By Alfred Ajayi
Since the COP28 got underway on November 30, 2023, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the leader of the Nigerian delegation, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has had his hands full with many engagements during which he recommitted Nigeria to the fight against climate change.
The President has also been discussing ambitious steps that Nigeria is currently implementing and plans to take under his leadership to alleviate the adverse effects of climate change.
COP28 is holding when the resilience rating of Nigeria among the African nations remains a cause for concern. A publication by Statista, a German online platform that specialises in data and information gathering, had ranked Nigeria 14 out of 54 nations assessed on the continent in the area of climate resilience. Unfortunately, all 54 countries scored below 40 out of 100 index points. They are all still known as lower-resilient countries.
Mauritius leads the rankings with an index score of 39.1, followed by Morocco and South Africa, with the Seychelles and Tunisia in 4th and 5th place, respectively. Others are Cape Verde, Egypt, Botswana, Algeria, and Ghana, from 6th to 10th positions. Nigeria has a resilience rate of 29.4. The countries were rated based on their resilience and strict adherence to climate-related policies.
Reducing Nigeria’s carbon footprint
It is highly anticipated that commitments will be made at COP28 towards an improved rating in the near future. Already, President Bola Tinubu told stakeholders and investors at a high-level meeting on the Nigeria Carbon Market and Electric Buses Rollout Programme, held on the sidelines of COP28, that Nigeria is taking a significant step towards a sustainable and eco-friendly future by introducing a pioneering initiative to deploy a fleet of 100 electric buses.
The aim, the President noted, is to significantly reduce Nigeria’s carbon footprint and modernise the country’s transportation systems as part of a larger effort to position the country and Africa as the pioneering frontiers of green manufacturing and industrialization, with a focus on natural gas as a transition fuel alongside other renewable energy sources.
“This initiative stands as a testament to our dedication to environmental stewardship, as clearly exemplified through our collaboration with the Africa Carbon Market Initiative. Our visionary plan is a strategic guidepost, directing Nigeria towards becoming an investment-friendly destination for carbon market investments.
“In further driving my commitment, I have recently approved an Inter-governmental Committee on Carbon Markets to be chaired by the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change to drive this visionary plan,” President Tiinubu said, assuring prospective investors that the initiative had transcended being a mere pilot project.
“I assure you, this is only the commencement of our ambitious plans, with many more impactful initiatives on the horizon. Nigeria’s plans for a greener and cleaner economy can serve as an inspirational narrative for nations worldwide. Our comprehensive approach, rooted in visionary leadership and pragmatic action supported by our technical partners, is poised to become a blueprint for countries aspiring to also develop and catalyse their markets for sustainable growth,” the President concluded.
Eliminating gas flaring
President Tinubu made another commitment to halting methane emissions through the elimination of gas flaring. He shared the platform with the President of COP28, Dr Sultan Ahmed al-Jabar; the United States Special Envoy on Climate, John Kerry, and the Chinese Envoy on Climate, Xie Zhenhue, President Tinubu during a summit on methane and other non-greenhouse gases.
“There is a huge penalty for that. There is also a huge incentive to do so. We have signed off on the reduction of methane. We will leverage new technology, and we hope that the two giant nations and the Emirates will be able to help us.”
“I can assure you that we will be partners in progress to achieve renewable energy. We are committed to energy mix. We are providing cooking gas for our large population. We will continue to do that.
However, President Tinubu did not mince words in holding the world’s biggest economies, such as the US and China, majorly responsible for greenhouse emissions, from which the earth needs urgent healing.
“What I know of Africa is the fact that de-risking additional investment and technological know-how is very necessary, and the largest economies that have benefitted immensely should do more real fast because the earth needs healing and needs more attention.”
In the words of COP28 President Sultan al-Jabar, elimination of all CO2 gases is possible with the necessary cooperation and hard work on the part of the countries, while the US Special Envoy on Climate, Kerry, also announced the mobilisation of over one billion dollars in new grant funding since COP27 in Egypt.
“Earlier today, the United States finalised standards to sharply reduce methane emissions from oil and gas operations. And those efforts will achieve a nearly 80% reduction and is planning a rule-making review.
“The United States and the European Union launched a global methane pledge two years ago in Glasgow, with 100 countries joining.”
“At COP 27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, we were able to grow the list of endorsements to 150 countries. And I’m pleased today to announce new global methane pledge endorsements from Angola, Kenya, and Romania. And I’m particularly excited that Turkmenistan Kazakhstan joined yesterday, and Kosovo President Costco is here to join today. We’re working to turn the pledge itself into action.
“Over 86 countries covering well over half of emissions have national methane action plans in place, while partners are being engaged to develop them, Kerry said.
“And to help support this country’s efforts, my friends, President Biden launched the methane finance sprint at the April 2023 major economies forum he hosted at the White House. That had the aim of raising $200 million in order to help us go forward.
“Well, I’m very pleased to announce today that the United States, the European Union, other governments, philanthropies, and the private sector have mobilised over $1 billion in new grant funding since COP27 for methane, which has more than tripled previous annual methane grant funding.
No doubt, those two, among other critical engagements by the President, hold a huge promise to turn things around for good for Nigeria in the fight against climate change. However, one must be quick to call for intentional and strategic implementation of the various commitments made by Nigeria and developed partners towards effective climate adaptation and mitigation.
Nigeria, like many other countries, failed to implement some of its previous critical commitments. President Tinubu will be appreciated if most of the things he promised at COP28 are implemented without delay. Meanwhile, the federal government must take the lead through its relevant agencies to implement its huge ambitions around renewable energy. The Federal Government should partner with relevant non-governmental organisations, the private sector, and international partners in unprecedented ways to reap the fruits of those commitments.
The governors of the 36 states are crucial to the success of the fight against climate change. They must wake up to the responsibility of scaling down some of the adaptation and mitigation measures being taken by the federal government to their various states for deeper impacts.
Climate change is a threat to everyone, and all hands must be on desk to tackle it.
FRCN
