President Muhammadu Buhari has promised that Nigeria will cut its carbon emissions to net zero by 2060.
The President made the promise Tuesday in Glasgow, Scotland, while delivering his national statement at the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) Leaders’ Summit in Glasgow, UK.
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The President said the conference is happening at a time the world is suffering from the devastating effects of climate change.
President Buhari, in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, said attaining national and global climate change goals would require adequate and sustained technical and financial support to developing countries.
He said greater effort should be channeled towards assisting developing nations to meet their “Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) commitments through the pledges made by the developed countries to provide at least $100 billion yearly.”
President Buhari said easier access to climate finance had become imperative in view of the COVID-19 pandemic which battered the economies of developing countries.
He said, “I do not think anyone in Nigeria needs persuading of the need for urgent action on the environment. Desertification in the North, floods in the centre, pollution and erosion on the coast are enough evidence.
“For Nigeria, climate change is not about the perils of tomorrow but what is happening today. Nigeria is committed to net zero by 2060.”
President Buhari requested international partners to finance projects using transition fuels such as gas in Nigeria while making a case for gas-based energy transition in Nigeria.
He also said it would require critical infrastructure to be in place while acknowledging that net zero ambition could lead to economic transformation across all sectors.
On green projects in the county, the President said that Federal Government agencies had been directed to ensure the inclusion of projects with Climate Change credentials in the budget.
He equally said that the National Assembly had also passed the Climate Change Bill, which provides a framework for achieving low greenhouse gas emissions, inclusive green growth and sustainable economic development.
President Buhari cautioned that “The outcome of this Conference must result in quick resolution of all outstanding issues pertaining to the finalization of the Paris Agreement Rulebook, Adaptation, Mitigation, Finance, Article 6 and Loss and Damage.”
