Climate Change: FG Canvasses For Nature-based Solution

Climate Change: FG Canvasses For Nature-based Solution 

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja

The federal government has harped on the need for stakeholders to embrace nature-based solutions in addressing climate change issues, which is expected to bolster the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target especially on security, water, disaster risk reduction and livelihood improvement.   

Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar stated this in Osun State over the weekend during the 2021 World Environment Day (WED) celebration with the theme, "Ecosystem Restoration: Resetting Our Relation With Nature". 

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had proclaimed 5th June annually as WED, meant to raise awareness on the importance of the environment to human survival and general wellbeing of the planet. 

Abubakar disclosed that the federal government had commenced the implementation of nature-based programmes and projects in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss due to its benefits on the ecosystem, water and food security, improved soil organic carbon, livelihoods and among others.

The minister said the nature-based programmes are expected to facilitate the national and global targets including the 2030 development agenda that Nigeria is already making steady progress, as well as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Given the alarming rate of deforestation that currently stands at 3.7 to 4 percent, he stated that the federal government has consistently engaged with local and international partners, in addition to formulating enabling policies and legislations aimed at resolving the problem. 

He lamented that man's interaction with nature, coupled with the challenges and impacts of climate change, have grossly exacerbated the deleterious state of the environment, as the terrestrial and marine ecosystems are not spared. 

Abubakar maintained that the world's population especially Africa countries have continued to increase geometrically, leading to an unprecedented competition for survival with the available meagre resources.

The minister noted that other factors such as poverty, food shortage, high unemployment rate and COVID-19 pandemic worsened the ecosystem, resulting in weak resilience and adaptation.

He said that the ministry is working assiduously to deal with the challenges posed by environmental degradation and biodiversity loss resulting from deforestation, desertification, land and ecosystem degradation, pollution, climate change and COVID-19 pandemic.

According to him, "These challenges appear to be insurmountable due to the fact that the driving proximate and underlying factors such as overpopulation, the quest for food, poverty, social insecurity, imbalance trade and among others remain global issues and are yet to be frontally and decisively addressed".

The federal government had last week, submitted its NDC Interim Report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which the minister said underscored its determination to achieve the commitment signed in 2015 to reduce Nigeria’s carbon emissions unconditionally by 20 percent and 45 percent conditionally with international support by 2030. 

Abubakar hinted that the ministry initiated various programmes and policies aimed at tackling deforestation, drought, desertification and climate change such as the National Forest Policy;  National Drought and Desertification Policy; National Drought Plan; National Environment Policy; Climate Change Policy and Response Strategy;  National REDD+ Strategy and the Establishment of National Forestry Trust Fund.

He said that the country through the ministry had consistently maintained partnerships and intergovernmental coalitions with foreign countries on the implementation of various international conventions, treaties and agreements which Nigeria remains a signatory. 

The minister listed the recent coalitions as the high ambition coalition for nature and people; global ocean alliance, blue leaders campaign, and COP26 dialogue on Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT), adding that FACT dialogue culminated into a statement that was jointly signed by 28 countries.