This report is in the form of memos from Climate Scorecard Country Managers to Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework to Combat Climate Change (UNFCCC). Below is a description of the progress the country has made made in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015 and the challenges they still face in order to comply with the IPCC goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2030.
To: Patricia Espinosa
Executive Secretary
UNFCCC
Subject: Climate Scorecard Progress Report for Nigeria
From: Peter Hansen
Climate Scorecard Nigeria Country Manager
I serve as Climate Scorecard Country Manager for Nigeria and would like to offer you the following climate mitigation progress report from the perspective of my organization.
Since its initial 2015 pledge to the Paris Agreement Nigeria has made inadequate progress in meeting the goal of reducing emissions by 20% by 2030.
Positive Developments
On the positive side Nigeria has made a few steps in the right direction. Primarily, Nigeria has removed subsidies on oil, which not only will reduce the levels of emissions in the country, but will decrease the prevalence of income inequality.
Additionally, Nigeria has made some pledges, which if acted upon, will have substantial benefits for the country. Notably, Nigeria has committed to adding solar panels to 5 million homes not currently on the grid, which will decrease emissions and give clean energy access to millions of people in poverty. However, the problem with all of this is that the Nigerian government has consistently not followed through on their promises.
Remaining Conditions
However, the following conditions remain in Nigeria that threaten its ability to make further progress and reach the important goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2030. The most obvious condition is that Nigeria continues to be one of the largest oil producers in the world, further polluting the earth. While profits from oil production are important for development, Nigeria is not following Hartwick’s Rule and reinvesting that money into green sectors as a way to diversify the economy.
Within oil production, Nigeria has not put in enough preventative measures to help stop oil spills. From 1974 until today, there have been over 13,000 oils spills in the Niger Delta. Furthermore, Nigeria is still allowing the practice of gas flaring and venting, which is an outdated and environmentally harmful practice.
On top of all this, Nigeria has over 2bn metric tons of untouched coal that the government is still intending to mine to solve their energy crisis. They must not turn to coal and should look for green energy instead.
Climate Scorecard is committed to working with other like-minded organizations to support efforts by Nigeria to make further progress in its effort to reduce emissions by 20% by 2030 and help the Paris Agreement reach its important goals.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this report or need further information.