Nigeria has began to put strategies in place to facilitate the country’s actualization of net-zero green-house gas emission for Nigeria by the year by 2060.
To this end, the Federal Ministry of Environment has launched and inaugurated a steering committee for the elaboration of Nigeria’s Long Term Low Emissions Development Strategy to build on the initial long-term vision 2050.
Inaugurating the committee yesterday in Abuja, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Engr. Hassan Musa who was represented by the director, human resources management, Lawrence Adigwe asserted that “During COP26 in Glasgow, President Muhammadu Buhari announced a new long-term commitment of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in by 2060. Towards this end Mr President signed a new climate bill that creates five-year emission budgets, to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions between 2050 and 2070 into law.
“To realize these bold initiatives and pronouncements, the Federal Government of Nigeria will now build on the initial long-term vision (LTV 2050) and the subsequent long-term commitment by the President to develop a full Long-Term Strategy.”
Musa emphasized that Long-term strategies provide a pathway to a whole-of-society transformation and a vital link between shorter-term Nationally Determined Contributions and the long-term objectives of the Paris Agreement.
He added that the Long-Term Strategies offer many other benefits which include guiding countries to avoid costly investments in high-emissions technologies, supporting just and equitable transitions, promoting technological innovation, planning for new sustainable infrastructure in light of future climate risks, and sending early and predictable signals to investors about envisaged long-term societal changes.
Speaking on the devastating effect of global warming, Musa opined that Climate Change is a reality that has come to stay and is having disproportionate negative impacts around the globe.
“It has severally been said that Climate Change has long gone beyond being perceived as merely an environmental issue but has been scientifically proven and understood as a political, economic and social issue.
“There is however a growing recognition that affordable, scalable solutions are available now that will enable us all to leapfrog to cleaner, more resilient societies and economies hence turning the challenges of Climate Change into opportunities”, he stated.
A statement by the ministry’s director of press, Saghir el Mohammed, said the permanent secretary enjoined participants to seek efficiency that will ensure synergies between the LT-LEDS, the Energy Transition Plan with the NDC as this will help to ensure buy-in and ownership by key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies as well as non-governmental stakeholders of the final strategy.
“It is essential if our long-term strategies will be influential in guiding short, medium, and long-term planning and investment decisions across society to initiate an effective and just transition to a low greenhouse gas emission and resilient future,” he stated.
Earlier in his remarks, the executive director 2050 Pathways Platform, Mr. Richard Baron, said the platform was created by some countries including Nigeria, to foster Long-terms plans on climate actions and will continue to work with Nigeria to support the project.
“We see the Long-Term Strategy as one of the major processes, it’s not about the document but about the process the country put in place, to actually start its journey towards its development, there has to be a signal from the Heads of State or a high-level decision that it is important to actually considered the decision of the Long-Term development,” he added.
