The Minister of Environment, Sharon Ikeazor has said that the Nigerian economy would be exposed to a compromise that will further affect national development if there is no cohesive national action against climate change.
She stated this on Monday during a high-level inter-ministerial meeting in Abuja, noting that Nigeria’s economic and developmental aspirations would be compromised if it did not define its transition pathways to align with broader developmental goals.
She noted that the action was important because it would mitigate the effect of climate change and improve national aspiration on many sides, where definitive transitional measures are adopted for the future of Nigeria.
While noting that the danger of inaction was not to be contemplated, Ikeazor charged participants at the meeting to be focused on the targets of low emission by 2030 and net-zero by 2060.
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She said, “You are aware of the country’s vulnerability to climate change and the huge social, economic and security costs associated with impacts of global warming,”
She noted that Nigeria as a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) actively participated in the negotiations held at the recently concluded Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 13 November 2021.
She emphasized the need to galvanize political will, demonstrated by President Muhammadu Buhari on Nigeria’s Net Zero Emissions commitment by 2060, adding that the commitment facilitated by the president created an even greater urgency to implement activities for rapid reduction of emission across all sectors of the economy to avert disastrous and catastrophic climate impacts.
Story was adapted from Nigerian Tribune.