The federal government has launch deep de- carbonisation project as part of measures to reduce emissions of climate change.
The Deep Decarbonization Project Nigeria, is a national research and capacity building project for the implementation of a Deep Decarbonization Pathway Programme (DDPP) in Nigeria.
DDP is an collaboration project between the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria and the Agence Française de Dévelopment (AFD) with the International Relation and Sustainable Development Institute (IDDRI) as the Programme Coordinator.
Minister of state for Environment, Chief Sharon Ikeazor who launch the project in Abuja, said the government was determined to reduce carbon emission by 50% come 2050 in its quest to meet net-zero carbon emission levels.
She noted that the decarbonization of the global economy has long been recognised as an imperative in the fight against climate change.
However, this has assumed even a greater urgency since the singing of the Paris Agreement in 2015. The central role of deep decarbonization has been further underscored by the recent IPCC Sixth Assessment (AR6) Report, which makes a compellingscientific case for rapid reduction of emission across all sectors of the economy to avert disastrous and catastrophic climate impacts.
“As some of you will recall, the IPCCC AR6 was described as code red for humanity by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. It was against this background that world leaders in the recently concluded COP26 climate summit in Glasgow called on all countries to not only strengthen their NDCs most of which have a current end date of 2030 but also to prepare long term strategies in the pursuit of global net zero emission by 2060.
Ikeazor noted that the purpose of the project launch and inception work is to present the DDP project to the larger community of stakeholders to begin a focused conversation on the scenarios and modeling options that can help Nigeria achieve her stated long term climate objectives including the goal of net zero emission by 2060.
Ikeazor added that the Federal Government of Nigeria formulated and communicated its Long-Term Low GHG Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) envisioned that “By 2050, Nigeria is a country of low-carbon, climate-resilient, high-growth circular economy that reduces its current level of emissions by 50%, moving towards having net-zero emissions across all sectors of its development in a gender-responsive manner”.
“The Federal Ministry of Environment also formulated Nigeria Decarbonisation Transition Plan, which enumerated pathways for Nigeria to achieve net-zero by 2050.
“The Nigeria Deep Decarbonization Project is therefore a very important
component in our effort to navigate Nigeria and the global world over the harsh and unpleasant risks of climate change. Indeed, as many here will attest, we are already being confronted with the dangerous consequences ofextreme weather in recent times with huge financial stress.
She stressed that Nigeria is one of the signatories to the Paris Agreement that outlines actions toward climate change mitigation, resilience, and adaptation. Nigeria also recognises that just transition to a low-emission economy is important to achieve sustainable development goals in the context of socio-economic andenvironmental sustainability.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has made several climate change interventions intended to mitigate climate change and increase resilience to avert the excruciating consequences of climate change.
Ikeazor explained that President Muhammadu Buhari, generously signed into law the Climate Change Bill passed by the National Assembly. The Climate Change Law provides an overarching legal framework to articulate a long-term climate plan for Nigeria to achieve a netzero carbon emission target, national climate resilience and an adequate volume of climate finance with a focus on national development priorities.
Nigeria recently submitted its revised and robust Nationally Determined Contributions that articulate climate actions until 2030 in response to Article 4.2 of the Paris Agreement.
The Nigerian government’s effort to transit to a low-emission economy was also echoed in all the discussions that the Federal Government of Nigeria was involved in at the COP26. At the height of it, the President of theFederal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, promised a zero-net emission target for Nigeria by 2060.
“Climate change concerns and awareness and policy are growing. However, there is still a need to better understand the quantities of emissions reduction that can be made from each of the sectors of the economy such as power, oil and gas, transport, Agriculture, industry, etc. We need to have 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 economy toward a green and climate resilient development future.
The Project is deigned to generate context specific scenarios and long-term modelling that will offer substantial evidence to support the government’s long term emission reduction strategies and our climate action in general.
She also said the DPP is a national research and capacity building project designed to reinforce the capacities of local teams of experts and researchers for the scientific analysis of low-emission development pathways. Equally important is the plan to connect the community of practice among Nigerian and African research institutions to facilitate knowledge sharing.
