think it doesn't affect them. I want us to go back and look at our land, right? I think about 70 percent of land in Nigeria now is being affected by desertification We have like Chad that is a major land and Almost a cultural heritage that supplies most of the Sahel with water which has shrunk by almost 90% in the last 30 to 50 years So these are all things that are affecting us acts the farmers were on the field They may not understand the science of climate change But as somebody will grow up on the farm and I have conversations with my mom I can tell you that they can feel it We're seeing even cocoa farmers coffee farmers who are complaining that this freak change in weather patterns and Climate is making their produce not come out as it should be they're not producing the same yields as before So it's affecting us whether we want to believe it or not that we need to take action Okay, so I have one cheeky question in Nigeria right now almost everyone from Abuja to Oweri To Annambra to Delta everybody's complaining about the heat, right? Oh my god It is so hot even here in Lagos. There is no wind nothing. It's just like you're breathing humid air really So could climate change affect this like the weather right now and you know all of the heat that we're experiencing Could that be as a result of climate change and maybe because we're not taking it seriously? It is as a matter of fact that is what it is last year Nigeria got about 45 degrees In some parts of the country and right now we're seeing 40 41 percent and it could get hotter Because as a matter of fact when they met in the Paris in Paris in 2015 for the coq 15 Price 15 agreement. It was agreed by global leaders that the world should not exceed 1.5 degrees in terms of temperature rise But last year we hit that mark and it was a prediction that we're not supposed to hit to 2016 I was supposed to take all this action to see that we don't hit that but we've hit that which means that places are gonna get Hotter is almost like I mean I live my house because it's ACI you go out in the morning for a walk And it's just stuff is like what is happening and that is climate change There is places are going to get hot even places that were not hot before we should start experience should start experiencing more heat and increasing temperature That's quite alarming because right now we need to start to look into this and take you seriously because like you said if If any part of the world is affected we're all still in this world together and you don't have another place You're running to so I think now let's start to talk about sustainable practices What are some sustainable practices we can start to you know Even incorporate to our everyday life to ensure that we're taking care of our planet because or we're taking care of this Ecosystem because basically that's what climate change is about We're probably doing things that we're not supposed to be doing and for that the ecosystem is just having like a revolt really So what are some sustainable practices that you would advise us to start in vibe? Thank you And I mean I'm going to go for passenger love later because that's like one of the biggest things We've seen that last year the energy transition program released a report that said the cooking industry in Nigeria was contributing about 22 percent to energy emissions, which means because 75 percent of Nigeria uses Wood, kerosene and clean methods. So one of the first things that we can start to do as a country is transition our cooking How do we ensure that 100 plus million Nigerians who use on clean cooking methods start using clean cooking methods to cook? I mean there are all these innovative products now that use solar energy to cook We have our gases that are better for the environment than charcoal Nigeria has lost I think almost how many Hectares of land to firewood cooking and that is those are part of the trees that should sustain Our environment and absorb carbon because that's what happens The ocean and the trees is what is supposed to absorb the emissions that go into the atmosphere But because we keep cutting down trees we keep destroying this ecosystem then it becomes worse Plants have plants around your environment plants as much as possible because it's it's it's what's gonna save us I want people to volunteer with projects that are around tree planting and other sustainable practices in your house as well What's your energy consumption? Do you really need to have five aces on at all the time? With this heat most of you're like all of the aces need to be on because it's so hot That's the sacrifice right now Yes, yes, let some places like let's choose them. I mean they're cleaner energy sources Like there are all these solar fans that consume less and they're all these cleaner Energy options that we could be using do you want to transition part of your house to solar energy? Do you want to reduce how much you run your generator all these small things? How do you manage your waste at home? There's so many things the list is endless and I think that everybody just needs to do Their own small part to ensure that you're keeping safe your community because it could really It really make or break what we see in the next couple of years, okay? So I've heard you know the list of things that we've said, but some people might argue that Going for this sustainable practices might be expensive because you talked about, you know trees were cutting down our trees So obviously the what's supposed to be giving us good oxygen. We're taking it away And it's not absorbing the carbon, but some people in the villages will tell you that that's all I have I don't even have money in this whole economic crisis of a nation that we're in How am I supposed to get money to start to look for a cleaner source? How how Why would I not choose, you know just cutting down the tree because it's faster. I just burn it quickly I cook my food. I have to put food in my belly So if I don't eat isn't it in fact, let me use let me use co-loc water I'm not pressing when you don't chop 90 think of ecosystem. So some people might actually argue that what's your response? I Think so that's that's the truth and I do understand that for the comments because again What's in poverty levels rise, which means sustainable sorts of options are becoming increasingly expensive But what I want to say is that it has this expensive for a reason, right? For example these innovators it's costing them a lot more to produce these things because They have to import a lot of things is becoming really expensive I think it has to be a two-way street the innovators and the manufacturers of sustainable solutions need to meet us halfway and We as well as the people need to meet them halfway Ensuring that we increase demand for some of these things because when you increase demand what will happen prices will drop Yeah And I think from the government side of things and even from the finance side of it both public and private sector We need to incentivize Clean credit and clean financing and incentivize some of these changes for example I know the company burn is a clean company clean cooking company that works in most of East and southern Africa They even pay people to use electric stoves to cook or order clean options because there are all the schemes around carbon credits and all that I know it's expensive But we need to increase the demand and we have to become innovative around how we price these products and you know How we make finance available for these people so that they can Increase production and we almost have like mass commercialization Because I mean it's easy for everybody to find wood or charcoal to cook But how easy is it for you to find some solar cooking solution from the shelf? It's that's that's where the problems are thank you Okay, so I know you talked about people trying to you know, just make sure they do this practices But I want to find out what's the role of the years because I know you start like especially with the Genesis There is so innovative. They're thinking, you know future forward, right? So what can we do to ensure this transition from this old traditional practices to the sustainable ones that you've listed I Think it's hard But one of the first things that we have to do is we have to come to this Realization that this is affecting us and some things are almost non Negotiable like clean cooking at this point We have a very short time to transition to clean cooking and I also think that we need to come together and start Itirating and looking at what what is the best way to maintain cultural heritage and tradition and also ensure a sustainable future Because what is the point really of keeping a practice that will hurt the future that your children will exist in? And we're having a lot of innovations now come up in the sector And I think that's something that could really help us and we also need to maybe go back to some policies and see how Communal policies to ensure that we are creating this balance within the ecosystem Preserving tradition and also ensuring that it is sustainable. Okay, you talked about clean cooking, right? Now some people would tell you that party gel off would fire with is the best so what happens When I cannot in my party gel off anymore, what happens like am I going to now start to just eat bland gel off But that's why I just wanted to make light of the situation. We you talked about policies, right? What policies do you think the government can put in place for us to transition? And then we don't feel like you know what being stretched out because a lot of times people don't like moving away from their comfort zone You're like, oh, this is what I know. This is how my parents, you know, I brought me up This is I'm a product of my environment. This is all I've ever known So you're telling me to move over to something else because you call it clean Who says it's it's clean who says I have to do that So are there policies that the government can put in place to ensure that people start to and it may be Incident, you know, just give like an incentive just like the one you talked about That can make people just move over to clean energy. I Think yes, there are already some policies in place So Nigeria has the energy transition plan that has been so supported by sustainable energy for all Nigeria actually has the climate change and adaptation plan for 2020 to 2030 that was enacted By the former administration their policies in place But now it's how to bring a lot more private sector and how to even mainstream this policy so that everybody's aware of it Do we even execute these policies? Exactly. So we need to be there needs to be investment in education and awareness of these policies to ensure that there is mass adoption It's almost like a mental re-engineering that has to happen so that there's behavioral change and we also have to incentivize Like I mentioned earlier, it's important that we incentivize this some of these policies I think that's what has been the missing link for For most of some of the policies that exist that needs to be insensitive because for us to actually create For us to actually create social change You could you have to either choose to punish or to incentivize and I don't think punishment is the way to go Yeah, because we're already being punished a lot by planet and Private change so we need to incentivize some of these policies to ensure that people can adopt it run a faster Okay All right, so do you have like any words that you can just use to challenge people to start to? Take care of the planet take care of our climate I Think I think the best way to put this or to say is is to understand that we don't have a second home I mean Elon and a few others and I think Bezos yeah, they're trying to go to Mars or something else I don't know how many of us in Nigeria can afford to get on one of those rides But this is what we have as a matter of fact, this is what we have Nigeria is all we have planet Earth is all we have so we have to be intentional I want you to even just think of the fact that 70% to 80% of us Leave off mother earth on this country because we are farmers. We are pastoralists. We are whatever you have We eat from mother earth. We survive because some of the earth oxygen and all of that So there is no other option than for us to take care of it Then for us to listen to her crying and say that okay, how do we make this work? We need to go back to living in harmony with nature so that it can continue to preserve and protect us All right I think I for me I I love the fact that we talk about climate change because I am passionate about the environment So I wanted to ask how do people are there like partners because I want to believe there are people like you Who are championing these causes? So are there partners people we can partner with? Is there is there a way we can even do more besides the awareness Talking about this is one thing but doing it is another so are there maybe NGOs anything that we can actually partner with? Yes, yes, and yes, I mean, there's there's amazing amazing projects In abuja, for example, you have clean technology pop that they're always looking for volunteers to work with You have projects around. I think there's Isano Africa that is always doing something with farmers. We have farm crowding We have sun pump. There is even recyclers recyclers for our points. There are all these amazing organizations that are trying to do something to advance Climate action globally and in Nigeria that I think the youths can volunteer with you can donate to I remember from crowding actually used to crowd source for funds And I don't know how that went and I did not see the final report of that But then how do you donate to some of these exercises? How do you volunteer? How do you give your time? How do you even give your resources? So it must not be money But how do you just go sit on the table and co-create with these people if they invite you for strategy sessions? Go because your input about your community could shape how the design programs and policies and initiatives that better support us Okay, so I want to ask now the role of innovation technology I because I believe that technology is the way forward in fact technology is the future and the future is here So is there a role that technology plays in all of this with the climate change? Yes, yes, yes, and yes I think technology is going to be one of our fastest ways out of this and we're seeing Really amazing innovations come out from from from ground from roots here right in Nigeria and from abroad Um, for example, I mentioned sun pump earlier And they are like an off-grid solar pump for smallholder farmers enabling them to continue their work This farm crowded that is using data analytics real-time data to support how farmers Produce we're having technology that is also increasing like things around seed resistance From diseases to ensure that farmers can have better yield And this is not GMOs just to be just to be clear And we also have people that have solutions around flood forecasting and droughts and justification That early warning systems that can be able to pinpoint people to okay Maybe this is the action that you need to take. We have even now the even solutions for Carbon intensive housing like even the cement that you used to build your house could contribute to climate change So there are better options that technology is producing now And I think recently even the big tech like google they've launched through google maps They're trying to map out where we have maintained leaks on planet earth Which means where are the quotes quotes of this emissions and what can people do around that area? Or how can government even put more pressure on people in these areas to see that the stop whatever activity they're doing Or that the transition needs to better Enable sustainability of of the earth So there are all these amazing technologies that are coming up and people keep innovating and that's what we want to see Innovate around regenerative agriculture like I mentioned earlier 70 percent of Nigeria's arable land and farmland Is being threatened by desertification. How do we ensure that we can regenerate our soils for better for better production for better yield? Okay, so let let me bring you to Africa because when we started you talked about lichard drying up really and I wanted to find out is there are there ways that you know the african countries can collaborate together To find effective solution fine I know it's it's not just about africa because it's the world at large and If something is wrong in other parts of the world africa is also affected But let's start from where we are because we can say oh, yes We have these lofty ideas. We want to do this. We want to do that But you have to start from where you are So from here in Nigeria from here in africa are there ways, you know We can collaborate together to look for effective solutions that can work They might not be um, they might not be swift In the sense that people would just some people can't be resistant to certain things But can they collaborate to start to you know sensitize the people Create more awareness and then start to even work with the international communities on how we can find effective solutions Yes, yes, and yes, and I think As much as it's not just about africa It's easy about africa because nine of the 10 most vulnerable countries to climate change are actually in africa And africa is probably one of the most vulnerable at this point because we've not had adequate Infrastructure to support us in case of massive disasters I want us to imagine the rains and the storms that took europe in 2021 and 2022 If that happened in nigeria almost african cities would we have anything left? I wanted to just think about that So africa is really exposed at this point and vulnerable So it is about us and last year september We were really excited to see africans come together in nirobi for the african climate summit and have one voice and say This is what we want to see achieved on our continent when it comes to climate change So there's already the nirobi declaration that is a full body of work that shows the different calls to action and Commitments that africa can make to improving To attain the climate action for itself and the global community And this document is so powerful because it draws inspiration From the paris agreement from the unf triple c other frameworks and even from some a u frameworks to say that This is the way to go and in terms of what nigeria can do. Yes We can start collaborating on energy projects. We cannot do it alone. How do we leverage the resources of our neighbors? How do we even share our resources with our neighbors to ensure that we are creating a sustainable ecosystem? Because guess what if we protect ourselves and nigeria or cameroon is not protected and there's anything that happens there They're going to there's going to be an influx in nigeria So this is not the time because displacement is happening, right? They didn't come into nigeria and this is not the time for anybody to say I want to go at it alone that needs to be a lot of collaboration between government Between partners cross borders private sector. How can you working in energy in nigeria collaborate with the people in nigeria In cameroon in togo in bernard How do we come together to ensure that we are creating collective action because that's the way we're going to accelerate results Yeah, I love that. I think this is a Good way to just land it collaborating working with one another and just finding ways to protect The ecosystem finding ways to protect the climate anyways, I want to say thank you for joining us I really learned a lot from you and I'm sure our viewers are told my just like oh, yes I want to I've jotted out a few things that I want to start to imbibe into my daily life I want to say thank you so much grace ology. Thank you for coming and just bringing your wealth of knowledge to us Thank you so much Thank you so much for having me. All right. Have a nice thing You too. Bye Okay, we've been speaking with grace ology. She's a co-founder and executive director of climate action africa And we've just been talking about Climate change and the sustainable practices we can start to imbibe in our everyday lives Anyways, this is where we wrap it up. But first, let's just check out our quote of the day Okay, so our quote for today says don't worry about the pressure or the responsibility Just leave in it. Have fun and when everything seems to be going right Just stay humble and remember your family. Do not think about the pressure. Do not think about the responsibility It's okay to think about it. But don't worry about it. So that is the charge. Don't worry about it Just be humble think about your family. Enjoy. Have fun, right? You can only leave once That's that's one thing that we young people like to say you only leave one So enjoy leave in the moment. Anyways, this is where we wrap it up on the breakfast today It's been an amazing ride this week. Well, we'll do it again next week. See you on monday. My name is rome Paulson. Have an amazing weekend