Nigeria’s Commitment Towards GHG Emission Reduction

The task to reduce Green House Gas Emission is a global effort by member countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, but there are lots of questions about Nigeria’s preparedness towards the task, writes Ugo Aliogo from Glasgow, Scotland

When the Paris Agreement was adopted after the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015, the 191 signatory countries to this historic agreement committed to taking action to limit the global average temperature rise due to climate change to well below 2 °C, and preferably below 1.5 °C. However, in the build-up to COP21, more than 160 countries submitted Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), setting out each country’s approach to reducing emissions and adapting to a changing climate. Since COP 21, countries have been invited to confirm these intentions by ratifying the Paris Agreement and submitting Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the UNFCCC.

Nigeria’s INDC falls under the remit of the Nigeria Climate Change Policy and Response Strategy (NCCPRS) and focuses on the delivery of direct development benefits and sustainable economic growth whilst reducing GHG emissions and building resilience to climate change.

In 2021 at the COP26, Glasgow, Scotland, the conversation on reducing Green House Gas Emission (GHG) a took new perspective with world leaders, environmental activists, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to accelerate action in line with the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Among the derivatives of COP26 are four major takeways which included, ‘Securing Global Net Zero by Mid-century and Keeping 1.5 Degrees Within Reach.’ Under the target, countries are urged to present ambitious 2030 emissions reductions targets (NDCs) that align with reaching net zero by the middle of the century.

To deliver on these stretching targets, countries will need to accelerate the phase-out of coal, encourage investment in renewables, curtail deforestation and speed up the switch to electric vehicles.

Secondly, the target is to ‘Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats.’ According to the organisers, the climate is already changing and it will continue to change even as we reduce emissions, with devastating effects. At COP26 there isa need to work together to encourage countries affected by climate change to protect and restore ecosystems, build defences, put warning systems in place and make infrastructure and agriculture more resilient to avoid loss of homes, livelihoods and lives.

Thirdly, the goal is to ‘Mobilise Finance’. This is important because to realise the first two goals, which calls on developing countries to deliver on their promise to raise at least $100 billion in climate finance per year. International financial institutions must play their part and we need to work towards unleashing the trillions in private and public sector finance required to secure global net zero.

There is also a commitment to ‘Deliver Together’. The expectation is that countries can only rise to the challenges of climate change by working together. At COP26, member countries were urged to finalise the Paris Rulebook (the rules needed to implement the Paris Agreement), and turn their ambitions into action by accelerating collaborations between governments, Cooperate organizations and civil society organisations to deliver on climate change goals faster.