President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Paris appealed to the international community to support Nigeria’s commitment to reducing the negative effects of climate change.
In a submission to the One Planet Summit in the French capital attended by over 60 Heads of State and Governments, as well as representatives of non-governmental and private organisations, with the theme, “Climate Change Financing,” the president said, “we cannot implement our Nationally Determined Contribution without adequate financial, technical and capacity building support from the developed countries.”
He noted that since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, Nigeria had been strengthening its national efforts towards the implementation of the Agreement and the Marrakech Call for Action.
President Buhari, however, said the country’s “Nationally Determined Contribution to reduce our emission by 20% by 2020 and 40% by 2030,” could not be attained alone.
Read Also : PDP Convention: The Aftermath
According to him, “having just come out of recession we are under no illusion of the challenges that we face in Nigeria.”
President Buhari said Nigeria recognised that ensuring sustainable funding was a major constraint in efforts to implement the Nationally Determined Contribution.
He added that to respond effectively to climate change mitigation and adaptation challenges, critical mass of financial resources beyond what Nigeria could provide from its national resources would be required.
On steps Nigeria had taken to meet its national goal in this respect, he said the country had embraced the issuance of the green bond as an innovative and alternative source of projects funding that would help reduce emissions and provide robust climate infrastructure, such as renewable energy, low carbon transport, water infrastructure and sustainable agriculture in line with the Paris Agreement.
In furtherance of efforts to deliver on the country’s pledges, the president said the government was “tightening the existing governance structure in Nigeria for more effective implementation of climate change activities, including the additional responsibilities that are consequent on the adoption of the all-encompassing climate change treaty.”
He also stated that “Government is actively promoting technologies and practices such as sustainable land management, climate resilient agriculture, water efficiency, clean energy, and skills for reducing greenhouse gas emissions among others.”
He noted that sustaining the efforts would also require external support.
