The Conservator-General, National Park Service, Dr Ibrahim Goni, has called for substantial climate finance to address the challenges posed by climate change in West Africa.
Oladipo Cornelius, Assistant Conservator-General (ACG), made the call in a statement, on behalf of Goni, on Monday.
Cornelius recalled that the Conservator-General made a presentation at the UNFCCC COP28 in Dubai, UAE. The presentation was titled “The Impact of Climate Change in Nigeria.”
According to Goni, climate finance plays a crucial role in closing the biodiversity financing gap by funding biodiversity conservation.
Goni, who is Co-Chair, African Protected Area Directors (APAD) Sustainable Financing Working Group, said climate finance could support the development and implementation of renewable energy projects, sustainable agriculture practices, and climate-resilient infrastructure.
“These interventions can help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, enhance climate resilience, and promote sustainable development in the region” Cornelius said.
The statement said closing the biodiversity financing gap required increased international cooperation and financial commitments from developed countries.
Goni added: “The international community should honour existing commitments, such as the Green Climate Fund, and further increase climate finance flows to the West African region.
“The Loss and Damage Fund can also tackle the gaps that current climate finance institutions such as the Green Climate Fund do not fill.
“This will enable some of these countries to implement long-term climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies effectively.’’
He noted that climate change posed severe challenges to Nigeria, ECOWAS countries, and the border West African region.
“It impacts key sectors such as agriculture, water resources, health, infrastructure, and energy, resulting in economic losses and social instability” Goni restated.
He identified common causes of climate change in Nigeria to include natural hazards, human activities, emission of GHG from vehicles and deforestation.
Goni said that some vehicles emitted GHG such as sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide from their exhaust.
The Conservator-General noted that climate change had led to low crop yield, food shortage, reduced livestock production, loss of income, public health crisis, decreased hydroelectric power supply and loss of shelter and road networks.
He said Nigeria’s climate change policy aimed to tackle the human causes of climate change in a multifaceted way.
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Goni said “The policy contains a set of rules, regulations and standards for agencies and individuals to abide by to achieve the policy goals.’’
He identified the policy’s to include: National Policy on Climate Change, National Environmental Policy, National Drought and Desertification Policy, National Forest Policy.
“National Erosion and Flood Control Policy and Development of the National Strategy on Combating Wildlife Crime, a policy document developed with the UN Office on Drug and Crime to fight illegal wildlife trafficking,” Goni said.
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