Urgent Actions Needed to Combat Climate Change
As we navigate the complexities of the modern world, the imminent threat of climate change looms large, prompting a thorough exploration of perspectives and urgent imperatives.
The concept of climate change revolves around long-term alterations in Earth’s climate patterns, primarily attributed to human activities. It encompasses global warming, shifts in weather patterns, and the increasing frequency of extreme events such as floods, droughts, earthquakes, and wildfires.
Addressing climate change involves mitigating human-induced factors, adapting to the changes already underway, and fostering sustainable practices to ensure the health and resilience of our planet. This also includes accessing emergency funding for loss and damage suffered from climate change effects.
Humans have significantly contributed to climate change through activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial processes, and agricultural practices. These actions release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, leading to phenomenal global warming.
The consequences of climate change affect various aspects of our lives, from temperature increases and variations in rainfall to the rise in sea levels, drought, desertification, land degradation, air, water, and soil pollution.
From the primal use of wood for survival to the current reliance on hydrocarbons like coal, bitumen, and petroleum, the evolution of resource utilization is a testament to the intricacies of human ingenuity.
According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, December 2023 set a historic milestone as the warmest December globally, capping off a year marked by record-breaking temperatures. Each month from June to December in 2023 surpassed previous temperature records, solidifying the year as the warmest ever recorded since the beginning of climate records.
Water, land, and hydrocarbons play pivotal roles in the paradigm of climate change. However, their rational utilization and optimization pose crucial questions for our sustainable future.
The urgent call to action for Nigeria and the government of President Bola Tinubu is to drive forward a dynamic and home-grown climate action agenda. It is imperative to align policies and activities, access climate finance, and expedite decarbonization to achieve swift carbon credit progress.
In navigating Nigeria’s energy transition, a critical reassessment of existing policies, alongside a revision of the Energy Transition Plan, is essential to optimally balance traditional and sustainable energy sources.
A collaborative effort is needed for strategic planting of desert trees to combat desert encroachment, proper urbanization and housing strategies, as well as accelerated development in transport and industry.
In conclusion, the reorganization of the National Council on Climate Change and capacity building must be prioritized to ensure coordinated and effective climate change governance in Nigeria.
My submissions are intended to guide President Tinubu and all critical stakeholders to address climate change with urgency and agility.
Kunle writes from Abuja
