COP27: FG to Explore Climate Finance, Partnerships for Emissions Reduction
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi has said Nigeria would explore options for climate finance and build partnerships that would drive the country’s emissions reduction ambitions, adaptation, and climate change mitigation.
The minister stated this while discussing what Nigeria’s priorities are going to be at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27 holding from 6 to 18 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
He warned against the dangers of continued delay of global action on carbon emission, insisting that the world is moving closer to irredeemable damage to the environment and its ability to sustain the human population without proportionate
action to change the tide.
He lamented that while Nigeria and indeed Africa as a whole contributes the least, in terms of emission of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, it is unfortunately the worst hit by the impacts of climate change due to limited adaptive capacity to cope with these impacts.
The Minister, who warned that with every small delay to proportionate action, the world moves closer to irredeemable damage to the climate and its ability to sustain the human population, said: “The focus will be on a sustainable funding mechanism that drives nature-based solutions such as land restoration, reforestation, combating desertification, climate smart-agricultural practices as well as adaptation strategies.”
He added that: “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.”
He said: “The expected outcomes of Nigeria’s participation will include increased partnership building that helps 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.”
The Minister added that the global climate has been changing with devastating effects as a result of human-induced activities causing emissions of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.
He said this is evident through increased temperatures, irregular rainfall patterns, rise in sea level and flooding, drought and desertification, land degradation, more frequent extreme weather events, declining freshwater resources and loss of biodiversity.
He noted that: “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.”
The Minister further stated that Nigeria will be including young professionals and youths to understudy the negotiators and advance Nigeria’s position, adding that the plan was part of ongoing capacity-building sessions by the ministry in the development of its bank of youth negotiators.
