National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), has affirmed that the climate change challenges can be addressed through carbon pricing.
Speaking at a workshop on the assessment of carbon pricing initiatives in Nigeria which was held on Wednesday in Abuja, NCCC Director-General, Mr Salisu Dahiru, said the workshop would give Nigerians a better understanding of carbon pricing and how Nigeria can benefit from it.
“As far as Nigeria is concerned, the carbon trading scheme is an aspect of our national policy, and also a national priority to put in place all the measures needed to address all our mitigation challenges.
“Carbon pricing is one of the foundational work that is needed to be done in order to prepare Nigeria for participating in the emissions trading scheme for which the process had begun,’ the D-G said.
“A situation where the ongoing carbon trading schemes are all over the place are being done without recourse to the designated national authority for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Nigeria has to stop.
“We will ensure that every opportunity for harvesting emissions reduction certificates from ongoing activities in Nigeria is linked to our NCCC.
“Carbon trading is not going to be limited only to the NCCC but to all the MDAs or sectors that are interested in pursuing projects that can end carbon credit.
Dahiru expressed optimism that the workshop would facilitate one of the robust carbon trading systems in Africa and also lay the foundation for stakeholders in Nigeria to work towards achieving this target.
Coordinator of the West African Alliance on Carbon Market and Climate Finance, Ousmane Sarr, said that the objective of the West Africa Alliance was to harness the coordination of West African negotiators on the carbon market.
Represented by the Director General, African Energy-Environment, El Hadji Diagne, Sarr, said carbon taxes are one of the effective means to achieve a reduction in carbon emissions.
“This is why most of the developed countries that have agreements with the Paris Club consider zero carbon emissions.
“Carbon pricing may also support adaptive nature and also contribute to poverty reduction from the revenue that comes from it,” Sarr said.
