Idibia Gabriel, Kaduna
The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Environment, Mahmud A. Kambari said Climate Change has become a critical issue, both for its global importance and threats to National development.
Kambari disclosed this at the just concluded “Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation for Vulnerability Communities in South-West Geopolitical Zone’s worksop.
He cited example of Nigeria’s desertification process advancing southward and potential submergence of the 853 kilometers stretch of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean.
“Climate Change has become a critical issue, both for its global importance and threats to National development. For instance, we have the desertification process advancing southward and potential submergence of the 853 kilometers stretch of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean”, he said.
He also said for these and many other reasons, “We can’t but continue to implement the Climate Change Convention, related Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement and our local efforts and initiatives at combating the threats of Climate Change and global warming”.
He said Nigeria recognized, with great concern, this threat that climate change poses to livelihoods, economic sustainability, and health, and the imperative to embed climate change issues within the context of its work in the country.
“Overcoming the development challenge of climate change requires that appropriate mitigation and adaptation measures are implemented coherently and integratively, in which they are appropriately mainstreamed into national programs and projects for sustainable development.
“It also emphasizes the need for a strategic plan of action or roadmap for a national approach or response to climate change”, he noted.
According to him, the Government of Nigeria regarded the challenge of climate change as inimical to its national sustainable development that must be squarely addressed.
“Thus, various national efforts have been put in place at all levels of governance to promote climate-resilient environmental sustainability in the context of national development.
“These efforts range from putting policies and legislation in place to building institutional capacity, effective participation in global climate change negotiations and signing international agreements, building partnerships, sourcing funding, and embarking on some initiatives for climate change response.
“The country has built partnerships with several non-governmental actors (civil society organizations, private sector operators, and development partners) to broaden the base for tackling the menace of climate change”, he stated.
Kambari added that “The Government will explicitly address climate change as part of the various sectoral policies and management instruments that are related to this global problem”.
“Climate Change will be taken as a strategic development issue in all areas of public policy. There is no gainsaying that there will be some climate changes that cannot be avoided due to past and inevitable future global emissions, but the detrimental effects can be avoided if we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to an acceptable level.
“Therefore, we must move beyond thinking about climate change and global warming to take action as a nation.
“Since taking actions that will alleviate the effects of climate change and a warmer world is everyone’s responsibility, we will be interacting and working with the general public, individuals, communities, businesses & industries, international partners, and the global community to create the necessary awareness in this direction.
“The Department of Climate Change has the full backing of the Ministry to drive the practical fulfillment of the Federal Government’s vision and mission for mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change.
“We will provide leadership in promoting the culture necessary to establish the right conditions for our people to adapt, supporting quality research, education, and awareness efforts, and enforcing industry regulations that will guide businesses and communities in adapting and mitigating climate change, while providing national policy direction in combating Climate Change.
“As committed and zealous to combating the effects of Climate Change as we may be, our efforts alone cannot give us the desired goal, until and unless the state governments share in our vision, and effective collaboration and fully partner with us in contributing their time, knowledge, resources and committed trust to support the achievement of our statutory objectives.
“I am happy to note that this workshop will be focusing on:- Strengthening the resilience of vulnerable communities in Nigeria to natural and man-made disasters as well as their capacity to prepare, respond to, recover from, and reduce risks associated with such disasters.
“If we can achieve the objectives of this workshop as outlined above, the issue of climate change will become increasingly popular in Nigeria. The Federal Ministry of Environment is looking forward to seeing a time when climate change will be placed on center stage and given the priority it deserves.
“To attain this level, all stakeholders need to work as one in mainstreaming it among states’ high-priority policy issues”, he explained.
He therefore urged all participants to share knowledge and experience and come up with innovative recommendations that would aid the government in taking proactive measures towards enhancing the level of managing our environment,
and declare the workshop opened.
