As the United Nations Climate Change Conference opens in Paris, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that any meaningful and potential agreement on climate change must draw extensively on the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
President Buhari, who made the submission on Monday in Paris at the opening of the UN climate change summit, added that, for any agreement in Paris to be durable, it must recognise not only the emission right but also the survival rights of the citizens of developing countries.
The President, who, shortly before his arrival to Paris approved Nigeria’s Intended National Determined Contributions (INDCs), called on world leaders to forge a united front to save Lake Chad’s ecosystem from further depletion caused by the adverse effects of climate change.
“At the sub-regional level, we are saddled with the challenge of the drying up of the Lake Chad Basin, which is resulting in the total wipe out of livelihoods of many communities surrounding this trans-boundary natural resource, regrettably, the world is leaving behind millions of people who depend on the Lake for their survival,” he said.
He added that the government of Nigeria welcomes the Lake Chad Development and Climate Resilience Plan, and the Lake Chad Basin Commission and international partners for designing this climate-based plan.