President Muhammadu Buhari Pledged to go net-zero by 2060 at the ongoing COP26 – UN Climate Change Conference holding in Scotland.
While I think this is an ambitious statement for a poor country like Nigeria with 80% of its exports coming from the sale of crude oil,
I cannot help but notice the new emergence of empty climate promises and pledges.
As someone who grew up in the part of the world where politicians lie to us at every chance they get, from their age to their certificate it’s hard to be moved by promises and pledges alone.
60% of Nigeria’s emissions come from the energy sector, and 36% of the total energy-related emissions are fugitive emissions. I like to think of fugitive emissions as emissions due to system inefficiency.
The time to make beautiful promises is long gone. Now we need action and commitment that is transparent and inclusive of young people’s opinions and demands. We need to see a clear emission reduction pathway that will get us to Net zero.
In my recent interview with BBC News, I made it clear that the fight against climate will be fought and won in the developing countries and not in Europe or the United States.
