Conservationist sees hope for endangered planet in Paris Agreement

As the nations of the world continue discussions at the on-going 22ndsession of the Conference of Parties (COP22) in Marrakech, Morocco, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) says there is hope for the endangered planet, Earth, in the Paris Agreement.

The foundation joins the rest of the world to celebrate the coming into force of the Agreement which marks a significant achievement in just one year of the Agreement, making it three years earlier than planned.

The Agreement which becomes legally binding on all parties a couple of weeks ago, reminds humanity generally of their responsibilities as individuals, organizations, businesses, investors, governments, youth and other stakeholders to contribute to reducing the global temperature well below 2.0 Co, targeting 1.5 Co.

Among the 195 parties that negotiated and adopted the Paris Agreement, 97 nations (representing more than the required 55 percent, needed for the landmark Agreement to become legally binding) have ratified and submitted their instruments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), giving a clear indication of the support this agreement has received within the global community, particularly from governments, research institutions, investors, civil society organizations, bi/multilateral entities etc.

NCF says it is happy that this legally binding agreement translates to a global effort working towards a secured environment and particularly a safe ecosystem for nature and biodiversity.

“We will always commend the efforts of the Nigerian government in catalysing climate action through the recent endorsement of the World Bank ‘Ending Gas Flaring Target by 2030’ while subsequently fast-tracking our country’s target of ending gas flaring in 2020 instead of 2030”, the foundation said.

Continuing, it said, “this is equally a demonstration of the nation’s commitment to increasing its ambition in order to reduce carbon emission by 20 percent unconditionally and 45 percent conditionally as indicated in the Nationally Determined Contribution. However, we also enjoin the Federal Government to take bolder steps in joining other leading African countries not to stop at signing the Paris Climate Change Agreement but also ratifying and approving the treaty”.

The world has witnessed an unprecedented cross-over of the carbon emission threshold of 400 ppm in 2016 which may not be reversible but must continue to work on climate actions that will prevent further carbon emission.

The foundation assures that as the leading environmental NGO in Nigeria, it will support all efforts at cutting global greenhouse emission in all sectors, particularly in the agriculture, forest and other land use (AFOLU) where it works.

“As part of efforts at catalysing climate action, NCF will be embarking on a climate mitigation and adaptation project through a 30-year forest recovery initiative that will return Nigeria’s forest cover from an alarming 4 percent to 25 percent forest cover as recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)”, the company assures further.

Not forgetting that COP 22 in Marrakech is a key strategic global meeting which is meant to set the roadmap that will drive the implementation and realization of all nations’ climate action, NCF is working with its international partners – BirdLife International (BI) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – to contribute to the global discourse that will shape the demands from the African regional bloc.

Furthermore, cross-cutting issues such as the required green technology and climate financing arrangement ($100 billion/year till 2020 promised by the developed world for developing countries) that is necessary to drive the implementation will be perfected and well negotiated towards its realization.

Source: Business Day