At the 2022 National Council on Environment, an annual meeting of an all-inclusive body of environmental stakeholders across Nigeria, that took place in Abuja, stakeholders revealed their disappointments over the massive depletion of forests, loss of biodiversity, and other environmental and social factors that have negatively affected both terrestrial and aquatic systems. They added that the aforementioned factors have bad effects on humans, and even the planet, not excluding the fact that they have already started causing weakening effects of climate change.
The theme of the 2022 National Council on Environment is “Pursuit of Zero emission; a new trajectory towards global environment renaissance.” This year’s meeting was organized to set the path for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, an evidence of the country’s global commitment towards building climate change resilience to aid sustainable development, while focusing on all major factors that further ignite environmental challenges. The forum is a means for the government to enable the expansion of the landscape of reasoning to generate policy frameworks that has the capability of confronting the arising threat in the environment.
The council will embrace a low carbon emission trajectory.
At the meeting, the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, said that in recent years, there have been an exacerbation of the effect of global warming brought about by deforestation, desertification, COVID-19 pandemic and emergencies that occur naturally. As a result, the council, by reason of the reality of the imperatives, are persuaded to embrace a low carbon emission trajectory as an essential option for the preservation of the health of the planet and through the journey to net zero emission.
In his statement, he mentioned that the existence of the forest ecosystems is within a context that allows the effects of population and economic growth in the country to accelerate the swift and massive depletion of forests at a fast rate. Also, for the implementation of the low carbon emission trajectory, the council will make use of its solid partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and will redesign agricultural policies and programs to boost sustainable and climate adaptable agriculture, promoting food security, and benefitting the environment, if need be.
UNIDO will support Nigeria to achieve sustainable industrial development.
The statement of the Country Representative of the United Nations Industrial Organization (UNIDO), Dr. Jean Bakale, revealed that, in his observation, the net zero emissions status is the new goal of every developed, developing, and forehanded country around the world. Therefore, to assist the council, the UN Industrial Organization will ensure to provide every needed support required for a successful journey to zero emission, with everyone living in unity with nature and hope of sustainable development.
Also, among the environmental factors that affect systems are the sea levels which rises with regular flooding that continually destroys lives and properties that are worth many millions of Naira, the global temperature also rises and there is rampancy of wildfires, food security is also an issue. To put an end to the above unfavorable factors, UNIDO has made a recommitment of its support to Nigeria in the promotion of inclusive sustainable industrial development and the achievement of a new and sustainable national development.
GEF, UK PACT program and others support implementing the NCDs.
Also commenting on the situation, Fred Kafeero, FAO Country Representative to Nigeria, affirmed that in December 2022, there would be an end to the current Nigeria’s Country Programming Framework (CPF), which has helped the organization towards rendering support to the Federal Government and other stakeholders. The organization would also aid the Ministry of Environment in the mobilization of resources from the global climate finance institutions, the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), the Adaptation Funds and the UK PACT program, to support in implementing the Nigeria Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
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