COP27 and the Matter Arising by Kabir Abdulsalam
The projection by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCc, 2022 released earlier this year, warns that by the year 2030 about 250 million people may experience water stress in Africa, with up to 700 million displaced.
Many were skeptical about the crisis and the analysis of the report before taken it into context. But a statement from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has brought a silver evidence on how 33 states out of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory suffers severe untimely rains.
Data from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and social Development shows that flood have claimed 612 persons, injured 2,776, displaced 1.4 million people, while 90,000 homes destroyed.
This has resulted to exponential collateral damage, posing systemic risks to Nigeria economies, infrastructure investments, water and food systems, public health, agriculture, and livelihoods
It is estimated that the losses are to increased food shortage, affect ecosystem both livestocks and wildlife that suppose to be source of vegetation, crop residue and other non-edible biomass generated in the production of crops for human diet and nutrients will be shortfalls.
Nigeria, despite its low contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, but is hugely impacted by the consequences. The polluting nations are spending heavily on building war armaments and conflicts to the tune of over $2 trillion annually but neglect the countries they have plunged into the quagmire of climate change.
As this year COP27, happened on African soil, backdrop for intensifying economic impacts from floods, droughts and locust invasions across Africa. So far, the adaptation and financing are yet to drawn attention compared to mitigation.
Developed countries, need to show solidarity by fulfilling the promise to mobilise US$100 billion per year of climate finance by 2020, transferring technology, and prioritising the clean energy transformation in international development aid.
The annual Conference of Parties (COP) needs to be decolonized and a strong demand should be pursue from polluting nations for their activities, and others.
For Nigeria at the COP27, President Muhammadu Buhari spoke through his Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullah, “as will be strongly demanded here at COP27, we need to see urgent and decisive climate action from the countries most responsible for the emissions that cause climate change.
“We cannot afford any more delays; our people and nations are on the line. The blame game should stop, affirmative and positive commitment to address these challenges must begin NOW.” he said.
Also, at the slideline of the ongoing event, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare launched a youth driven tree-planting project tagged ‘Project 250k’ to engaging 250,000 youths to plant 250,000 trees across the country to fight the impacts of climate change in the country.
Nigeria also expressed an early interest in the United States carbon offset plan that would allow corporations to fund renewable energy projects in developing countries that are struggling to transition away from fossil fuels.
The plan called the Energy Transition Accelerator was announced by John Kerry, US Presidential Envoy for Climate, in partnership with philanthropic groups like the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund and will be finalized over the coming year.
More are expected from African leaders to lead the advocate for more support of reducing greenhouse emission, for green tech innovation and clean energy investment from the developed countries.
Nigeria also needs to strengthen its regulatory, governance and institutional capacity in the area of spatial planning, regional cooperation on transboundary water resources management, emergency response time, flood prediction, and enforcement of environmental and spatial planning laws
This can and will close gap in climate change and early warning information flow from government to citizens for a sustainable conventional practices by citizens which have cost several lives and livelihoods.
Kabir Abdulsalam, writes from Abuja, can reach via [email protected]
