Just recently the federal government launched the Deep De-carbonization Project as a means of reducing carbon emission thus helping to mitigate the adverse effect of climate change; HELEN OJI reports
The Deep De-cabrbonization Project is a national research and capacity building project for the implementation of a Deep De-carbonization Pathway Programme, (DDPP) in Nigeria. It is a collaboration project between the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Agence Française de Dévelopment (AFD) with the International Relation and Sustainable Development Institute (IDDRI), as the programme coordinator.
Intervention
According to Minister of Environment, Sharon Ikeazor who launched the project in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, the government was determined to reduce carbon emission by 50 per cent come 2050 in its quest to meet net-zero carbon emission levels.
She noted that the Deep De-carbonization Project is a very important component that would help Nigeria and the global world navigate the harsh and unpleasant effect of climate change.
The minister stressed that the Nigerian government has made several climate change interventions intended to mitigate climate change and increase resilience to avert the excruciating consequences of climate change.
Long term investment
“The Nigerian government formulated and communicated its Long-Term Low GHG Emission Development Strategies, LT-LEDS and envisioned that by 2050, Nigeria will be a country of low-carbon, climate-resilient, high-growth circular economy that reduces its current level of emissions by 50 per cent, moving towards having net-zero emissions across all sectors of its development in a gender-responsive manner.
Ikeazor stated that there is need to understand the quantities of emissions reduction that can be made from each sectors of the economy such as power, oil and gas, transport, agriculture, industry, etc.
“We need to have a better understanding of how rapidly such emissions can be made in tandem with sustainable economic growth, the technologies that will be needed and the wider economic and social implications of rapid emission reduction pathways, such degree of clarity is critical for planning, financing, and securing the long-term investment needed to shift our green and climate-resilient development future,” she stressed.
Capacity of academics
The National Project leader for the project in Nigeria, Professor Chukwumerije Okereke said the project is borne out of a desire to build the capacity of Nigerian academics, to be able to design high quality, rigorous, robust climate change models that can guide international climate policy.
“This project was prompted by the fact that year after year, Nigeria designs and publishes nationally important documents and plans around climate change. What about mitigation? What is about adaptation, and more recently, the nationally determined contribution that provides a guideline of how Nigeria can reduce their emissions in the long run while also growing sustainability.
“However, all of these plans have been really designed and written by foreigners, foreign experts, international experts, and the reason is that Nigeria does not have enough capacity on what we call climate modeling.” he explained.
Prof Okereke said the team will be working very closely with the government to make inputs into the long term strategies. The long term climate change development strategy that the government will be producing next year, before COP 27 in Egypt.
“Nigerian academics is working in collaboration with other ministries, and guided by the Department for climate change under the Federal Ministry of Environment, we hope that we’ll be able to produce long term strategies. These strategies will be relevant, specific contexts that will accommodate the uniqueness of our Nigeria and certain that they will help to ensure that whatever is produced will be implemented,” Okereke added.
Zero emission
Director of the DDP Initiative at IDDRI, Mr. Henri Waisman, said all countries should consider positive zero emissions within their boundaries by 2050-2070, notably from fossil fuels combustion and maximize domestic carbon sinks.
He noted that carbon neutrality by 2050-2070 is feasible in all the country contents the body has investigated and it is possible to achieve simultaneous carbon neutrality and key socio-economic goals, as defined by each country.
“We develop scientifically robust analysis of pathways achieving the systemic transformations towards carbon neutrality; we use this analysis to structure domestic conversations with decision makers and stakeholders on options, choices and risks,” he said.
The Nigeria Deep De-carbonization Project is designed to generate context-specific scenarios and long-term modeling that will offer substantial evidence to support the government’s long term emission reduction strategies and climate action in general.
