The Paris Agreement commits countries to voluntarily make their own specific commitments that would allow them to reduce their climate pollution while updating and strengthening their commitments to a greener future every five years. The Paris Agreement is an international agreement adopted in Paris, the capital of France, by 196 countries, including Nigeria, to combat the climate crisis. Countries covered by the agreement should also be transparent, maintain greenhouse gas emission inventories, monitor and report on their efforts, and make progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement. With Nigeria`s establishment of its NDCs as outlined in the Paris Agreement, there are still factors that show that Nigeria needs to step up its climate action when it comes to doing business. The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations (UN), also known as COP21, has committed countries to reducing global warming (global temperature increase) to well below 2°C, or better yet, 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels – an era before the Industrial Revolution when burning fossil fuels had not yet changed the climate. Buhari`s campaign has focused on promises to fight terrorism and corruption. Corruption has been described as « pervasive » in Nigerian society and « widespread » in its oil, energy and environmental sectors. Buhari has taken steps to fight corruption since 2015, but progress has been slow. The country faces ongoing terrorist threats from Boko Haram, a jihadist group based in the northeast of the country.

However, the government has also promised to increase production of natural gas – a fossil fuel that already provides much of Nigeria`s electricity (see overview above). A study published in 2019 found that oil spills in the Niger Delta were associated with a doubling of the newborn mortality rate in the region. The findings are « consistent with medical and epidemiological evidence showing that exposure to hydrocarbons may pose risks to fetal development, » according to the study authors. Is Nigeria struggling to meet its climate commitments? UndP is committed to supporting Nigeria on this path. The UNDP-NDC support programme is already fully operational, with the clear objective of enhanced cooperation with the government and the private sector. Having recognized the seriousness of the impact of climate change on the country, Nigeria is constantly developing policies and programs to combat climate change. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Abuja, Nigeria. Photo credit: Rey T. Byhre / Alamy Stock Photo. Gas production has also caused environmental disasters. In March, DeSmog UK reported how oil company Total South Africa broke its promise to build a hospital in the Niger Delta after a gas pipeline exploded in 2012.

This year, the federal government adopted a new national forest policy aimed at « protecting ecosystems » while promoting social development. In 2019, at a UN climate summit in New York, President Munhammudu Buhari pledged to « mobilize Nigerian youth to plant 25 million trees to improve Nigeria`s carbon sink. » Other policies and action plans adopted since then include the National Climate Change Policy and Response Strategy, which came into effect in 2012 to address the negative impacts of climate change and promote economic development to achieve a climate-resilient country; the National Climate Protection Policy, which was adopted by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in 2013 and forms the basis of a climate protection law; and the short-lived National Climate Action Plan adopted in 2019 to improve air quality and combat climate change. .