N16.7 Trillion Lost To Climate Change

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At least N16.7 trillion (US$110 billion) was lost to impact of climate change globally in 2010, says  Dr. Kenny Tang of the Oxbridge Weather Capital, London, United Kingdom.

Tang spoke while delivering a lecture at the 3rd Lagos State Summit on Climate Change, with the theme,  Charting a Road Map for Combating Climate Change in Nigeria, held at the Eko Hotel and Suites,  Victoria Island, Lagos, South West Nigeria on Tuesday.

According to Tang, the impact of climate change had been so devastating that property worth $110  billion had been destroyed worldwide while several people had died as a result of massive flooding,  Tsunamis, hurricane, among others.

Tang disclosed that 375 natural disasters occurred worldwide, adding that 300, 000 people were killed  in the disaster with 207 million people affected globally.

He lamented that in Haiti, 200,000 people were killed as a result of heat wave which swept the whole  land, while 1,985 others were killed in Pakistan and 3,451 killed in China.

Tang added that in 2005, economic losses to climate change were put at US$240 billion, saying that  these were not insured losses.

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Earlier, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State said the motive of the state government leading the  role in addressing climate change crisis was not far fetched, saying that given the topography of  Lagos, “it is highly prone to the vagaries of climate change, especially flooding and coastal erosion.

“Other parts of the nation are equally being ravaged by desertification and flooding which are capable  of displacing people, thereby increasing the population of Lagos State unprecedentedly.  Everyone must  pick up the gauntlet and act in respective capacities.

“The experience of the nation in the last one year with flooding and erosion which claimed several  lives, livestock, farm produce and houses remain very fresh in our minds.”

The governor said the lesson to be learnt from the Ajegunle disaster was that “what happened may be a  tip of the iceberg if urgent steps are not taken to stem global warming,” adding that advocacy would  facilitate better understanding of the associated risks and what should be done to mitigate and adapt.

“What we desperately need as global citizens is retool our efforts and reinvent our strategies towards  achieving the desired result.  Ensuring environmental sustainability is a task that should be achieved  before 2015 as entrenched in the Millennium Development Goals package as the seventh goal.”

—Kazeem Ugbodaga

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