Simon Olanipekun
President, Muhammadu Buhari, has pledged that the country will cut down carbon emissions and will reach net-zero by 2060.
The president made the assertion in the recently conducted COP26 summit in Glasgow.
Reiterating the importance of fighting against climate change, President Buhari explained that Nigeria is already facing the impact of climate change and the same is visible through the desertification that is taking place in the north, flood in the centre, and the coast is facing pollution and erosion.
Buhari noted that Nigeria is looking for partners for assistance in finance, technology and innovation. Nigeria currently needs $400 billion for electricity generation in the country which also includes transmission and distribution.
Similarly, countries like the United States, UK and European Union have vowed to reach the same target by 2050. Other countries that have set the same deadline as Nigeria are Saudi Arabia and Russia. The target is already lagging behind by ten years. The challenge to reach the net-zero goal is to set the United Nation to fight global warming.
How Nigeria Plans to Reach Net-Zero by 2060?
A plan and roadmap to reach the net-zero by 2060 is already in place by Nigeria and the same is confirmed by the country’s president.
Gas will play a key role in helping the country to reach the net-zero goal by 2060 and in addition to that, it will also lead to economic transition across many sectors. Gas will become pivotal in meeting the challenge of clean energy in Nigeria.
Further, the country plans to incorporate 7GW additional renewable capacity to reach net-zero by 2060.
According to Buhari, Nigeria is already working towards an environment-friendly commitment and the same is visible through the various works done by the government that includes the objective of using solar energy for electrifying 5 million households and 25 million people will benefit from it. This will help Nigeria to fight against the energy access deficit by 2030. Hence the inclusion of climate change in the 2022 budget of Nigeria.
However, Nigeria will be requiring financial assistance to meet the ambitious project for fighting against climate change for capacity building and technology transfer.
