By AKOR SYLVESTER-Abuja
The minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi has expressed concern over the ravaging climate change globally, saying Nigeria is worst hit by the changing condition.
He said Nigeria and Africa as a whole contributed the least, in terms of emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, but unfortunately, they were the worst hit by the impacts of climate change due to limited adaptive capacity to cope with the impacts.
Abdullahi who briefed the press on Nigeria’s Preparation for the Twenty Seven Conference of Parties COP27 in Abuja, said the global climate has been changing with devastating effects as a result of human induced activities causing emissions of green-house gases into the atmosphere.
He said “This is evident through increased temperatures, irregular rainfall pattern, rise in sea level and flooding, drought and desertification, land degradation, more
frequent extreme weather events, a declining freshwater resources and loss of biodiversity.
According to him, “Only recently, increased flooding has been experienced in Kogi, Nasarawa, Abia, Jigawa States and in some other parts of the country.
“This is largely due to high intensities of rainfall. A sad
corollary to these events is decreased agricultural food production, loss of properties, health challenges and heightened insecurity.
“To say that these developments are a result of climate change is to state the obvious”, the minister noted.
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He stated that the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicated that delaying action is a luxury the country can no longer afford.
He maintained that, unless countries expeditiously boost climate action and ambition on mitigation and adaptation, countries would be facing a future of 2oC or more.
He said in order to jointly address climate change and its impacts, the
Conference of Parties (COP) which is the supreme decision-making forum of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), convenes Parties to the Convention annually.
The minister informed that, Nigeria became a Party to the UNFCCC in 1994 and ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2004.
He added that, in 2015, Nigeria joined the global community in adopting the Paris Agreement, a binding mechanism for all
countries in addressing the challenges of climate change.
The minister noted that, with the
ratification of the Paris Agreement, Nigeria committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions unconditionally by 20% and conditionally by 45% which was reviewed to 47% in the updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
He hinted that the 27th session of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties will be hosted by Egypt in Sharm El Sheikh from the 6th to 18th November 2022.
According to the minister, Nigeria as a signatory is expected to actively participate.
“The hosting of COP27 in the city of Sharm El-Sheikh this year marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
“In the thirty years since, the world has come a long way in the fight against climate change and its negative impacts on our planet; we are now able to better understand the science behind climate change, betterassess its impacts, and better develop tools to address its causes
and consequences.
“COP27 is a rare opportunity for parties and observers to come together and grapple with a challenge that is impacting all of
humanity and to showcase unity against an existential threat that we can only overcome through concerted action and effective
implementation.
“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recent report has made it clear that we are now in extraordinarily dangerous territory.
“With every small delay to proportionate action, we move closer to irredeemable damage to the climate and its ability to sustain the human population. This urgency is recognized in the convening of countries at COP27 and in the call for countries to revise their NDCs ahead of the conference”, he noted.
Continuing, he said “There will be a National Pavilion at
the COP27 venue. The pavilion will serve as a base for hosting all
activities by the Nigerian delegation during the conference, hold bilateral Meetings and will provide a place for networking with potential investors and related opportunities for Nigerians”,.
On the side events, the minister said Nigeria will participate in a ‘world leader-level ‘ Leader’s Summit with other Nations to co-launch the ‘Forest and Climate Leaders Partnership’ being
championed by the UK Government through Alok Sharma MP, the
President of Cop26, Nigeria will, under the auspices of United
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and as the
current Chair of the Conference of Heads of States and
Governments of member States of the Pan African Great Green Wall host a High Level side meeting, as a follow up to President
Muhammadu Buhari’s meeting at the UNCFF Cop 15 meeting in
Abidjan in May 2022.
He said the meeting is expected to draw notable global leaders and funding/development partners is expected to focus on climate finance to address desert encroachment, desertification
and drought devastating member States and exploit the funding window under the auspices of the GGW Accelerator, where European countries pledged about 18 Billion Euros to support activities of member States.
The minister noted further that Nigeria will continue to push for a softening of conditions as it relates to access and draw-down from
the Fund to make it accessible to member States.
Nigerian Delegates to attend the event in Egypt he said includes, representations from the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change (ICCC), high-level representation from the Presidency and National Assembly, non-governmental groups, Ministries, Scientists, Academia, Experts, Civil Society Organizations, Private Sector entities, women, youths and the media.
He said the country’s COP27 priorities will focus on exploring options for climate finance and
building partnerships that will drive the country’s emissions reduction ambitions, adaptation, and climate change mitigation.
Others he said was that the focus will be on sustainable funding mechanism that drives nature-based solutions such as land restoration, reforestation,
combating desertification, climate smart-agricultural practices as well as adaptation strategies.
According yo him, Nigeria will also seek collaboration and support on sustainable waste management, renewable and clean energy provision, and finance for loss and damage.
“Nigeria will push for developed countries to fulfil financial pledges to aid in tackling the climate crisis.
” The expected outcomes of Nigeria’s participation will include increased partnership building that help Nigeria achieve its emission reduction targets, address adaptation and mitigation, establish sustainable financing for climate actions, resilience building, poverty eradication, Energy Transition and sustainable development.
“Nigeria, will not take a position of ‘know it all’ but will align with the West Africa/region’s identification of the thematic issues faced by the continent and the group’s interim position on each which includes doubling adaptation finance by 2025; clarification on the support arrangements to address loss and damage; closing the climate financing gap; scaling up Africa’s mitigation ambition and implementation; strengthening the linkage between technology and financial mechanisms; the global stocktake on progress on the Paris
Agreement; transparency; gender and climate change; agriculture; Article 6 and carbon pricing and Africa’s unique needs and particular circumstance.
“At this COP, Nigeria will be including young professionals and youths to understudy the negotiators and advance Nigeria’s position.
“This is part of the ongoing capacity building sessions by the Ministry in the
development of its bank of Youth Negotiators”, he noted.
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