A global effort by National Designated Entities, technology experts and funders, coordinated by the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), now appears to be showing some impact.
CTCN Director, Jukka Uosukainen
In its Five-Year Progress Report launched on Tuesday, December 4, 2018, the CTCN announced that 137 technology solutions have been delivered or are under way in 79 countries. It adds that some 2,500 people have been trained and over 10 million tonnes of CO₂eq are expected to be reduced per year with completion of the mitigation-related projects.
With an original investment of $40 million, the CTCN’s technical assistance has leveraged $670 million in anticipated funding for developing countries’ technology implementation, it was gathered.
“Accelerating the deployment of clean and green technologies is crucial for realising the aims of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the past five years, the CTCN has served as a powerful example of a UNFCCC mechanism connecting developing countries to the innovative and relevant technologies they seek,” says Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The country-driven nature of the CTCN, with 160 National Designated Entities identifying climate technology needs based upon goals set forth in Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans, is closely aligned with the Paris Agreement.
“Our interventions identify the best possible technology options for climate action, and support policy development and resource mobilisation to enhance their uptake. Experience from the last five years has taught us that pairing technology expertise with local knowledge is essential, scalability is important and that relationships matter,” emphasises Jukka Uosukainen, the Director of the CTCN.
The CTCN promotes the accelerated development and transfer of climate technologies for energy-efficient, low-carbon and climate-resilient development. It is the implementation arm of the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism and is hosted and managed by UN Environment (UNEP) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
With a variety of environmental problems plaguing Nigeria, along with the rest of the world, consumers and executives alike are looking to multinational companies in search of direction regarding sustainable business practices. Following reports that air pollution in Nigeria causes more deaths than both malaria and AIDS combined, companies are beginning to understand the importance of engaging in sustainable business practices in order to reduce their impact on environmental issues such as air pollution, water pollution and oil spills.
Companies are now adopting sustainable business practices in order to reduce their impact on the environment
Ongoing Investigation into the Benefits of Sustainability
One study released in March of 2018 looked to explore the impact of economic, institutional and ethical factors as a means to determine and make sense of corporate attitudes towards environmental strategies in Nigerian multinational companies. What the study revealed was that, while the cultural‐based Ubuntu philosophy did play a large role in the decision to engage in sustainable business practices, it was found that peer pressure among the business world is what drives these companies to go green.
Following the likes of Fortune 500 companies all around the world when it comes to earning respect and reputability, businesses in Nigeria are focusing more on sustainability in order to reduce their environmental impact and increase their bottom line, but they’re doing so because, in a sense, they feel obligated to in order to compete. At the heart of these sustainable goals lie the interests of the country, as it has been shown that countries who participate in environmentally-friendly practices are more competitive on a global scale as we move further into an age where climate change continues to affect more than simply the way we live.
Economic Drivers for Sustainable Businesses
As Nigeria continues to experience an economic boom that sets the country apart from their African counterparts, executives in these large multinational companies are trying to strike a balance between implementing sustainable practices in order to keep up with stringent social responsibilities while also enjoying certain economic incentives. These drivers are all concerned with how to turn green, sustainable business practices into a way to increase profit while also increasing the market competitiveness of their business. This type of competitiveness is compounded by studies that show that corporations that voluntarily adopt sustainable business practices generally have better organisational processes. This, which is highly beneficial to Nigerian multinational corporations, allows them to perform better across the board and increase their profit while reducing their waste and expenditures.
A Call for Deeper Understanding of Nigerian Environmental Issues
Investors and decision makers in Nigeria seem to lack a clear understanding of the environmental and economic benefits of sustainable practices as they slowly emerge all throughout Africa. As more research is conducted on the impacts of large factories, oil spills and agriculture continue to reveal pending environmental issues, more companies will feel the pressure to adopt greener business practices. However, this pressure isn’t such a bad thing. It continues to lead more and more companies across the country, and the world, to craft sustainable companies that are driving economic growth without hurting the environment.
The Seventh Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA MOP7) opened on Tuesday, December 4, 2018 in Durban, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa.
Durban, South Africa is hosting the AEWA MOP7
The inter-governmental meeting is set to be the most important international conference on the conservation of migratory waterbirds this year, bringing together close to 300 participants from 81 countries, including 67 national delegations and the European Union, a range of non-governmental organisations and renowned experts from across the African-Eurasian region.
The five-day meeting, according to the organisers, will be an opportunity for governments to agree on actions to improve the conservation status of many species of waterbirds covered by AEWA such as pelicans, cranes, storks, ducks and waders, which face a wide range of threats, including habitat loss and degradation, illegal killing and poisoning, especially by lead gunshot, pollution, climate change, bycatch, as well as collision with powerlines and wind turbines.
The MOP7 is being held under the theme: “Beyond 2020: shaping flyway conservation for the future” and will cover a plethora of topics related to the future conservation and sustainable use of the 254 species of migratory waterbirds covered by the treaty.
AEWA Executive Secretary, Jacques Trouvilliez, said: “AEWA MOP7 is set to be a milestone for waterbird conservation, as Parties will decide on the new course of conservation action under the treaty for the next decade. For the last 20 years internationally agreed actions under AEWA, have made the difference in conservation efforts for many well-known, as well as lesser-known species such as Bald Ibis or White-winged Flufftail which connect habitats over political boundaries.”
AEWA, it was gathered, lays the legal foundation for international coordinated conservation measures and their implementation is guided by means of a Strategic Plan and a targeted Plan of Action for Africa. Both a new Strategic Plan and a new Plan of Action for Africa for the period 2019 to 2027 will be presented to Parties for adoption at the conference. Both plans are designed so that their implementation will contribute to achieving the UN Biodiversity Targets and the Sustainable Development Goals.
At MOP7, delegates will also address, for the first time, priority actions for seabird conservation. Seabirds are said to be one of the most threatened groups of birds worldwide. To address threats to seabirds such as plastic pollution, oil spills, mining, illegal killing, human disturbance, wind turbines, overfishing, bycatch, invasive predators and climate change, priority actions for seabirds under AEWA will be recommended, it was gathered.
A total of 14 resolutions will be considered for adoption by AEWA Parties at MOP7, including on the topic of Single Species Action Plans, Climate Resilient Flyways or Monitoring of Waterbirds. The delegates will also consider a number of new reports such as the “7th Conservation Status Report (CSR)” and “Plastics and Waterbirds: Incidence and Impacts” will be presented.
During the opening ceremony on Tuesday, the AEWA Waterbird Conservation Awards were presented to the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and to Mr. Ohad Hatzofe, an Avian Ecologist of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The award, say the awardees, recognises both institutions and individuals who have made a significant contribution towards long-term conservation and sustainable use of waterbirds in the African-Eurasian region.
At the closure of the opening ceremony, David Alan Stroud (Great Britain) was declared Honorary Patron of AEWA for the life-long dedication to international waterbird and wetlands conservation and for his significant contribution towards the development, growth and strong scientific underpinning of the Agreement.
During a special event, Norway and the European Commission were recognised as Migratory Species Champions for their long-term support for initiatives that benefit migratory birds’ conservation.
To date 77 countries and the European Union have signed the environmental treaty, which has a geographic range covering a total of 119 countries across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Greenland and the Canadian Archipelago.
The Africa civil society organisations under the umbrella of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) have called on the negotiators at the ongoing United Nations climate conference in Poland to come up with a comprehensive work plan that will help in implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Mithika Mwenda, Secretary General of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA). Photo credit: cloudfront.net
“We join the African Governments and experts in underscoring the vital importance of ambitious outcomes from this conference,” said Mithika Mwenda, the Executive Director at PACJA.
“We need to uphold equity, justice and act as an anchor in the Paris Agreement’s implementation,” he told a press conference at the UNFCCC COP24 in Katowice, Poland, noting that the pre-2020 ambition remains vital to stay within the closing window as indicated by the recently released IPCC report and the Paris Agreement implementation.
Sudanese scientist and climate activist, Dr. Shaddad Mauwa, also said that climate finance should be taken seriously as a critical issue of negotiations for COP 24. “We expect a clear roadmap for fulfilment of climate finance commitment of $100 billion per year by 2020,” he told a team of journalists in Katowice.
Dr Shaddad said that parties should agree to discuss a new post-2025 quantified climate finance goal from the floor of $100 billion and agree on accounting rules for climate finance that are robust and provide full transparency on actual assistance provided and to be provided to the developing countries.
The activists also underlined the need to focus on how Adaptation Fund will serve the Paris Agreement. “Parties should agree on maintaining the current balance of the Fund’s board membership, operational policies and guidelines for developing countries to access the funds when it serves the Paris Agreement,” said Shaddad.
They called on parties to negotiate on the Nationally Determined Contributions timeframe in relation to the Paris Agreement. They noted that a single five-year common timeframe for NDC implementation should be agreed at the ongoing COP24 in order to enhance consistency and comparability of NDCs.
On loss and damages, the civil society representatives pointed out that Africa continues to suffer enormous economic losses in billions of dollars as a result of climate change impacts.
“It is worrying to keep hearing the answer for loss and damage as insurance, this might be possible in developed countries but in developing countries especially in Africa, it is a far-fetched dream,” said Mwenda. “We call for the commitment in the implementation of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage and need a predictable a financing approach for Loss and Damage in Africa,” he added.
Rebecca Muna, the Director of Civil Society Forum on Climate Change (FORUMCC) in Tanzania, noted the importance of gender considerations in policies that supports activities on adaptation, mitigation, finance, technology development and transfer, including capacity building.
“We call for Parties to increase their efforts in ensuring that women are represented in all aspects of the Convention process, and gender mainstreaming is achieved in all processes, and activities of the Convention,” she said.
“We are calling on parties here in Katowice to fresh energy and push the negotiations towards concrete outcomes that will address this grave concern to Africa. The world is watching and the outcome from this COP24 as it will determine whether the Paris Agreement will be a reality or a mere rhetoric,” said Mwenda.
The world Bank has donated $65 million to support Bauchi State urban water rehabilitation scheme.
Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, Governor of Bauchi State
The Task Team Leader of the Bank in Nigeria, Dr Jamal Alkairy, disclosed this when he led stakeholders in the water sector on a courtesy call to the state’s Deputy Governor, Mr. Audu Katagum, in Bauchi, the state capital, on Tuesday, December 4, 2018.
Jamal said the project was for the rehabilitation and expansion of water supply to the populace in the state.
He explained that the gesture was to improve access to potable water supply, hygiene and sanitation.
According to him, under the project, the World Bank would commit 90 per cent of the amount, while the state government would pay the remaining 10 per sent.
“The project when fully implemented would increase quality and quantity of water supply to the people in the state.
Jamal, however, advised the state government to expedite action towards sustaining the implementation of water reform system in the state.
He then called on the government to ensure accountability and increase its financial efficiency of the water sector.
In his remark, the deputy governor said that the state government had reiterated its commitment towards revamping the water sector for human survival.
Katagum assured the team of the state government’s readiness to release its counterpart funding for the successful implementation of the project.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday, December 4, 2018 said the nation’s huge infrastructure gap could be addressed with investments in sustainable finance initiatives such as Green Bonds.
Mary Uduk
Ms Mary Uduk, the SEC Acting Director-General, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on the sidelines of the Green Bond issuance rules launch.
Green bonds were created to fund projects that have positive environmental and/or climate benefits.
Majority of the green bonds issued are green “use of proceeds” or asset-linked bonds. Proceeds from these bonds are earmarked for green projects but are backed by the issuer’s entire balance sheet.
Uduk said there was the urgent need to close the huge infrastructure gap with investments in green bonds.
She said issuance of green bond would provide an avenue to raise capital in the market to finance the country’s infrastructure needs, enhance liquidity and as well help deepen the market.
“Green Bonds is one of such avenues to raise needed capital from investors with a passion for keeping our environment clean and investing the proceeds in environmentally friendly and green infrastructure initiatives,” she said.
On effective utilisation of proceeds, Uduk said the commission had robust monitoring and issue proceeds verification that tracked issuers and proceeds utilisation.
She said the verification process ensured that proceeds from the issue were directed and utilised for the projects they were earmarked for in accordance with the guidelines.
“SEC is engaging with stakeholders and capital market operators on various enlightenment and training programmes on Green Bonds.
“Specifically, since second quarter SEC has collaborated multiple times with the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) to provide training for regulators, investors, and intermediaries on Green Bonds,” Uduk stated.
She said SEC had rolled out rules on green bonds and conducted enlightenment programmes as part of its efforts to create an enabling environment for issuers and other stakeholders.
According to her, the commisson will continue to encourage companies to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity.
“It is a new area and we will continue to develop capacity in the green bond market both internally at the SEC and the market as a whole.
“We have organised trainings for regulators and continue to work with experts and organisations like CBI to further strengthen capacity in this area,” Uduk said.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, December 3, 2018 in Katowice, Poland, said no country can confront climate change alone, even as he urged UN-member countries to rededicate themselves to the task of rebuilding and restoring a healthy environment for future generations.
President Muhammadu Buhari delivering an address to the opening session of United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland
In an address to the opening session of United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24), President Buhari warned that the challenges of climate change, including rising temperatures, desertification, floods, low agricultural yields and drying up of water bodies, are enormous and evident to all.
Citing the receding Lake Chad, the President noted that the effects of climate change are felt more on the vulnerable communities who lacked the capacity and technology to properly address such challenges.
‘‘Obviously, no country can confront the phenomenon alone. In this regard, Nigeria believes in joint and cooperative efforts to tackle the problem.
‘‘We urge that efforts to address the challenges of climate change be pursued within multilateral frameworks. Concerted efforts should be made to strengthen sub-regional and regional organisations, to serve as hubs for Climate Action and partnership,’’ the Nigerian leader said at the International Conference Centre, Katowice.
Speaking specifically on Lake Chad, the President reaffirmed that Nigeria remains committed to saving the lake, which is a source of livelihood to 40 million people, from extinction.
He said Nigeria would build on the success of an International Conference held earlier in February this year in Abuja to create additional awareness globally on the serious environmental and security challenges facing the Lake Chad region.
The President told COP24 Summit, attended by world leaders and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, that a consensus was reached at the Abuja Conference that an inter-basin water transfer from the Congo Basin remains the most sustainable option available to resuscitate and safeguard this precious water body that was once the 6th largest fresh water Lake in the world.
On behalf of the Member Countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, the President thanked the Italian Government for donating €1.5 million towards completion of the feasibility studies on the proposed inter-basin water transfer project.
‘‘I once again call on the international community to support this worthy project, for the benefit of nearly 40 million people that depend on the Lake for their livelihood, and to guarantee future security of the region.
‘‘I would like to reiterate Nigeria’s commitment to constructively supporting multilateral action aimed at addressing climate change.
‘‘We must rededicate ourselves to the task of rebuilding and restoring the healthy environment we inherited for future generations,’’ he said.
President Buhari also used the occasion to highlight what Nigeria had done and is doing on climate change after the adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015.
‘‘We in Nigeria have commenced the implementation of our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
‘‘In the next 15 years, we aim to achieve 20% emissions reduction below Business as Usual (BAU) and 45% emissions reduction with the support of our international partners by 2030.
‘‘Our efforts include the review and introduction of new responsive Legislation/policies, strengthening institutional and manpower capacities, and encouraging gradual transition to low carbon economy.
‘‘Nigeria has also recently ratified the Doha Amendment and will soon deposit the instrument for ratification,’’ he said.
The President urged that efforts to address the challenges of climate change be pursued within multilateral frameworks
The President pledged that Nigeria would continue to pursue industrialisation and economic development, with sound environmental management and best practices.
He added that Nigeria has unlocked the potential of its sovereign green bond to galvanize private capital to finance environmentally sustainable projects.
‘‘In support of our NDC aspiration, we have embraced the issuance of green bond as an innovative and alternative source of funding projects that would reduce emissions and provide robust climate infrastructure like renewable energy, low carbon transport, water infrastructure and sustainable agriculture that our country needs,’’ he said.
Furthermore, the President told the summit Nigeria believes that technology can be a powerful solution for simultaneously addressing climate change and advancing development, stressing the need for developed countries to accelerate the finance for research and development, in addition to promoting access to climate-friendly technologies.
‘‘In addition, there is the need to raise global climate action in the pre-2020 period, in terms of mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation.
‘‘For us in Nigeria, we are promoting technologies and practices such as sustainable land management, climate resilient agriculture, water efficiency and clean energy.
‘‘We have also developed insurance-based initiatives to deal with loss and damage, as well as adaptation to internally acceptable practices,’’ he said.
The President commended the Government and People of Poland for hosting the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the ‘‘beautiful city of Katowice.’’
At the formal opening of COP24, President Andrzej Duda of Poland had told delegates that the conference is taking place on the exact location where a coal mine was once operated, adding that Katowice is now one of the greenest cities in Poland.
A global coalition of more than 220 organisations has issued a series of demands to world governments as the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24) began on Sunday, December 2, 2018 in Katowice, Poland.
Climate change protesters demonstrate, prior to the United Nations climate change conference in Poland, in central London, Britain, December 1, 2018. Photo credit: REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
The demands, endorsed by nearly 200,000 people from 128 countries, is expected to be the bar against which progress is measured in Poland. The coalition demands, among others, that governments should:
Keep fossil fuels in the ground;
Reject false solutions that are displacing real, people-first solutions to the climate crisis;
Advance real solutions that are just, feasible, and essential;
Honour climate finance obligations to developing countries;
End corporate interference in and capture of the climate talks; and,
Ensure developed countries honour their “fair shares” for largely fueling this crisis.
In a statement released by Corporate Accountability, Executive Director Patti Lynn called for world governments to look beyond the obstruction of Global North countries and act with urgency to address climate change.
“When the future of humanity undeniably hangs in the balance, we need serious solutions from serious leaders, not dangerous schemes and political tricks aimed to keep Big Polluters polluting,” Lynn said.
Friends of the Earth International also on Monday, December 3 launched its “People Power Now: An Energy Manifesto” – 10 demands for a just energy transformation which, it said, provided a pathway to a new, clean energy future for all, that contributes to keeping global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees.
The group said inaction by successive governments at the UN and among national governments has left a narrow and shrinking window for action, warning that there is deep frustration with the endless talking shop where polluters freely influence the debate and rich countries block the radical action needed for fossil fuel phase out in the North and finance for the South.
Dipti Bhatnagar, Climate Justice and Energy Programme Coordinator for Friends of the Earth International, said: “This year was supposed to be a major year for the climate – pledges made in Paris three years ago were to be ratcheted up to meet the need for early and steep emission cuts. Thanks to a weakened Talanoa Dialogue, climate ambitions are severely threatened, in addition to the dismantling of equity and the egregious fact that fossil fuel companies are sponsoring the Conference. We need a just transition away from fossil fuels and dirty energy to a just, clean, peoples’ energy system. We need to push for gender justice and for a world free from oppression and inequality.”
Deputy Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Akinbode Oluwafemi, said: “Big Polluters and their allies must not be allowed to meddle to determine the outcomes of the talks. Now is the time for leaders from Africa and nations already feeling the impacts of climate change to kick the industry out and advance real solutions.”
United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, in his remarks on Monday, December 3, 2018 at the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, says that the job of delegates in the Polish city is to finalise the Paris Agreement Work Programme, and that there is no room for failure. Excerpts:
António Guterres
We are in trouble. We are in deep trouble with climate change.
Climate change is running faster than we are and we must catch up sooner rather than later before it is too late.
For many, people, regions even countries this is already a matter of life and death.
This meeting is the most important gathering on climate change since the Paris Agreement was signed.
It is hard to overstate the urgency of our situation.
Even as we witness devastating climate impacts causing havoc across the world, we are still not doing enough, nor moving fast enough, to prevent irreversible and catastrophic climate disruption.
Nor are we doing enough to capitalise on the enormous social, economic and environmental opportunities of climate action.
And so, I want to deliver four simple messages.
First: science demands a significantly more ambitious response.
Second: the Paris Agreement provides the framework for action, so we must operationalise it.
Third: we have a collective responsibility to invest in averting global climate chaos, to consolidate the financial commitments made in Paris and to assist the most vulnerable communities and nations.
Fourth: climate action offers a compelling path to transform our world for the better.
Let me turn first to science.
According to the World Meteorological Organisation, the 20 warmest years on record have been in the past 22 years, with the top four in the past four years.
The concentration of carbon dioxide is the highest it has been in three million years.
Emissions are now growing again.
The recent special report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change finds that warming could reach 1.5 degrees as soon as 2030, with devastating impacts.
The latest UN Environment Programme Emissions Gap Report tells us that the current Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement will lead to global warming of about 3 degrees by the end of the century.
Furthermore, the majority of countries most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions are behind in their efforts to meet their Paris pledges.
So, it is plain we are way off course.
We need more action and more ambition.
We absolutely must close this emissions gap.
If we fail, the Arctic and Antarctic will continue to melt, corals will bleach and then die, the oceans will rise, more people will die from air pollution, water scarcity will plague a significant proportion of humanity, and the cost of disasters will skyrocket.
Last year I visited Barbuda and Dominica, which were devastated by hurricanes. The destruction and suffering I saw was heart-breaking. That story is repeated almost daily somewhere in the world.
These emergencies are preventable.
Emissions must decline by 45 per cent from 2010 levels by 2030 and be net zero by 2050.
Renewable energy will need to supply half to two-thirds of the world’s primary energy by 2050 with a corresponding reduction in fossil fuels.
In short, we need a complete transformation of our global energy economy, as well as how we manage land and forest resources.
We need to embrace low-carbon, climate-resilient sustainable development.
I am hopeful that the Talanoa Dialogue will provide a very strong impulse for increased ambition in the commitments for climate action.
This brings me to my second point.
The Paris Agreement provides a framework for the transformation we need.
It is our job here in Katowice is to finalise the Paris Agreement Work Programme – the rule book for implementation.
I remind all Parties that this is a deadline you set for yourselves and it is vital you meet it.
We need a unifying implementation vision that sets out clear rules, inspires action and promotes raised ambition, based on the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances.
We have no time for limitless negotiations.
A completed Work Programme will unleash the potential of the Paris Agreement.
It will build trust and make clear that countries are serious about addressing climate change.
This brings me to my third point: the central importance of finance.
We need concerted resource mobilisation and investment to successfully combat climate change.
We need transformative climate action in five key economic areas – energy, cities, land use, water and industry.
Some 75 per cent of the infrastructure needed by 2050 remains to be built.
How this is done will either lock us in to a high-emissions future or steer us towards truly sustainable low-emissions development.
Governments and investors need to bet on the green economy, not the grey.
That means embracing carbon pricing, eliminating harmful fossil fuel subsidies and investing in clean technologies.
It also means providing a fair transition for those workers in traditional sectors that face disruption, including through retraining and social safety nets.
We also have a collective responsibility to assist the most vulnerable communities and countries – such as small island nations and the least developed countries – by supporting adaptation and resilience.
Making clear progress to mobilise the pledged $100 billion a year will provide a much-needed positive political signal.
I have appointed the President of France and Prime Minister of Jamaica to lead the mobilisation of the international community, both public and private, to reach that target in the context of preparation of the Climate Summit I have convened in September of next year.
I also urge Member States to swiftly implement the replenishment of the Green Climate Fund.
It is an investment in a safer, less costly future.
All too often, climate action is seen as a burden. My fourth point is this: decisive climate action today is our chance to right our ship and set a course for a better future for all.
We have the knowledge.
Many technological solutions are already viable and affordable.
Cities, regions, civil society and the business community around the world are moving ahead.
What we need is political more will and more far-sighted leadership.
This is the challenge on which this generation’s leaders will be judged.
Climate action is not just the right thing to do – it makes social and economic sense.
Meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement would reduce air pollution – saving more than a million lives each year by 2030, according to the World Health Organisation.
According to the recent New Climate Economy report, ambitious climate action could yield 65 million jobs and a direct economic gain of $26 trillion compared to business as usual over the next 12 years.
We are seeing early signs of this economic transformation, but we are nowhere near where we need to be.
The transition to a low-carbon economy needs political impetus from the highest levels.
And it requires inclusivity, because everyone is affected by climate change.
That is the message of the Talanoa Dialogue.
We need a full-scale mobilisation of young people.
And we need a global commitment to gender equality, because women’s leadership is central to durable climate solutions.
A successful conference here in Katowice can provide the catalyst.
There is now significant global momentum for climate action.
It has galvanised private business and investors around the world, while cities and regional governments are also showing that ambitious climate action is possible and desirable.
Let us build on this momentum.
I am convening a Climate Summit in September next year to raise ambition and mobilise the necessary resources.
But that ambition needs to begin here, right now, in Katowice, driven by governments and leaders who understand that their legacies and the well-being of future generations are at stake.
We cannot afford to fail in Katowice.
Some might say that it will be a difficult negotiation. I know it is not easy. It requires a firm political will for compromise. But, for me, what is really difficult is to be a fisherman in Kiribati seeing his country in risk of disappearing or a farmer or herder in the Sahel losing livelihoods and losing peace. Or being a woman in Dominica or any other Caribbean nation enduring hurricane after hurricane destroying everything in its path.
Climate change is the single most important issue we face.
It affects all our plans for sustainable development and a safe, secure and prosperous world.
So, it is hard to comprehend why we are collectively still moving too slowly – and even in the wrong direction.
The IPCC’s Special Report tells us that we still have time to limit temperature rise.
But that time is running out.
We achieved success in Paris because negotiators were working towards a common goal.
I implore you to maintain the same spirit of urgent collaboration here in Katowice with a dynamic Polish leadership in the negotiations.
Katowice must ensure that the bonds of trust established in Paris will endure.
Incredible opportunity exists if we embrace a low-carbon future and unleash the power of the Paris Agreement.
But we must start today building the tomorrow we want.
Let us rise to the challenge and finish the work the world demands of us.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, December 3, 2018 joined other world leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland for the ceremonial opening of the summit.
President Muhammadu Buhari with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres and the Polish President, H.E Andrzej Duda, at the venue of the COP24 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland. Photo credit: Sunday Aghaeze/State House
The summit is the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, otherwise known as COP24. It also features the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP14), as well as the 3rd session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA1.3).
President Buhari is expected later during the conference to deliver a national statement highlighting Nigeria’s commitment to addressing climate change by implementing the goals set out as part of the nation’s contributions.
The conference is expected to finalise the rule book in the implementation of the Paris agreement on climate change reached in December 2015 in France.
President Buhari is attending the summit with several top government officials including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; and Minister of State for Environment, Usman Jibril.
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State and Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State are also in Poland with the President.
