President Muhammadu Buhari has called for broader actions to overcome environmental challenges like climate change, biodiversity, rising levels of pollution and waste currently threatening the planet.
He made the call Thursday in a congratulatory message to the special session to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya.
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The president said the coming of the UNEP 50 years ago created the awareness of the need to make climate and environmental action a priority for the entire world, while urging concerted action to make the organisation’s efforts a success story.
“Desertification and drought are threatening lives and livelihoods which further underscore the need to boost biodiversity in ecosystem restoration.
“We thank UNEP for its role in reducing biodiversity loss and for being a major player in the global movement to slow deforestation and accelerate aforestation.
“We recognise that restoring key ecosystems is crucial to help combat climate change and achieve sustainable development.
“Therefore, by collaborating with partners such as UNEP, we believe that much more successes would be recorded as we journey in our collective struggle against climate change,” said the president.
Buhari, in a statement by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, restated Nigeria’s commitment towards addressing the devastating effects of climate change.
“During last year’s COP26 in Glasgow, parties worked towards spurring action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also pledging to take steps to adapting to climate impacts.
“Nations are constantly facing the threats of disrupted weather patterns, low food production and rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding among other challenges.
“In that regard, Nigeria pledged to work with other countries in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and in doing so has increased her conditional contribution to reduce greenhouse gas from 45% to 47%.
“Additionally, I outlined Nigeria’s efforts and commitments towards transitioning to Net Zero ambition which involved both environment and development-related plans.
“The plans contained a number of nature-based solutions, which included expansion of protected areas by creating ten additional National Parks, two Marine Protected Areas cutting across the various ecological zones of the country, and sustainable management of critical wetlands ecosystems across the country,” the president said.
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