By Yemi Olakitan
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged people to take immediate climate action, particularly in rich nations. He was addressing the consequences of climate change in Africa.
On the eve of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, President Mohamodu Buhari made the call on Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh in the person of Environment Minister Mohammed Abdullahi (COP27).
Nigeria had the chance to draw attention to its initiatives and concerns on climate change at the Parallel Clean Energy Transition event organised by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).
Without a doubt, the future of the global climate is at stake, and how we behave now and over the coming decades will determine how the earth and future generations fare.
The frightening wildfires in the United States, the unheard-of heat waves in India, Pakistan, and Europe, and the intense floods in my home nation of Nigeria are just a few examples of the disastrous extreme weather events we have seen this year, he said.
Therefore, he urged industrialised nations—which account for the majority of the emissions hurting Africa’s climate—to take more swift action.
“The need for expedited climate action is even more pressing for poor countries, notably those in Africa, who, despite contributing the least to historical and present emissions, are experiencing climate impacts to a disproportionate degree.
“The nations most accountable for the emissions causing climate change must take immediate and significant climate action.
“Our people and nations are at stake; we cannot afford any more delays. The finger-pointing needs to end, and solutions must be committed to right away, according to Buhari. According to him, Nigeria and other African nations are dedicated to addressing the climate change challenges.
“We are dedicated to combating climate change by taking audacious measures ourselves. African countries have shown their commitment to combating climate change by signing the Paris Agreement, submitting Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that are quite ambitious, and allocating up to 9% of their GDP to this cause.’’