Thoughts of Sustainability: Climate Change and Sustainability in Nigeria (Dr Adolphus Ifeka, Principal Meteorologist at NIMET)
[For those who prefer reading over listening, we've leveraged AI to produce a transcript of the podcast. Please note that while the transcript aims to capture the essence of our discussion, it might not be entirely flawless. For the most accurate representation, we recommend tuning into the podcast directly.]
Me: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Thoughts on Sustainability. Today, we are privileged to be in conversation with Dr. Ifeka, Principal Meteorologist at the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, or NIMET. With over 12 years dedicated to weather forecasting, supporting key research initiatives, and executing numerous essential duties at NIMET, Dr. Ifeka has carved out a distinguished niche for himself. What's more, from our previous interactions, it is clear that he is deeply passionate about climate change and sustainability topics, and having a comprehensive understanding and perspective to these urgent issues. We are happy to have Dr. Ifeka to share his experience and insights today.
Now, without further ado, let's dive into our conversation.
To set the stage, can you share the moments of influences that drew you into the world of meteorology?
Dr Ifeka: Alright. Thank you for having me. My [00:01:00] interest in metrology and climate science started doing my primary school and secondary school. So I started having this imagination, thinking about the Earth and the globe.
Started looking at the globe, having different locations at different points at different times. So I started developing my interest through geography. So I was one of the best students in geography in high school, and I was very close to my teacher. So that was how I started developing interest in climate.
So, an aspect of geography is climate and weather. So I started asking myself, what is weather and what is climate? So from there on, when I wanted to enter university, I noticed there is a course they call meteorology. So I applied for meteorology. And I got admission into university to study geography and metrology.
There I started getting involved in physical meteorology, dynamic meteorology, [00:02:00] hydro meteorology, oceanography, and other aspects of meteorology, so that sparked my interest more to do more meteorology. So from there on, I was able to... Get up to master's level and PhD. That is a fascinating journey.
Me: So now in your capacity as the principal meteorologist at NIMET, what's your key role and what gets the majority of your research focus?
Dr Ifeka: All right. At the Central Forecast Office of Nigeria Meteorological Agency, what we do as a meteorology, basically every day when we are on duty, we try to look at various weather observations at various stations across the country. Then we also look at weather charts. We try to download weather charts from Synergy Meteor France model.
They will also look at other models like ECMWF at Weather Forecasting. We also look at whether a product like Windy, GFS [00:03:00] models and other models that make probabilistic and deterministic forecasts. So we bring in those models at the table, then we look at their consensus, where they are agreeing and where they are disagreeing.
Then we also try to validate the model forecast with the observed so that we don't over exaggerate or raise a false alarm. So, by doing that also, we look at incorporating the satellite imageries, because there are free satellite imageries that you can access online. Like windy, windy products. So we use it to monitor every convective systems as they move from one point to the other. They will now be able to make forecasts in the next 24 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours, as the case may be.
Me: Thank you for sharing. And I can tell your passion for meteorology is evident. But what about climate change or sustainability? Based on our [00:04:00] conversations, it seems like you are really interested in sustainability related topics. What drives your dedication to combating climate change?
Dr Ifeka: Okay, what drives my passion on climate change adaptation is coming from Nigeria, we have faced with a lot of conflicts and crisis in terms of people in the northern Nigeria. Moving down to the southern Nigeria as a result of extreme weather events, such as droughts and also desertification.
So, while the environment is unstable for them, and while it is unconducive for them, those farmers and headers have to move further southwards, and their moving further southwards affects the farmers. Around the central and the southern area. So this has actually developed to a lot of conflicts and insecurity that also led to food shortage.
So coming from Nigeria, looking at this situation, it really drives me to see what can [00:05:00] we do to drive adaptation so that we can be able to. make the environment more habitable for those in the northern Nigeria, so that they don't find need to move outward to affect those in the southern Nigeria.
Me: It seems like climate change is a critical issue that has to be tackled. How about your day to day work? How has climate change affected your day to day work as a meteorologist?
Dr Ifeka: In my day to day work, we are expected to make weather forecasts for the public weather. You know, so we expected to make for cars during the rainy season. Where is it going to rain? And where is it going to be cloudy?
Then we also look at places of thunderstorm activities and where it is going to be heavy rain. So during the production of our weather forecast, we noticed that the places that climatologically used to have rain, now they are having thunderstorms. So there is this vibration of weather patterns, [00:06:00] which is as a result of the climate change.
Then again, we also have what we call a little dry season. That's August break in Africa and some parts of West African country. So normally, we're supposed to have the little dry season around August. But as a result of the climate change, the little dry season is no longer. Ineffective. You just see the signals of the little dry season coming and it goes out.
It's erratic. Then we also notice that the rainfall intensity is becoming more erratic and becoming more destructive. Then also the flooding events are also reoccurring. There is some period of flooding events are also reoccurring. Then on the issue of heat wave and cold waves, we are starting to see temperatures surging above the threshold of the climatology of that particular place.
The nighttime temperatures are becoming more cold during the cold period because typically we have two seasons in Nigeria, we have the rainy season and the dry season. So during the dry [00:07:00] season, during November, December, January, we have what we call hammer time. So that is when we have winter in the northern hemisphere.
So during this period, we have extreme cold. So the extremes of these weather events is as a result of the climate change.
Me: Thank you. Very interesting and alarming as well. Earlier in our private conversation, you mentioned to me, you are actually, you know, wearing several hats in other organizations in order to combat climate change.
And you personally are also interested in the sustainability related topics, including air quality and applications. Can you tell us more about your interest in other topics related to sustainability and your own actions to tackle climate change itself?
Dr Ifeka: Alright. My passion on sustainability is One out [00:08:00] of one of my courses I did in doing my master's degree program is titled Urban Heat island.
So, Urban heat island, where you try to look at the temperatures over the urban areas relatively higher than the rural areas. So, we start noticing that the climates of urban areas, they are varying, they are becoming more erratic. As compared to the rural setting. So I started thinking about the air quality, started talking about the air pollution of urban areas as a result of anthropogenic activities.
So my interest on sustainability is to see how we can introduce greening, greening into cities and also try to put in spot of maybe something like artificial rivers or also put on like pools, water pools can serve us. A carbon sink or heat sink for that particular urban areas and other sustainable ways.
We can reduce emission of carbon into the atmosphere. So that is [00:09:00] true. Introduction of renewable energy systems like solar energy, like wind power energy. Another clean energy that can help us to have a sustainable world.
Me: Thank you. I would like to focus on the status of your own country. So what is the status of the sustainability development in Nigeria? And also what is the status of when it comes to the air quality and solar energy applications as well?
Dr Ifeka: Okay. Coming from my country, the air quality it does and the pollution also, we have a minister of environment and we have air pollution units. Why involving monitoring these pollution at urban areas, but the challenge we have is that they don't do that.
It's not on close range. So the point of observations. Yeah, distance is too much, you know, so what? If we can incorporate, bring in more observation [00:10:00] stations, close up those distance within observation stations, we'll be able to get the concentration of those pollutants in the atmosphere. So, I feel that there is more to be done on the issue of bringing in sensors, sensors that can be mounted on maybe moving vehicles, or can be mounted on Traffic lights that can be mounted on high building, maybe like a sky creeper.
Yeah, it can be picking information on air quality in this. So there is need to increase the number of sensors to help us to get more data because the more data we have. The more information we have about the air quality test.
Me: You briefly mentioned about the actions that has to be taken and also some of the challenges that the government or the whole country may face in terms of tackling climate change.
Do you have other challenges that, you have in mind [00:11:00] related to tackling climate change and also what are the other actions the government has done in terms of tackling climate change, including like setting up some new government agencies. What are the latest actions that has been done by the Nigerian government in terms of tackling climate change?
Dr Ifeka: Alright. If I'm to comment on this, I'll have to say that we have enough government agencies in Nigeria. But what we have as a challenge is technicality. There is need to bring in more technical staffs, or maybe have a memorandum of understanding, or exchange programs with various technical partners that will help to support the government agencies we have on ground.
So it's not really a government thing. It's the issue of the technical know how. Okay, so the challenge lies in something [00:12:00] related to the technical talents and also the technology itself.
Me: Okay. So, zooming out, because sustainability has become a mechatrend, a buzzword, how would you articulate the interplay between meteorology, climate science, and this overarching trend, especially in your own country. Could you provide an overview of your own sustainability development journey and also what you are going to do next in terms of tackling climate change?
Dr Ifeka: Well, for me, everything is driven by passion. And I'm also in contact with some of my friends who are in the National Assembly. I talk of the policymakers. Some of them are senior legislative aid to Senate President or House of Reps, so I'm in contact with them trying to share my knowledge without charges because they are in power. If you don't [00:13:00] give them the right knowledge, they will take decisions that will affect you. So what I do is I reach out to them.
I try to give them information, past knowledge, so that when they get to the time of passing decisions that will affect us climate wise, they'll be able to make good decisions on that. Then also, I've also worked with a former speaker, who was a former speaker in the House of Representatives. He also passed the Bill on Climate Change, so I tried to support him, and I also gave him the Climate Change Act of Australia.
So that you're able to look at it and update what they have. So it really helps, you know, bringing in my knowledge to politicians and their aides. It's also a way of trying to help the country to drive climate action.
Me: Thank you. So, is there any other kind of interactions that you would like to see, and what kind of people you would like to bring in together, so as to [00:14:00] push the initiatives that you are focusing in or interested in?
Dr Ifeka: Exactly. I have interest in a solar energy potential, because here in Nigeria, we have challenge of power. In terms of demand, energy demand is high, but the supply is low. So, we have this epileptic power supply because we are dependent on hydroelectric power. So, while we have resources, we have a lot of wind potential, we have a lot of solar potential.
Well, because we have not been able to harness those resources available, we are all struggling with hydroelectric power. So I believe that if we can get in partners from outside the country, those who have practiced is technical and know how they have done it elsewhere. They can help us to. This is the best you can break in.
If there are also grants, we can source We are able to jointly source for that grants, maybe World Bank projects so that we're [00:15:00] able to solve those projects to be able to support the initiative of the climate action. Thank you. Thank you. Are you referring to like engineering experts, AI experts, and also like finance people, all sorts of experts that can contribute to the projects that you are interested in?
Basically, projects I'm interested in is on solar energy potential over most cities in Nigeria.
Me: Okay. Lastly, education is a powerful tool. How do you think we can boost climate change awareness and inspire actionable change?
Dr Ifeka: One, I think there is need for climate education. There is need for awareness. Especially at the kindergarten age, it's good to catch them young, start teaching children about climate change as they grow up from primary school to secondary school. They also have something like [00:16:00] climate exhibition where they can go during their holidays. They see what is rain gauge, what is solar panel. What is a thermometer? They start developing interest. What is it all about? So by so doing by the time they grow up to teenagers to young adults to understand what is weather because most people now all they know about his weather app on their phone. They don't know how this weather app is be able to develop even most of them. The thermometer they used to measure their body temperature. They don't know Weather. How it is made up of so there's need to create that awareness and pass it down at tender age of Children.
Me: Thank you very much for the suggestions. So before we wrap up, is there any final words or messages for our listeners?
Dr Ifeka: Well, my only final messages to the listeners is that this is the only planet we have, and all we have to do is to try to [00:17:00] Support the climate activists. Pass on the message is all about climate action plan. It's all about sustainability. It's all about doing the right thing at the right time so that the future generation will still find the earth habitable for them to live.
So, if we do the right thing, we are not doing it for ourselves. We're also doing it for the future generations. Thank you.
Me: Thank you very much. Strong and simple. That concludes our insightful conversation with Dr. Falka. The principal metrologist at NIMET, his rich experience and unique perspective have given us to ponder about sustainability, climate science, and the vital role of metrology in shaping a greener future, particularly in the Nigerian context.
Thank you again, and to our listeners, stay engaged and stay sustainable. Until next time. Thank you.[00:18:00]