The Federal Government has said with the projection that industrial activities account for one-third of energy consumption and almost 40 per cent of the world carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, industry owners should reduce their energy consumption and conserve resources.
The Minister of Environment Dr. Mohammad Mohmood Abubakar stated this at the inaugural meeting of the project Steering Committee organised by the ministry in collaboration with United Nation International Development Organisation (UNIDO) in Abuja.
He said reducing their direct emissions by 24 per cent will help in reducing global emissions by half in 2050.
Abubakar also said there was a need for industries to reduce energy consumption, environmental degradation, and resource depletion as filed in the 2016 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) report, showing that over 3.5 billion people, half of the world’s populations live in nations with unsafe air quality.
Dr Abubakar said increasing concerns with the consequences of climate change turn the scrutiny towards the source and efficiency of energy production and consumption.
“Therefore, poor and ineffective purification systems resulting from industrial activities may become seriously dangerous to the environment, leading to the accumulation of toxic products in receiving waste bodies with potentially serious consequences on the ecosystem,” he added.
The Country Representative and Regional Director UNIDO Regional Office Hub, Mr. Jean Bakole, said the need to reduce energy consumption by industries became evident since global growth in industrial production has been dominated by emerging economies like India and China, both of which accounted for over 80 per cent of increased industrial production.
Bakole said UNIDO has implemented industrial energy efficiency in 18 countries around the world and Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production in over 60 countries.
“We are hoping this will eventually lead to the creation of a National Cleaner Production Centre in the country, which will promote a circular economy.”
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