Minister of State for Environment, Chief Sharon Ikeazor has assured Nigerians that the nation is on top of challenges in the climatic condition, noting that the federal government has made several climate change interventions intended to mitigate climate change and increase resilience to avert the excruciating consequences of climate change.
Speaking on Friday in Abuja at the Project Launch and Inception Workshop of the Nigeria Deep Decarbonization Project (NDDP), the Minister said the nation has made several interventions to reverse the ugly trend of climate change in Nigeria.
She noted that parts of the interventions, include President Muhammadu Buhari generously signing into law the Climate Change Bill passed by the National Assembly, stressing that the Climate Change Law provides an overarching legal framework to articulate a long-term climate plan for Nigeria to achieve a netzero carbon emission target, national climate resilience and an adequate volume of climate finance with a focus on national development priorities.
She said the federal government of Nigeria has, recently, also submitted its revised and robust Nationally Determined Contributions that articulate climate actions until 2030 in response to Article 4.2 of the Paris Agreement.
The minister also said: “In addition, The Federal Government of Nigeria formulated and communicated its Long-Term Low GHG Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) envisioned that “By 2050, Nigeria is a country of low-carbon, climate-resilient, high-growth circular economy that reduces its current level of emissions by 50%, moving towards having net-zero emissions across all sectors of its development in a gender-responsive manner”.
She added that the Federal Ministry of Environment also formulated Nigeria Decarbonisation Transition Plan, which enumerated pathways for Nigeria to achieve net-zero by 2050.
Ikeazor recalled that the Nigerian government’s effort to transit to a low-emission economy was also echoed in all the discussions that the federal government was involved in at the COP26, noting that at the height of it, President Muhammadu Buhari promised a zero-net emission target for Nigeria by 2060.
She however said climate change concerns and awareness and policy are growing, but “there is still a need to better understand the quantities of emissions reduction that can be made from each of the sectors of the economy such as power, oil and gas, transport, agriculture, industry, etc.
“We need to have better understanding of how rapidly such emissions can be made in tandem with sustainable economic growth, the technologies that will be needed and the wider economic and social implications of rapid emission reduction pathways. Such degree of clarity is critical for planning, financing, and securing the long-term investment needed to shift our economy toward a green and climate resilient development future.”
She noted that the Nigeria Deep Decarbonization Project is therefore a very important component in our effort to navigate Nigeria and the global world over the harsh and unpleasant risks of climate change. Indeed, as many here will attest, we are already being confronted with the dangerous consequences of extreme weather in recent times with huge financial stress.
The National Project Leader of the Nigeria Deep Decarbonization Project (NDDP), Professor Chukwumerije Okereke explained that the project has the potential of growing the Green Economy of Nigeria in keeping with world standard.
He said by the time of COP 27 in Egypt, Nigeria should be able to put up a formidable position on Green Economy.
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