Daily Archives: August 15, 2022

In the bid to save the country from imminent economic collapse, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre has called on the state governors to sacrifice their jumbo salaries and allowances rather than their one-off retirement package proposal for workers.

The CISLAC said this on Monday in a statement issued by its Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, in Abuja.

It also described the governors recent proposal to the Federal Government as unrealistic and lopsided.

Rafsanjani, who is also the Head, Transparency International Chapter in Nigeria, said CISLAC received the proposed measure to reducing cost of governance as a deceitful approach that may amplify existing socio-economic burden, suffering and inequalities among common Nigerians.

He said: The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has been following with keen interest, the recent unrealistic and lopsided proposals to the Federal Government by the Nigerian Governors, under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), to offer Federal Civil Servants above 50 years of age, a one-off retirement package to exit the Service.

While such proposal was tendered in view of reducing overbearing cost of governance that has hitherto rendered the Nigeria financially incapacitated to adequately finance the ailing critical sector of the economy, we cannot conceal the fact that it mirrors lopsidedness, insincerity and lack of readiness by all levels of government to holistically address the contending issues backpedalling countrys socio-economic development.

He, however, drew the attention of all levels of government to various neglected issues that he said had aggravated high cost of governance and socio-economic inequalities in the country.

Rafsanjani said these include the systemic mismanagement of nations treasury and institutionalised spending of whopping sums on irrelevant activities that continued unabated at national and sub-national levels.

He added: We maintain our advocacy against unjustified numerous jumbo salaries, allowances, benefits, and public paid expenses enjoyed by the governors, their deputies, former speakers and their deputies throughout and after their tenures.

This includes the states that erected private buildings as retirement packages for the public office holders as well as former governors who enjoy double payments from Senatorial positions.

We are also worried by the increasing clamours for life-time pensions and benefits accrued to public office holders across the states, constituting a major component of the rising cost of governance.

The Executive Director also said that poor transparency and accountability are paving way for the inherent incompetence and abuse of public funds amounting to trillions of naira by successive administrations at all levels.

As 85% of reform efforts have failed since independence, we are more worried by the dreaded impact of mismanagement and undue political interests that will continue to frustrate the success of socio-economic reforms; and without pragmatic measures could cost up to 37% of Nigerias Gross Domestic Products (GDP) by 2030, as reported by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), he added.

Rafsanjani also called for the removal of fuel subsidy, which he said had caused more harm than good to the countrys economy.

He said: We are concerned by the needless fuel subsidy regime, which serves as a major contributory challenge to high cost of governance in Nigeria, with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) estimating an average of N120 billion monthly paid by the government on petrol subsidy.

Petrol subsidy payments have reportedly increased by 349.42 per cent from N350 billion in 2019 to N1.573 trillion in 2021, while the National Assembly approved the sum of N4 trillion for petrol subsidies in 2022.

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CISLAC to Governors: Sacrifice your jumbo pays to salvage imminent economic collapse - The Eagle Online

Not all species that are not native to a specific location are invasive. To be considered as such, they must adapt to new areas easily and reproduce quickly. By outcompeting the native species, invasive species thrive and cause harm to the habitat and the economy. Humans have undoubtedly had a significant impact on the environment leading to catastrophic climate crises, and threatening the planet and its inhabitants. However, can we really say that humans are an invasive species?

The National Geographic Society defines an invasive species as an organism that is not indigenous, or native, to a particular area and can cause great economic and environmental harm to the new area. Similarly, the US National Invasive Species Information Centre defines invasive species as an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

According to both the definitions outlined above, to be categorised as an invasive species, certain criteria must be fulfilled. These include being non-native to the locality, adapting and reproducing quickly, and causing environmental and economic harm to the area.

While the climate changes naturally, humans are now considered the main drivers of climate change. By attempting to modify the natural environment to conform to the needs of modern societies, humans have caused catastrophic events such as global warming, environmental degradation, mass extinction, and biodiversity loss that have led to an ecological crisis and ecological collapse. Humans have affected and changed biodiversity and the ecosystem in multiple ways. Approximately one million flora and fauna species are threatened with extinction, more than ever before in human history, as a direct result of human activity. A report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) found that three-quarters of land and 66% of the marine environment is significantly modified by human actions.

You might also like: 10 of the Most Endangered Species in the Ocean

One of the most famous examples of a species that became extinct because of human actions is the dodo bird, a bird once native to the island of Mauritius. Discovered by Portuguese sailors in the 1500s, the specie was erased from existence less than 200 years later. Due to their flightless nature, the fact that they likely nested on the ground, possibly only laid a single egg every year, and had no natural predators making them unafraid of humans, they were an easy source of meat. As more and more humans settled on the island, the consequential loss of habitat further threatened the existence of the bird. The settling of humans also brought other animals to the island and the unsustainable harvesting of the dodo, combined with habitat loss and a losing competition with new species settling into the island eventually led to the complete eradication of the bird.

Loss of biodiversity is not only an environmental issue but also a socio-economic one. Research has found that biodiversity in the form of ecosystem services such as food provisioning, carbon storage, and water and air filtration has a high economic value worth more than US$150 trillion annually. Loss of biodiversity comes as a significant threat to many businesses as they face higher raw material costs, as sources of food, fuel, structural materials, and medicinal resources are greatly reduced. Irreversible species loss and changes to biodiversity and ecosystem processes are likely to cause a non-linear increase in cost to society in the long run, especially once the threshold of the resilience of the ecosystem is crossed. Not only will there be economic losses to society but also social ones, as biodiversity greatly influences cultural, spiritual, and social values.

Biodiversity forms the foundation of societys food system. Not only is it directly the food we eat such as domesticated and wild livestock and crops, and aquatic species but it is also the variety of plans and organisms that are essential to production processes that maintain healthy soils, regulate water, and pollinate plants.

The economic value of this contribution is considerable. Pollinating species, like bees, birds, bats, and many more, contribute directly to between 5%-8% of current global crop production, the annual value of which was US$235-577 billion in 2015. A higher density of pollinating species leads to higher crop yields and so their dramatic decline poses a substantial threat to the economy. As found by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the loss of animal pollinators would result in a net welfare loss of approximately US$160-191 billion to crop consumers across the globe and a further loss of US$207-497 billion to producers and consumers in other markets.

You might also like: Climate Change Threats Against the Honey Bee and Endangered Bee Species

Food production has increased significantly over the years to keep up with growing demand. A key indirect driver of this loss of biodiversity and harm to the ecosystem is increased population. Since the 1970s, during which the global human population has more than doubled from 3.7 to 7.6 billion. One of the greatest risks a growing population poses is a rapid increase in per capita consumption. As the population has grown, habitat destruction such as deforestation has also had to increase to make space for agricultural land. Furthermore, urban sprawl and transportation infrastructure increase pollution and global temperatures, critically changing major habitats.

Trends in agricultural production, fish harvest, bioenergy production, and harvest of materials have increased in response to population growth, rising demand, and technological development, which has come at a steep price. Between 1962 and 2017, it is estimated that approximately 340 million hectares of new croplands were created globally and 470 million hectares of natural ecosystems around half the area of China were converted into pastures. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has predicted that the number of endangered species rises in areas with high human population growth.

Humans have been the cause of a lot of ecological and economic harm worldwide. The species unprecedented population growth has resulted in numerous instances of modified habitats, which have led to significant losses of biodiversity. However, to be categorised as an invasive species, humans must also be non-native. Most anthropologists agree that Homo Sapiens originated from East Africa and managed to spread out to every continent on Earth. As humans continued to migrate and colonise previously inhabited parts of the earth, large-mammal extinctions ensued. By crossing the land bridge into North America approximately 15,000 years ago, humans contributed to the disappearance of large animals such as mammoth and mastodons mainly due to a rapid increase in hunting activities.

As explored above, we can conclude that humans are an invasive species. As humans spread out to parts previously uninhabited by them, the increase in population caused losses in biodiversity even hundreds and thousands of years ago. This has continued to the present day and the ever-growing human population is still significantly altering the ecosystem and resulting in serious economic and ecological costs to this day.

However, there are still ways in which these impacts can be minimised. To live more in harmony with the habitat, there must be sustainable human development, focusing not only on societies needs but also on taking into consideration the threshold of the planets ecosystems. Exploiting non-renewable resources alters the habitat in an unsustainable way and unrestricted human activity threatens not only the surrounding biodiversity due to climate change but also human life itself.

The best way to develop a more sustainable relationship with the planet and the ecosystem is to phase out fossil fuels and further the development and utilisation of clean, renewable energy. Moreover, promoting education, alongside science and technology, is increasingly important to help understand efficient utilisation of natural resources and promote human awareness and participation in environmental education and living. Lastly, shifting to sustainable agricultural practices and promoting nature-based solutions for urban areas are extremely important steps to tackle the increasing human population and the consequential increase in consumption globally.

You might also like: How to Feed a Growing Global Population

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Are Humans an Invasive Species? - EARTH.ORG

Jose Rodriguez was tired, hungry and beaten down when he crossed the border from Mexico into Texas after a two-month journey. He didnt have money, and he didnt have many options. Although he had originally hoped to go to Miami, he heard there was a free bus to New York. Officials told him that if he boarded the bus, thered be help waiting for him.

Rodriguez believed there was a plan that Texas and New York were working together.

He knows now he was wrong.

Jose Rodriguez, 38, a Venezuelan migrant who arrived in New York last week, on the first bus sent by Greg Abbott. (Josephine Stratman)

We arrived deceived, he said. I didnt know that the governor had commanded this. They boarded us and brought us and thats it. We didnt know just that the bus was free. I dont know why, I thought they [Adams and Abbott] were friends.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts decision to bus migrants to New York has become a Red v. Blue showdown, with Abbott using migrants as political pawns to bolster his standing with tough-on-immigration Republicans ahead of midterm elections. Mayor Eric Adams has blamed an overwhelmed homeless shelter system on the influx of migrants, using them and Abbott as scapegoats for what critics say are deep-running problems in the citys shelter system.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. (LM Otero/AP)

Lost in the political rhetoric are the stories of people like Rodriguez.

A 38-year-old from Venezuela with a family of four children he had to leave behind, Rodriguez arrived in New York with the same dream that has driven immigrants for centuries the hope of a brighter future. But so far he, like many of the others on Abbotts buses, has found himself caught in the middle of a political firestorm, a casualty of a culture war over immigration and the nations southern border.

Six days after arriving in New York, Rodriguez sat on a bench at the 34th St. ferry landing. He sipped on a can of Sprite a small luxury for him and looked out at the East River under the brim of his dark camo baseball hat, watching boats come and go. Midtowns skyscrapers towered behind him.

He has a place to sleep and meals when he is at the shelter, but not much else. Since stepping off the 40-hour bus ride to New York on Aug. 5, Rodriguez has been spending his nights in the homeless shelter in Brooklyn and his days walking the streets, going door to door looking for a job. He doesnt have money to buy food when hes out job hunting. He has no family or friends in New York.

Jose Rodriguez, 38, a Venezuelan migrant who arrived in New York last week, on the first bus sent by Greg Abbott. (Josephine Stratman)

[Mayor Adams admin still mum on fed talks over asylum seekers from Texas traveling to NYC]

Rodriguez carries his belongings with him as he goes about the city, but that isnt difficult. After the long journey, his possessions dont even fill his small black backpack. An extra T-shirt, papers from immigration officers at the border, and a tennis ball, so he can practice baseball, a favorite hobby. On a recent day, he had just $1.50 in loose change in his pocket. He drinks water from a refilled Coca-Cola bottle to stay hydrated in the August sun.

Hes hoping for some extra help from mutual aid groups and charities that he hears about through word-of-mouth. He scribbles their addresses on his palm with a well-used Bic pen nearly out of ink.

Rodriguezs phone is his lifeline. On it, he navigates the confusing streets and subways of the city. As he wanders the city, he bumps music through his earbuds: Venezuela salsas, folk music from Colombia and his American favorite, Eminem. He uses the phone to take pictures and videos to send to his children; he calls them morning and night.

Im not happy to be here, no, Rodriguez said with tears in his eyes. I feel like a piece of me has been ripped off, to be without my kids ... Every day, every day it hits me.

As he sat at the ferry landing, a helicopter flew close by, attracting attention from passersby enjoying the summer day. Some stopped to watch, taking pictures as the aircraft landed. Rodriguez stayed still, imagining what his 7-year-old twins might think of it all.

New York is a city of migrants; nearly 40% of the citys residents are foreign-born. For centuries, those arriving here have searched for hope, for opportunity. Rodriguez hasnt found it yet. When he looks up at the Empire State Building, built by immigrants decades before him, he thinks of home.

Its very nice here. Its beautiful. But I dont have peace. I feel incomplete without my children. If they were here, playing, I would be happy, he said in Spanish. But when will I see that?

Rodriguez was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Hes worked in construction since he was 15, dropping out of school to work a decision hes always regretted. Now, he encourages his four children Jnosmer, 19, Jnonder, 17, and twins Jnostin and Jhilber, 7 to study hard.

In 2018, Rodriguez fled with them to Bogota, Colombia, looking for respite from Venezuelas socio-economic collapse. Four years later, life was still difficult, with his family exposed to violence and an unstable economy. Rodriguez made the difficult decision to leave his family. It took him nine months to save around $800 for the long and arduous journey to the United States.

The trip began with a hike through the dangerous Darien Gap, a notorious stretch of jungle between Colombia and Panama and ended with him swimming across the Rio Grande. Rodriguez said he was robbed and attacked during the journey. At points, his feet were swollen and sore from walking. The food supply he packed for the journey tuna, cookies, bread, instant soup and lots of sweets, for energy slowly dwindled, and his main water supply was from rivers he passed along the way.

Two months to get here. I had to sleep on the street, he recounted. You do not eat, you lose so much money, you are robbed. You dont think youre ever going to get there. Youre thinking of your children, and youre like, Thank you, God, because I made it.

It hurts him to be this far from home, but Rodriguez knows hes doing it for his family. His kids are with their mother and dont have much food at home, and the U.S. dollar stretches far in Colombia. If he can find work, he can better support them than he could in Bogota.

$100 here? I send it to them, and its one weeks worth of work for them, he said. $200, $300? Thats around a months worth of work. I can send them in a week what I used to earn in a month. But thats what worries me right now I dont have anything to send. They dont have food right now.

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Rodriguez and the others whove come to New York in the past week dont know whats next for them.

Without papers, he cant get a job. Without money, he cant buy lunch or a change of clothes, let alone travel to Miami, where he has a friend. Without friends, he cant find work or longer-term shelter.

The only thing clear is that the political fight is worsening.

Mayor Adams is calling for increased federal help, but his administration has not spelled out exactly what that means or might look like for people like Rodriguez.

Schools in New York are scrambling to accommodate more students.

The shelter vacancy rate is hovering under one percent, leaving migrants at risk of sleeping on streets if the citys systems cant accommodate them.

And Abbott is planning to send more buses to New York.

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Jose Rodriguez came to America looking for a brighter future. He ended up a casualty in the political battle over immigration between Texas and New...