The Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, has said that climate change poses a “serious threat” to Nigeria’s efforts to eradicate poverty.
Ikeazor said this at a media briefing held in Abuja today, January 31.
She listed some of federal government’s efforts on addressing climate change, adding that more measures are being taken to help citizens adapt.
“On the World Climate Change Vulnerability Index, Nigeria is classified as one of the 10 most vulnerable countries in the world. This poses a serious threat to poverty eradication and sustainable development in general.
This is because the country has a large rural population that lives on climate-sensitive economic and development sectors (agriculture and fisheries) and natural resources (such as water, biodiversity, grassland).
In this regard, we have made significant strides in the area of climate change adaptation by developing a national adaptation communication document, which provides a mechanism for Nigeria to report priorities, implementation and support needs, plans and actions.
Nigeria has developed an energy transition plan which shows a detailed roadmap for Nigeria to achieve both SDG 7 by 2030 and net zero by 2060.
This roadmap highlights the scale of the effort required for a developing nation to achieve net zero, including the scale of financing, renewables to be deployed and the importance of transition fuels.”
Ikeazor further said Nigeria’s waste management sector holds huge potential for the country’s economy due to the high volume of waste and the demand for recycled products.
She said the ministry is keying into the drive by making relevant waste management policies and establishing recycling plants in different parts of the country to attract investments in the sector.