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Why Earth is Warming

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By OkokoChidozie Christian

chidochrisozonegold@yahoo.com;  09025179984

Energy from the sun heats the earth surface, warms the atmosphere and powers the ocean currents.Scientifically, records show that oceans are heated by 14×1018 Joules of energy.

Why Earth is Warming

Scientists measure oceans because they absorb the vast majority of the heat associated with global warming, and the earth’s temperature is dictated by ocean temperatures.

In fact, more than 90% of global warming heat ends up in the oceans with the fastest warming being the Atlantic, Indian and Northern Pacific oceans.

Even, they absorb more of the heating from human-carbon emissions, and temperature is not rising uniformly across the planet because the sun heats the equatorial tropics more than the polar regions.

Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have released large amounts of carbon-dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which has changed the earth’s climate.

And, for more than a hundred years, air temperature has been measured by weather observers all over the world.

Averaging these daily measurements over a whole year allows us to see the long-term trend instead of the short-term weather events.

Hence, the long-term trend is that: the earth is warming over time.

Moreover, the greenhouse gases that have mostly contributed to the earth warming include: carbon-dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide to mention but a few.

I hereby describe them,thus:

Carbon-dioxide, CO2

Carbon-dioxide mainly comes from burning organic materials; coal, oil, gas, wood and solid wastes. Atmospheric carbon-dioxide- the most dangerous, prevalent and the highest level greenhouse gas ever recorded; and has increased by more than 40% since pre-industrial times.

The carbon-dioxide gas absorbs solar energy and keep heat close to earth surface, rather than letting it escape into space.

And that trapping of heat is what we are known today as “greenhouse effect”. This is what keeps the earth habitable-otherwise, it would be too cold at night.

Methane, CH4

Methane concentration has been increased to more than 2.5times.Oil, gas and mining operations release large amount of methane- a potent greenhouse gas, either by accident or design.

Information gathered shows that global energy sector was responsible for nearly 135million tons of methane emissions in 2022, a slight rise from the in 2021.

Also, about 40% emissions attributed to human activity, second to agriculture.

Methane is responsible for about 30% of the rise in global temperature since the Industrial Revolution. Its rapid and sustained reductions are the key to limiting near-term global warming and improved air quality.

Nitrous oxide,N2O

Climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and warmer temperatures are changing nitrous oxide emissions.

Nitrous oxide, known as “laughing gas” is the most important greenhouse gas after carbon-dioxide and methane, and the biggest human-related threat to the ozone layer.

Though, it is rapidly increasing, mostly due to large-scale farming with synthetic fertilizers and cattle ranching.

Moreover, natural cycle and fluctuations has been a cause to the earth’s climate changing several times over the last 800years, and our era of global warming is directly attributed to human activities as afore-mentioned. In the US, the largest source of greenhouse gas emission is transportation, followed closely by electricity production and industrial activities. While in Nigeria the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions are waste and industrial pollutions.

Nevertheless, the impacts of global warming are felt by people everywhere in one way or the other, but are experienced most by the under-privileged, economically marginalized, and people of colour for whom climate change is often a key driver of poverty, displacement, hunger and social unrest.

Curbing these dangerous climate change requires very deep cut in emission as well as the use of alternatives to fossil fuels worldwide.

The good news is that countries around the globe have formerly committed as part of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement to lower the emission by setting new standards and crafting new policies to meet or exceed those standards.But, the bad news is that we are not working fast enough.

To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, scientists tells us that we can reduce global carbon emission by as much as 40% by 2030, and for that to happen global communities must step up to decarbonize electricity generation by equitably transitioning from fossil fuel-based production to renewable energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal energy to mention but a few. Also, to electrify our automobiles; and to maximize energy efficiency in our building appliances and industries.

Projection from Earth System Modelshows that if we find ways to release fewer heat trapping gases into the air, global average temperature will increase about 10C to 1.50C (33.80F to 34.70F). And having adapt to changes resulting from a warmer world, our actions would help keep the earth a loveable place for all.


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NIA Questions Legality of Reps’ Financial Probe

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The Nigerian Insurers Association has urged the House Committee on Capital Market and Institutions to respect the constitutional separation of powers as it carries out a probe on over 20 insurance firms.

In a statement on Tuesday night, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIA, Mrs Bola Odukale, said the decision of NIA and the affected firms to approach the court was to seek clarity on the constitutional limits of the House Committee’s probe.

It would be recalled that the House of Representatives on Monday is investigating no fewer than 25 insurance companies operating in the country for various financial infractions spanning financial reporting, claims settlement, premium remittance, and issuance of policies.

The Chairman, House Sub-Committee on Capital Market and Institutions, Kwamoti Laori, during a meeting with the management of the insurance companies at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, said the meeting was convened following the receipt of a petition on infractions by the insurance companies.

In the statement, Odukale said, “The Association wishes to state unequivocally that all actions taken by the NIA and the affected member companies in response to the Committee’s invitations and pronouncements were based entirely on legal advice by its Solicitors. It was on the firm instruction of legal counsel that recourse was made to the courts.

“The objective of approaching the Court is to seek judicial guidance on the legality, propriety, and constitutional limits of the Committee’s intervention in order to safeguard institutional integrity, uphold regulatory independence, and ensure that legislative oversight remains within the bounds of law.

“The Court action seeks to determine whether the current posture of the Committee reflects an exercise of legislative judgment, which, by constitutional design, is the exclusive province of statutory regulators, such as the National Insurance Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigerian Exchange, Financial Reporting Council, Nigeria Data Protection Commission, and the National Information Technology Development Agency.

“This raises serious questions about legislative overreach and an erosion of the doctrine of separation of powers, a cornerstone of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.”

Odukale maintained that the NIA was committed to lawful and constructive engagement with all arms of government, provided that such engagement respects the autonomy of statutory regulators and the boundaries established by the Constitution.

“The NIA will continue to provide its full support to all member companies while upholding the principles of legal compliance and sector-wide integrity,” Odukale concluded.

17 of the companies that went to court were represented by their lawyer, Mr Abimbola Kayode, at the meeting with the committee.


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Horn of Africa Leaders Seek Enhanced Digital Integration for Increased Regional Growth

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Finance ministers and development partners from the Horn of Africa have called for enhanced digital integration to boost trade, drive economic growth and promote regional stability during the 25th Ministerial Meeting of the Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI).

Held in Nairobi, on July 14, the meeting was co-chaired by the African Development Bank’s Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, Nnenna Nwabufo and Somalia’s Minister of Finance, Bihi Iman Egeh. Discussions underscored the critical role of digital integration in reducing trade barriers, boosting government service delivery and creating employment — particularly for the region’s youth.

“Digital technologies are shaping today’s economy and tomorrow’s industries. By embedding these technologies into our programs, we can not only improve inclusion but also leapfrog outdated development models,” said Nwabufo.

She called for digital integration a “central enabler” in each of the Horn of Africa Initiative’s pillars – trade, infrastructure, resilience, and human capital,

Learning through experience

Drawing from global and regional success stories, speakers highlighted the transformative potential of technology-led development. The ministers pointed to the Philippines as a strong example, where ICT has generated millions of jobs in business process outsourcing. Similarly, Kenya’s fintech innovation—especially the success of M-PESA—was cited as a model for scaling digital financial services across the region.

Participants urged governments to proactively foster digital ecosystems by capitalizing on the demographic dividend, identifying infrastructure upgrades, tighter regulatory reforms, and digital skills trainings as priorities to enable broader participation in the digital economy.

Minister Egeh reiterated the need for more coordinated regional efforts to create the enabling environment required for accelerated digital integration and expansion. He referenced the HoAI Digital Policy Matrix, adopted in 2023 which provides a blueprint on how to address key obstacles to achieving effective digital integration across the region.

Barack Makokha, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury, underscored the importance of regionally-aligned public private partnerships and advocated for blended financing to reduce investment risk and expand digital access in underserved areas.

World Bank Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ndiame Diop, called for a comprehensive multi-pronged approach, combining cross-border coordination, large-scale financing, robust policy support, and digital infrastructure investments. He pointed out that such measures could transform digital integration into, “a powerful engine of economic transformation” for the Horn of Africa—ensuring no one is left behind in the digital era.

The meeting concluded with a shared recognition that sustained political will and the determination to implement a multifaceted approach are essential to unlocking the region’s economic potential and driving long-term growth.

The event also welcomed observers from the East African Community, Agence française de développement, and Shelter Afrique, reflecting strong regional and international backing for the HoAI in the development community.


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CSCS Inaugurates Custodian Portal to Enhance Digital Access, Operational Efficiency

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Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), Nigeria’s capital market infrastructure provider, has launched its Custodian Portal, a user-centric digital solution designed to optimise custodian operations through intuitive, secure and efficient features.

Haruna Jalo-Waziri, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CSCS, announced this in a statement on Monday.

The CSCS is a Public Limited Company with a diversified shareholder base, which serves as the Central Securities Depository for the Nigerian Capital Market.

It serves as the Central Depository for Equities, Commercial Papers, Corporate Bonds, Sub-National Bonds, certain Sovereign Bonds like the FGN Sukuk and the FGN Savings Bond, Equity-traded Funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts, Mutual funds and Commodities.

Jalo-Waziri said that the custodian portal offered a streamlined experience for market participants with powerful tools that facilitate comprehensive portfolio and trade management, document tracking, share transfer operations, client symbol search, and real-time access to vital data.

He explained that the portal, designed to operate through a flexible subscription-based model, empowered users to manage their records effortlessly and securely through convenient payment channels such as GTPay and Paystack.

According to him, “Digital transformation remains at the core of our strategy to enhance the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of Nigeria’s capital market services.

“The custodian portal is a significant leap in that direction, offering custodians a centralised platform to manage critical processes in real-time.

“We are excited about the value this innovation brings to our stakeholders, and we will continue to evolve the platform in line with users’ needs and industry trends.”

The CEO also explained that the portal was designed with user experience in mind with feature tools like portfolio viewing and downloads in PDF or Excel format.

He further said that it also featured tracking of stock movements across date ranges, inbox messaging and request tracking, as well as robust user management capabilities including role assignment and status tracking.

Similarly, the Divisional Head, Business Technology and Digital Innovation, CSCS Plc, Tobe Nnadozie, said that the portal aligned with CSCS’s drive to automate the market.

“In addition to the normal features, the platform is a part of an omnichannel platform for custodians, and includes API services.

“It also connects to the market-wide workflow, which CSCS has built to ensure secured communication and approvals across all major stakeholders in the market.

“The platform is well secured with best-of-breed cybersecurity solutions and our SOC,” he said.

The Custodian Portal reinforces CSCS’s commitment to leveraging technology to streamline back-office functions and support a more agile, data-driven capital market ecosystem.

All custodians in the Nigerian capital market have now been successfully on-boarded on the Custodian Portal, marking a significant milestone in CSCS’s ongoing drive to enhance collaboration, standardise operational processes, and promote digital adoption across the market.


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