Environmentalists urge enabling policies on carbon reduction

ON the edge of the lingering anxiety over global climate change, particularly in Nigeria, environmentalists across the country have said that Nigeria must become more aggressive in creating enabling policies that will lead to carbon reduction.

This is coming few weeks after U.S. President; Barrack Obama announced that the States would unveil its biggest climate change initiative which include set of environment rules and regulations that would tackle pollution and other issues.

Speaking in Lagos at a breakfast dialogue on ‘Climate Change, Carbon Emission Reduction and Economic Diversification’, organized by Carbon Exchange Trade, Chief Executive Officer, New Nigeria Foundation, Prof. Femi Ajibola said high price must be put on carbon to reduce the amount of carbon people put into the atmosphere.

Ajibola said: “Nigeria is currently missing a lot on the investment that follows up on carbon pricing”, he stressed that there was need for serious massive awareness that would keep Nigerians abreast of the true situation in the sector. “We are creating this coalition to take the issue further; we have to address climate issues by our self. Carbon pricing comes with project.

The government has to come up with efforts to enlighten people, find the policies and let the citizen know the commitment that was made to reduce climate change. The government needs to bring out policies and prepare regulations

There are deepening investments opportunities of creating more employments, more jobs and so on”, Ajibola added. Also speaking at the event, Director Carbon Exchange Trade, Innocent Azih said: “The government has to come up with efforts to enlighten people, find the policies and let the citizen know the commitment that was made to reduce climate change.

The government needs to bring out policies and prepare regulations.” According to him government officials are well knowledgeable on the right action to take as they have facts about the issue through series of meetings but have just decided not to act accordingly.

Another expert Olufemi Olanrewaju who delivered a paper titled, ‘Climate Change: Renewable Energy Resource and Economic Diversification Opportunities’ said that Nigeria has compelling reasons to develop policies that would allow reduction in carbon footprint.

More importantly Nigeria needs to adopt the use of renewable energy basically because we have about 93 million people without energy which is a medium of convenient of existences.

What we are now saying is that even as we have multiple reasons to drive renewable in Nigeria, the core reason is to power our economy by so doing we are reducing our carbon footprints. “We will require great new technologies, create new businesses, do things differently, and require poverty education.

The funding that is available in the sector is for investment. If we can also take advantage of it that means we are hiring new people, that means we are training new people, that’s what economy diversification means”, Olanrewaju said According to Femi oye even if Nigeria powers the economy with about 250million works in a year, it is possible to double the figure once there is productivity and that is expected to increase energy needs.