Chioma Obiadi, the 40th and reigning Miss
Nigeria beauty queen has written an Open letter
to US president, Donald Trump on why and how
puling out of the Paris Climate Agreement will
affect the Niger - Delta region in Nigeria. Read
her piece below....
Dear President Donald Trump,
It saddened my heart when I listened to the
news few days ago to hear that the United
States (US) will withdraw from the Paris
Agreement on climate change. Although, we all
know that China has recently surpassed the
United States in annual greenhouse gas
emissions, the US on its own has produced 27
per cent of the total carbon dioxide emissions
of the world as at 2011.
The worry thing about carbon dioxide is that it
stays up in the atmosphere for a very long time.
Enough time to cause the damage we all try to
avoid for ourselves, our families and our
countries. Hence, the US is a very important
country when it comes to reducing CO2
emission, protecting the environment and as a
hegemony, take the lead in the movement of
saving the world from itself in this discourse.
Indeed, for many years, the US has continually
reaffirm its leadership in promoting peace in the
world and specifically promoting the need to
safeguard our environment against global
warming. Withdrawing from the Paris
Agreement is a mistake and I urge you to
reverse your decision.
Apart from the Kyoto Protocol, a pivotal
moment was reached in Paris in 2015 when 196
member states reached a consensus to adopt
the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is
an agreement with the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) aimed at getting countries of the
world to work together to mitigate global
warming. Particularly, focused on enhancing
implementation, Article 2 of the UNFCCC aims
to (a) Hold the increase in the global average
temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-
industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit
the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-
industrial levels, recognizing that this would
significantly reduce the risks and impacts of
climate change; (b) To Increase the ability to
adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change
and foster climate resilience and low
greenhouse gas emissions development, in a
manner that does not threaten food production;
and (c) To Make finance flows consistent with a
pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions
and climate-resilient development.”. According
to Ban Ki-moon, “For the first time, every
country in the world pledged to curb their
emissions, strengthen resilience and join in
common cause for the common good,”
Even Nigeria through our President,
Muhammadu Buhari and the former Minister of
Environment, Amina Mohammed, signed the
Paris Agreement in 2016. Whilst climate change
is still far in the consciousness of the Nigerian
people, it is a step in the right direction which
social actors like myself keep promoting. It is
my dream that Nigeria becomes more green
conscious and that citizens work hard to
preserve our beautiful country. The social
movement in the US has been a shinning
example and I really plead on your leadership to
uphold the positive identity of the US as the
world sees it… A super power and a role
model. Through the Green-Girl Project, I have
tried and still trying to bring the issues of the
environment to the consciousness of the
Nigerian People especially seeing the
degradation we experience.
The Niger Delta being a crucial area in Nigeria
that requires significant attention is one of my
main focus. I am indeed happy about projects
like the Ogoni Clean-up and related restoration
projects. However, I fear that President Trumps
decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement
will affect the involvement of American
companies like Exxon Mobil who should be
crucial to promoting the clean-up and other
climate change issues in Nigeria. Exxon Mobil is
at the heart of Nigeria’s economy as a major
manufacturer and marketer of commodity and
specialty petrochemicals in Nigeria. I want to
see Exxon mobil increase its commitment to
safeguarding the environment in Nigeria through
its social investment project.
According to NASA, earth’s temperatures in
2015 were the hottest ever recorded. Rising
temperatures and changing patterns of rain and
sunshine are changing where plants grow, and
in the case of our oceans, encouraging the
proliferation of species that impact native
ocean habitat. As ocean waters warm, they
expand, causing sea-levels to rise. We are at
increased risk of storms, droughts, and floods
with communities at risk of their life and
livelihood. This is all over the news everyday
and it is by no chance “fake news”.
For this reason, I continue to urge people
especially in Nigeria to do their bit to promote
and safeguard the environment through little
actions they can practice in their living space.
At the same time, I urge you Mr President to
take a bolder step than your predecessors to
show your commitment to protecting the
environment in the US and the world. I look
forward to better action from your government,
moving forward.
Climate change is already beginning to
transform life on earth. We cannot change
global warming in terms of where it is today but
we can stop it before from gets worse.I agree
with Former President Barack Obama when he
said, “This is national security issue, it is not
just an enviromental issue”. Hence, reaffirming
your commitment to the Paris Agreement and
other related commitment is not about the
environment, it is about ‘putting American first’
and it is about saving the world. Be the super
power you claim to be and walk your talk …lead
by example.
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