The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has tasked Nigerians on collaboration to beat plastic pollution.
The National Executive Council Chairman, NCF, Justice Bukola Adebiyi, made this known at the NCF Annual Green Ball 2025 in Lagos.
Adebiyi described plastic pollution as a serious menace that must be checked.
National Executive Council Chairman, NCF, Justice Bukola Adebiyi
“Globally, about 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year. Daily plastic waste is estimated to be about 1.1 million tonnes per day.
“This is with roughly 50 per cent being mismanaged and about one to two million tonnes entering our oceans yearly.
“Lagos generates about 13,000 tonnes of waste daily, out of which 15 to 20 per cent is plastic.
“We are enjoined to please join hands together to tackle this problem,” she said.
Adebiyi added that advocacy was the first step for people so that they could be educated.
“We need to be educated and then be able to educate others. We need to begin to adopt single-use plastics more and more.
“This will drastically reduce; you’ll be surprised by the amount of plastic bottles you generate just from drinking plastic-bottled water in your homes.
“We need to sort our waste, recycle, and bear in mind that recycling is not a permanent solution because not all plastics are actually recyclable and the cost of recycling is high.
“In our environment, particularly in Lagos, we don’t have enough companies that can recycle or who do recycle, so that is also a problem,” she said.
Adebiyi, who said that recycling was not a solution, added that it could only help if wastes were being sorted.
“Participate in cleanup events wherever we live, on our streets, in our estates, in our communities.
“Be conscious, be aware, try to buy in bulk so we minimise packaging.
“Advocate for legislation. Be mindful of personal care products because when we think of plastics, most of the time we’re looking more at the bottles.
“But what about all those containers when we buy our shampoos and we buy our creams? Be mindful of them because they have excessive plastic packages,” she said.
She advised Nigerians, especially Lagosians to buy things in bulk and decant into reusable containers made of glass.
“At NCF, we are committed to fighting this scourge amongst other environmental threats.
“Pollution management is one of the key pillars of NCF’s strategic plan that we developed for the next five years, 2025 to 2030.
“Please join us to stem this serious threat of plastic pollution which, if left unchecked, is likely to overrun us.
“With all this in mind, let us continue to build on the legacy and principles which NCF represents as laid down by our founding fathers which is encapsulated in our slogan for nature, for people, for Nigeria,” she said.
The Chairperson, Business Development Committee, NCF, Mrs. Dame Fatayi-Williams, while speaking with journalists, said the sooner everyone faced the reality of the day, of climate change and its problems, the better.
She added that the global south had less to contribute to climate change than the global north.
“You see what the Lagos Commissioner for Environment is doing, he is really up to the task, you see the way he is doing it in all those areas, that is clearing the gutters and pathways.
“If he does not talk about this plastic and these non-degradable things that are in the earth, in the drainage, then he’s not fit for purpose, but he’s doing the right thing by creating this awareness and banning it,” she said.
The NCF Director-General, Dr Joseph Onoja, said the annual green ball was used to create awareness and seek support for nature and environmental issues.
Onoja said that NCF could not do it alone, hence, the gathering of all its partners while calling for more people to join to work for nature and the environment.
The 30th UN Climate Conference (COP30) concluded on Saturday, November 22, 2025, in the Amazon with an empty deal that does not halt deforestation, phase out fossil fuels, or deliver climate finance at scale, according to the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL).
As the first climate negotiations to take place after the historic climate ruling by the International Court of Justice, COP30 laid bare a growing accountability gap between governments’ commitments and their legal obligations.
The COP30 deal offers the clearest recognition yet by the UN climate talks that states must uphold human rights in their climate action, but that acknowledgment is not matched by the ambition the moment demands. The lack of decisive progress at COP30 does not change the reality that States have clear legal obligations and are held accountable by people and by the courts.
COP30 closing plenary
As several denunciations of the compromised package in the final plenary made clear: business-as-usual negotiations are no longer an option: urgent solutions are needed to break the deadlocks that are blocking this process from delivering and to drive collective action towards a fast, fair, and funded fossil fuel phaseout and a just transition.
As the talks deadlocked on finance and fossil fuels, progress came from outside the negotiating rooms: A block of 24 countries resolved to work outside the UNFCCC to phase out oil, gas, and coal. Colombia and the Netherlands will co-host the First International Conference on Fossil Fuel Phaseout in April 2026, an initiative also endorsed by the Brazilian Presidency at the closing plenary. Separately, 18 States have expressed support for a Fossil Fuel Treaty, a binding mechanism to accelerate a just transition and a managed phaseout of oil, gas, and coal, also outside the UNFCCC.
In Belém, at what was alternately dubbed the “People’s COP,” the “COP of truth” and the “Implementation COP,” thousands of Indigenous Peoples, forest communities, and civil society groups confronted governments with undeniable climate reality and irrefutable climate solutions, demanding concrete action in line with science and the law: a fast and just transition to a fossil-free future, an end to deforestation, finance at the scale needed to meet the crisis, and reparations for climate harm.
“This is an empty deal. COP30 provides a stark reminder that the answers to the climate crisis do not lie inside the climate talks – they lie with the people and movements leading the way toward a just, equitable, fossil-free future. The science is settled, and the law is clear: we must keep fossil fuels in the ground and make polluters pay. While the country’s most responsible for pushing the planet to the brink point fingers, dig in their heels, and tighten their purse strings, the world burns. However big polluters may try to insulate themselves from responsibility or edit out the science, it does not place them above the law.
“That’s why governments committed to tackling the crisis at its source are uniting to move forward outside the UNFCCC – under the leadership of Colombia and Pacific Island states – to phase out fossil fuels rapidly, equitably, and in line with 1.5°C. The international conference on fossil fuel phaseout in Colombia next April is the first stop on the path to a livable future. A Fossil Fuel Treaty is the roadmap the world needs and leaders failed to deliver in Belem,” said Nikki Reisch, CIEL’s Director of Climate & Energy Programme.
“The truth at COP30, dubbed the ‘COP of Truth,’ is that countries are failing their legal duties. The International Court of Justice confirmed that keeping the temperature rise to below 1.5 °C is a legal benchmark. It’s not a slogan or words on paper, but a necessity for billions, and failure is measured in lives.
“Without a commitment to a full and equitable fossil fuel phaseout and adequate public climate finance, this COP30 deal disregards the law. Petrostates and industry lobbyists use the consensus rule to block action and ambition. We now need to reform the UNFCCC so the global majority can act, starting with conflict-of-interest rules and allowing majority voting,” said Erika Lennon, CIEL Senior Attorney.
“Multilateralism remains our best hope for a livable future – but it must prove it can move: decisions that phase out fossil fuels, protect human rights, and finance a just transition – free of corporate capture. When consensus becomes veto, we need rules that let the global majority act. That’s how multilateralism demonstrates impact – and changes outcomes,” said Rebecca Brown, CIEL’s President and CEO.
“At COP30, people on the front lines of the climate crisis were once again overlooked. The talks failed to provide a real plan to close the ambition and accountability gaps and offered no meaningful response to the fact that the world is not meeting its legal duty to limit warming to 1.5°C – as devastating climate impacts continue mounting. While the International Court of Justice recently affirmed that the people and communities facing that harm have a right to reparations, no steps were taken in Belém to scale up public finance for loss and damage, let alone to respect this right.
“As the climate crisis is escalating, those responsible – big polluters – need to be held accountable, and should pay up. Eyes now turn to the UN General Assembly, where a resolution spearheaded by Vanuatu will address the implementation of the Court’s findings,” said Lien Vandamme, CIEL Senior Campaigner Human Rights and Climate Change.
“COP30 witnessed a record number of lobbyists from the fossil fuel industry and carbon capture sector. With 531 Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) lobbyists – surpassing the delegations of 62 nations – and over 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists making up one in every 25 attendees, these industries deeply infiltrated the talks, pushing dangerous distractions like CCS and geoengineering. Yet, this unprecedented corporate capture has met fiercer resistance than ever with people and progressive governments – with science and law on their side – demanding a climate process that protects people and planet over profit,” said Lili Fuhr, CIEL’s Fossil Economy Director.
“The International Court of Justice (ICJ) set the legal benchmark; people set the moral one. What matters now is action that centers what frontline communities have called on for decades: phase out fossil fuels. The ICJ ruling outlined clearly that limiting fossil fuel production, consumption, licensing, and subsidisation is necessary to protect the climate system.
“The most important outcome of COP30 came outside the process, with Colombia and the Netherlands co-hosting the first diplomatic conference on fossil fuel phaseout next year – a complementary initiative also endorsed by the Brazilian Presidency at the closing plenary. The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty – now backed by 18 countries, led by Pacific states – remains the clearest path to a fast, fair, fully funded transition,” said Johanna Gusman, CIEL Senior Attorney.
“Despite States’ attempt to weaken gender equality, the long-overdue recognition of environmental human rights defenders within the UNFCCC process marks an essential step forward, which was finally achieved through the fights led by women, in all their diversity. Defenders are on the frontlines of climate action, even when fear, repression, or exclusion keep many of them from entering the negotiating rooms.
“This has been painfully evident at COP30, where Indigenous Peoples protesting for their rights faced the restrictions of a space that continues to shrink. The protection of environmental defenders is a legal obligation grounded in international law, stronger than any fragile political outcome and any restrictions of this COP and the one to come,” said Camilla Pollera, Human Rights and Climate Change Program Associate.
The COP30 conference in Belem, Brazil showed that climate cooperation is producing results that matter for people’s lives, with real benefits across African nations. Some 194 countries representing billions of people have said in one voice that the Paris Agreement on climate change is working and resolved to make it go further and faster.
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Climate Change, said: “We see progress in a new agreement on just transition, signaling that building climate resilience and the clean economy must also be fair, with every nation and every person able to share in its vast benefits.
“For the first time, 194 nations said in unison that the global transition to low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilience is irreversible and the trend of the future.”
African solidarity in endorsing COP32 in Ethiopia
COP30 in the Amazon also delivered a major win for African climate leadership, as 194 countries unanimously endorsed Ethiopia’s proposal to host the COP32 global climate conference in 2027. The global endorsement followed the swift endorsement of the African Group of nations, whose turn it is to determine the location of the COP climate conference in 2027.
Stiell applauded the decision: “I warmly congratulate Ethiopia for stepping up to take this vital role on the world stage, building on its climate leadership to date, and I commend the Africa Group for reaching agreement inclusively and swiftly.
“This is more than a diplomatic milestone. It signals Africa’s growing role in shaping global climate action and championing solutions that drive growth, jobs, resilience, and secure and affordable energy for all.”
COP30 reaches historic agreement on adaptation finance
A major breakthrough for vulnerable nations came with the a collective commitment in Belem to work toward tripling adaptation finance. This is a significant step forward for Africa where climate change impacts are already threatening food security, health systems and infrastructure.
Tripling adaptation finance will help countries scale up climate-resilient agriculture, protect communities from floods and droughts, strengthen early warning systems, and support local development plans grounded in national priorities.
For many African nations, predictable and accessible adaptation finance is essential to safeguarding lives today and securing economic stability for the years ahead. The COP also reached agreement on a series of indicators to assess adaptation work.
Results from the COP30 Action Agenda
During COP30 the Brazilian Presidency and United Nations pushed for real economy progress through an Action Agenda. Key achievements include:
A trillion-dollar global pipeline for clean grids and energy storage, helping countries move toward reliable and affordable power.
$5.5 billion in new commitments for the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, with at least 20 percent flowing directly to local communities and Indigenous Peoples.
More than $9 billion in new investment across land and food systems, covering over 210 million hectares of land and reaching millions of farmers.
Nearly 438 million people worldwide are becoming more resilient to climate shocks under the Race to Resilience campaign.
These outcomes show how climate action is already delivering benefits in energy, food security, nature protection, and resilience. They also underscore the importance of ensuring Africa’s climate priorities remain central to global progress.
In a collective reaction to the conclusion of COP30, African Non-State Actors (NSAs) have warned that that the decisions adopted still fall short of securing true climate justice for the continent least responsible for the crisis yet suffering its most devastating impacts.
The NSAs acknowledged the COP30 decision to mobilise $1.3 trillion annually by 2035, with developed countries taking the lead, saying that this marks the first time Parties have committed to a quantified pathway of climate finance “at scale.” They noted that, for Africa, where climate impacts already cost 5–15% of GDP growth each year, this commitment is significant.
They, however, called for clear burden-sharing arrangements, predictable public finance, and stronger accountability measures to ensure the pledge delivers real resources to countries most in need.
Dr. Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), delivering remarks at the opening session of the Africa Day
The decision to double adaptation finance by 2025 and triple it by 2035 was welcomed as a long-overdue shift toward balancing the global climate response. African NSAs noted that adaptation has for years received less than one-third of global climate finance, despite Africa’s acute exposure to droughts, floods, storms, and rising temperatures.
“Adaptation is not charity; it is a lifeline. We caution that without transparent tracking, grant heavy finance, and country-driven programming, even these strengthened pledges risk underdelivering in practice,” the NSAs stated, even as they celebrate the confirmation of operationalisation and replenishment cycles for the Loss and Damage Fund as a critical victory for frontline communities.
“This opens the door to a predictable financing mechanism for countries already experiencing irreversible climate losses. Nevertheless, PACJA maintains a cautious approach to celebrating any announcements on loss and damage, and historical decisions appear to serve the role of procrastinating justice,” the group noted, stressing that the scale and accessibility of the fund will determine its real value.
“A functional fund is not the same as a funded fund,” warned, Dr Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance.
COP30’s launch of the Global Implementation Accelerator and the Belém Mission to 1.5°C was seen as a positive signal of renewed global ambition. African NSAs say these initiatives must translate into actual resources, technology partnerships, and strengthened implementation capacity across the continent and not merely new banners and slogans.
“In a year characterised by intense climate denial, the emerging consensus that avoids making any commitment to deal with the primary contributor of global warming, the fossil fuels, cannot go unnoticed.”
The commitment to safeguard information integrity and counter climate disinformation was welcomed as essential to protecting public trust, scientific integrity, and democratic processes. African NSAs urge Parties to pair this with protections for environmental defenders, journalists, and civic space.
Closing statement by G77 and China at COP30 in Belem, Brazil
Scaling up climate finance in accordance with the principles and provisions of the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement forms the core of the priorities for the G77 and China. It is important to enable the provision and mobilisation of finance for developing countries at the necessary scale and quality, while addressing the systemic dis-enablers of climate finance.
We appreciate the decisions reached in Belem. However, we also express regret on not reaching successful outcomes in the agenda item related to the Adaptation Fund, which is a priority for developing countries. The effective functioning of the Adaptation Fund remains an utmost priority for us, and we are concerned about not having reached a decision on this agenda item.
COP30
G77 and China highlights the importance of adaptation, especially the tripling adaptation finance. We are happy to see this addressed in the COP30 outcomes.
We celebrate the establishment of the Just Transitions Mechanism as a historic milestone in our collective journey under the Convention and Paris Agreement. For developing countries, this achievement is more than an institutional step. It is a symbol of hope, solidarity, and the promise that the international community will stand together to ensure that no nation and no community is left behind.
We urge that this mechanism be swiftly operationalised at the next Conference of the Parties, so that its vision can be translated into tangible support for those most in need. In doing so, we honour our joint commitment to a just and equitable transitions, that safeguards both people and our planet for generations to come.
On GST, The Group looks forward to the launch of the second GST under Article 14 of the Paris Agreement in November 2026. The Group also looks forward to the constructive conversations that will take place among Parties and other stakeholders under the agreed scope and modalities for the UAE Dialogue and the annual GST dialogue.
On loss and damage, the Group welcomes the decision on the 3rd WIM Review, and thanks the Presidency for their leadership in steering the negotiations to a successful conclusion and all our partners for the spirit of solidarity and the flexibility shown.
On transparency, we welcome the decisions we have made here in Belem, which have established the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE) as a permanent body and established a three-year programme of activities, with an initial list to be implemented in 2026. The three-year programme of activities will facilitate the provision of financial and technical support to developing country Parties for the sustainable implementation of the enhanced transparency framework.
To meet the expectations of Article 13, paragraph 1, we call on developed country Parties to provide the much-needed support for the CGE to fulfil its mandate and for the Secretariat to implement the three-year programme of activities, starting with the initial list.
Regarding Technology, the true breakthrough here lies in the Climate Technology Centre and Network, the CTCN. By agreeing on new functions and hosting criteria, we have made the CTCN fit for the climate challenge. We call United Nations Organizations and other international institutions, including financial and technology institutions, to bid to host this enhanced Climate Technology Centre and Network and we urge the Presidency to widely disseminate the call for proposals to host the CTCN.
G77 and China looks forward to operationalising the 2026-2030 workplan of the forum and its KCI and activities of the forum and its KCI for next year. We welcome the recommendations by the KCI annual report. Also, we welcome the renewal of the global dialogues and the space for developing countries to discuss the impacts of implementation of response measures.
On Capacity Building we welcome the consensus reached among Parties on both the Annual Technical Progress Report of the Paris Committee and the Terms of Reference for the Firth Comprehensive Review of the Framework of Capacity building for Developing Countries under the Kyoto Protocol. At the same time, we note that the the Fifth Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Framework of Capacity-Building for Developing Countries under the Convention has been forwarded for further discussions at SB64 next June.
Further, G77 and China extends its appreciation to the Presidency, the Secretariat, and all Parties for their commitment throughout this process, and appreciates the adoption of the new Gender Action Plan however, it also leaves a critical pending task: securing strengthened financing and means of implementation to ensure that the Plan can be effectively delivered. Presidency, this COP has been a memorable one. From your generous hospitality to successful outcomes in negotiations, COP30 presents a success. G77 and China look forward to working with you, in our work ahead.
AGESI Response to G77 and China Closing Remarks at COP30
The Africa Green Economy and Sustainability Institute (AGESI) welcomes the closing statement of the G77 and China at COP30. Their emphasis on climate finance, adaptation, just transitions, and technology resonates deeply with our mission to reframe Africa’s role in the global green economy.
Climate Finance – Making Africa Visible and Investible
The G77 and China rightly placed climate finance at the core of their priorities. AGESI underscores that Africa is not merely vulnerable, but investible.
Adaptation & Just Transition
We share the Group’s concern about the Adaptation Fund and echo their call for tripling adaptation finance.
Global Stocktake & Loss and Damage – Integrating Africa’s Narrative
As the Group looks ahead to the second Global Stocktake in 2026, AGESI emphasises the importance of embedding Africa’s opportunities into the global climate finance architecture. The successful conclusion of the 3rd WIM Review on loss and damage is a reminder that solidarity must translate into investment flows that recognise Africa’s resilience and innovation.
Technology, Transparency & Capacity Building – Data as a Catalyst
We welcome the breakthroughs in transparency and technology highlighted by the Group.
Closing – Africa is Investible AGESI applauds the G77 and China for championing equity, solidarity, and inclusion at COP30. Their closing remarks affirm the urgency of reframing Africa’s narrative.
Representatives from 160 countries adopted sweeping environmental protections and industry accountability measures on Saturday, November 22, 2025, as the world’s leading tobacco control treaty concluded its 11th biennial conference.
The six-day Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) addressed the trillions of plastic-filtered cigarette butts and electronic device waste polluting ecosystems annually, along with advancing legal frameworks for tobacco industry liability.
“These important decisions made by Parties to the Convention will contribute towards saving millions of lives in the years to come and protecting the planet from the environmental harms of tobacco,” said Andrew Black, acting head of the WHO FCTC Secretariat.
COP11
Delegates adopted a decision inviting member states to consider comprehensive regulations on tobacco product components that increase environmental harm while accounting for public health impacts.
The conference advanced implementation of Article 19, which addresses criminal and civil liability for tobacco-related damages.
The decision calls for strengthened enforcement through increased cooperation between member states while reaffirming that liability issues remain integral to comprehensive tobacco control.
Member states reaffirmed that domestic funding serves as the core strategy for achieving sustainable support for national tobacco control programs.
Delegates adopted a complete ban on tobacco products, heated tobacco and emerging nicotine products including electronic devices and nicotine pouches throughout all United Nations facilities worldwide.
The conference emphasised protecting tobacco control policies from industry interference, particularly regarding unproven health claims for new products.
More than 1,600 delegates registered for the conference, including government representatives, non-governmental organisations and youth observers.
The next conference will convene in Yerevan, Armenia, in 2027.
The Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products begins on Monday, November 24, 2025, in Geneva.
The WHO FCTC treaty has 183 member states covering 90% of the global population.
Civil society organisations (CSOs) working in tobacco control have applauded the “outstanding leadership” of the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, and the Nigerian delegation at the 11th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) in Geneva, while calling for this global performance to translate into stronger domestic impact.
In a joint statement, the groups praised Nigeria’s resoluteness in rebuffing tobacco industry interference and standing firmly on the side of public health throughout the conference.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako
The statement was endorsed by Corporate Accountability & Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), Centre for Youth Inclusion & Development (CYID) and Civic Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC).
COP11, held from November 17–22, 2025, brought together more than 1,400 delegates from governments, international organisations, and civil society across 162 Parties to the WHO-FCTC. The high-level dialogue reviewed two decades of progress under the global treaty and deliberated on strategies to accelerate implementation.
The statement highlighted Nigeria’s strong interventions in favour of strict regulation of emerging tobacco and nicotine products, alongside other critical measures for protecting public health.
Dr. Salako, who delivered Nigeria’s high-level statement at COP11, presented new national data and outlined strengthened enforcement and regulatory actions that reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the WHO-FCTC and to safeguarding Nigerians’ health.
“Despite persistent overtures and pressure from the tobacco industry and its allies, Nigeria stood firmly on the side of public health diplomacy, making timely, principled, and decisive interventions on critical issues such as the robust regulation of emerging tobacco and nicotine products, stronger liability and environmental provisions, and forward-looking measures to protect Nigerians,” the coalition said.
The CSOs also emphasised the pivotal role Nigeria played within the African Group, noting that its leadership helped break negotiation deadlocks, stabilise discussions, and strengthen the African bloc’s collective position.
“As a recognised leader within the African region, Nigeria’s principled voice was relied upon at crucial moments. Our delegation’s performance reaffirmed the country’s reputation as a nation committed to the highest standards of public health protection,” the groups noted.
They commended the presence and contributions of Nigerian civil society groups and health experts, including Dr. Omotayo Francis Fagbule, Public Health Dentist and Tobacco Control Researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, describing their involvement as proof of the “whole-of-society strength driving tobacco control in Nigeria.”
However, the CSOs stressed that this global performance must be matched with domestic implementation, especially as Nigeria slipped further in the latest global ranking on tobacco industry interference.
“After being a strong and reliable voice for public health in Geneva, the real work begins at home,” the statement said. “Nigeria must now translate this leadership at the global negotiation table into firm leadership in implementation. The commitments we defended abroad must be matched with concrete actions within our borders.”
They called for stronger enforcement, accelerated regulatory action, full protection of public health policies from tobacco industry interference, and adequate, predictable, and transparent domestic funding to operationalise the National Tobacco Control Act (NTC Act) and Regulations.
“Without sufficient and accountable funding, the NTC Act risks remaining largely symbolic,” they warned.
“Nigeria has shown what principled leadership looks like. The next chapter is to demonstrate that same leadership in the daily work of implementation so that our citizens – especially our young people – can fully benefit from the protections we championed on the global stage.”
Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited has taken its energy security and industrialisation advocacy to the University of Ibadan with a commitment to education, youth empowerment, and community development.
Speaking on Friday, November 21, 2025, at the university’s alumni homecoming event, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance, Tony Attah, hinged the economic emancipation and growth of Nigeria on the eradication of energy poverty and the embrace of sustainability, leveraging the country’s vast oil and gas resources.
Attah, who delivered the university’s Distinguished Alumni Lecture titled: “Energy, Security and Economic Sustainability: The Role of Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector in National Development”, described energy and economic growth as inseparable, noting that with energy security comes economic opportunities with the potential to transform the lives of millions of Nigerians.
L – R: Chairman, University of Ibadan Alumni Lecture Committee, Dr. Irene Akhideno; Acting President of the alumni association, Dr. Terrumun Gajir; Managing Director and CEO, Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Mr. Tony Attah, his wife, Mrs. Omah Attah; and Chairman and CEO, Air Peace Limited, Mr. Allen Onyema, at the 2025 University of Ibadan Alumni Association Homecoming event held at the university …on Friday.
According to Attah, Renaissance as a company was a child of necessity that has come to the Nigerian energy space to lead the path that would put the country at the centre of African development and industrialisation.
“With Renaissance, it’s a new beginning in Nigeria and we are focused on just what we need to do to rally the necessary support from private and government stakeholders to frontally address energy poverty that has plagued us for decades,” Attah said.
Attah was earlier received at the Faculty of Technology by the Dean, Professor Isaac Bamgboye, and other principal officers of the faculty.
The homecoming event witnessed the inauguration of a state-of-the-art synthetic mini football pitch donated by Renaissance and its joint venture partners – NNPC Limited, TotalEnergies and Agip Energy and Natural Resources. Attah described the pitch, named “Renaissance JV Arena”, as a lasting “symbol of excellence, vision, and commitment to youth and community development within the university,” by the joint venture partners.
On a personal level, Attah sponsored the renovation of the university’s Independence Hall reading rooms where he had spent some time as a young undergraduate. He also teamed up to support the “Light Up U.I. Project”, a solar-powered streetlights scheme donated by the Renaissance U.I. Alumni.
One of the highlights of the Friday event was the conferment of an Award of Excellence on Attah, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the oil and gas industry, leadership in sustainable energy development, and commitment to education and community empowerment.
As the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) came to a close on Saturday, November 22, 2025, observers contend that the global summit ended with new promises but no plan to deliver fossil fuel phase-out, and that adaptation finance is still inadequate.
They point out that, at COP30, the world received another set of new words and promises, but still no plan to deliver on what science demands, communities need and what countries have already agreed upon during previous negotiations.
The outcome, they say, contains positive elements regarding the climate justice that communities have long fought for, including guidelines for a just and orderly transition to renewable energy with the establishment of the Belem Action Mechanism (BAM), including strong language on Indigenous rights.
Brazil’s COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago and Executive Director Ana Toni attend a plenary session during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belem, Brazil, November 21, 2025. Photo credit: REUTERS/Adriano Machado/Thomson Reuters
They stress that COP30 delivered a historic victory with the Just Transition mechanism – a breakthrough civil society, workers, and frontline communities fought for and won. But the broader Justice Package remains unfinished. Adaptation is weakened, and fossil fuel action is absent.
“This is an important signal that multilateralism can deliver – but a time-bound plan to wind down coal, oil, and gas is also urgently needed.”
They lament that, once again, countries leave with pledges on paper instead of the clear pathways, timelines, and funding required to get there and protect communities impacted by the climate crisis today; whilst rich countries avoided concrete commitments and refused to end their dependence on fossil fuels.
The activists welcome the adoption of the Just Transition mechanism as one of the strongest rights-based outcomes in the history of the UN climate negotiations but warn that COP30 has produced weak outcomes in the very areas that are critical to ensuring justice for vulnerable and frontline communities. A dangerously weak outcome on Adaptation finance leaves little hope for impacted communities.
Further adding to this injustice, governments, they say, did not deliver a concrete global response plan to address the ambition gap, and only agreed to have further processes to address this gap including on a just, equitable and orderly transition away from fossil fuels – while welcome, we need more than a process.
“We need implementation that includes finance to urgently address the root cause of the climate crisis,” they submit.
The real faultline running through COP30 was the refusal of developed countries to agree to the provision of finance across all areas. Their blocking of commitments on Adaptation finance, mitigation ambition, and the transition away from fossil fuels directly weakened the overall outcome. By once again failing to meet their climate-finance obligations – obligations grounded in historical responsibility – developed countries have undermined trust and fairness in the process and limited what this COP could have achieved.
A Breakthrough for Rights and Justice
The Just Transition mechanism stands as the major achievement of COP30 and for workers and communities across the world. More ambition on climate is possible if we put social justice at the heart. No COP decision has ever carried such ambitious and comprehensive language on rights and inclusion: human rights; labour rights; the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-decendants; and strong references to gender equality, women’s empowerment, education, youth development, and more.
This outcome did not happen by accident. This is the result of the hard fought struggles and collective power of trade unions, communities, social movements, Indigenous Peoples’ organisations, and civil society over many years and especially escalating this year for an outcome at this COP.
The Just Transition mechanism, popularly known as the Belém Action Mechanism or BAM, by activists and chanted in the COP30 halls, also opens promising discussions on support for Just Transition pathways: a clear reference to additional, grant-based finance and recognition of the barriers that prevent Just Transition efforts.
A first victory in this process, this is by no means the end. Movements will remain active and determined to secure their seat at the table and ensure the agreed operationalisation of the mechanism by next year.
Adaptation: A Grim Outcome
In stark contrast to the Just Transition mechanism victory, the Adaptation outcome falls far short of what climate-vulnerable countries and communities urgently need – and expected from COP30.
The watering down of the obligations of developed countries to provide Adaptation finance, and pushing the time-lines to deliver the tripling of finance to 2035 is a betrayal of vulnerable and impacted people in the Global South and driven mainly by the EU and Japan. In addition, the absence of any reference to the Global Goal on Adaptation contributes to the weakness of this outcome on Adaptation.
Fossil Fuels: A Deep Disappointment
The final COP30 decision contains no mention of a just, equitable and fully-financed transition away from fossil fuels – an essential response to the ambition gap. Given that oil, coal and gas remain the root cause of climate breakdown, this omission represents a severe failure for COP30. However, the adoption of the Just Transition mechanism, which secures the interests of workers and communities in the energy transition, provides a pathway for countries to transition away from fossil fuels in a just, equitable and orderly manner, even if the political signal was lacking in the final decision.
Process Concerns: A Worrying Trend?
COPs must deliver concrete outcomes, not sink into cycles of dialogues, roadmaps, and reports. For this reason, Activists are concerned about the direction of recent COP processes.
COP29 in Baku was deeply challenging; Belém has not been much better. The growing presence of fossil fuel lobbyists and the persistent lack of transparency as negotiations increasingly take place behind closed doors, risks the erosion of trust in the process, already at low levels. The current trends are worrying and a review of the process and its governance is needed to ensure that the response to the global climate crisis meets the urgency and ambition needed.
Going forward, this process needs to be held accountable. Civil Society will hold governments to account at home and in these halls. Those governments who continue to hold back real progress will be called out. COP Presidencies have an important role to play in ensuring inclusivity, transparency and the meaningful participation of civil society.
Finance: When It’s Time to Pay Up, Ambition Disappears
Despite soaring rhetoric, wealthy countries failed to provide clarity on adaptation finance, the most urgent lifeline for communities already facing climate impacts. There is still no figure, no baseline, no guarantee of public finance, and now the timeline has been pushed back to 2035, making the balanced finance goal adopted last year even harder to achieve.
Frontline communities, including Indigenous and traditional peoples, are also and once again left waiting for direct access to finance while the EU, Japan, and Canada stalled progress. The EU in particular positioned itself as a climate leader while refusing to deliver on adaptation finance and even threatening to walk out when asked to do its fair share.
People Power and Global Momentum: The Bright Spot of COP30
Outside the negotiating rooms, Indigenous peoples, traditional communities and youth made themselves impossible to ignore. Their leadership was one of the strongest forces at COP30. They showed what real climate leadership looks like.
Momentum for a fossil fuel phase-out is also accelerating rapidly. What began with Brazil calling for a roadmap has grown into support from almost 90 countries, backed by civil society and business leaders.
Now that this coalition exists, the next step must be turning momentum into a plan. The Colombia fossil fuel phase-out conference in April and the Colombia-Netherlands-Brazil process must deliver the substance, benchmarks, and institutional backing needed to shape a credible global phase-out roadmap.
Ilan Zugman, Director for Latin America and Caribbean, 350.org: “In Belém, Indigenous peoples, traditional communities and frontline leaders made the message clear: real climate action means ending fossil fuels and delivering the finance figure that communities need to survive. The lack of concrete commitments in the final text of COP30 shows us who is still benefiting from the delay: the fossil fuel industry and the ultra-rich, not those living the climate crisis every day.
“Yet the courage on the streets of Belém and the world has ignited global momentum: what began as a single country, Brazil, calling for a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels has grown into a coalition of almost 90 countries pushing for it. The momentum is now unstoppable, starting with the fossil fuel phase-out conference in Colombia next April.”
Andreas Sieber, Associate Director Policy and Campaigns, 350.org: “Belém didn’t stumble. COP30 was steered into a shortfall. President Lula and Minister Marina Silva showed real leadership on confronting fossil fuels. But the Presidency negotiating team retreated behind closed doors, smothering the multilateral spirit needed for higher ambition, while wealthy countries refused to put real finance on the table.
“Yet momentum was unmistakable: nearly 90 countries demanded a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels, and the Just Transition Mechanism proved multilateralism can still deliver. Those roadmaps now need institutional backing. Brazil must work transparently with Colombia and Pacific hosts ahead of Pre-COP to turn momentum into substance. The world was ready to turn the page on fossil fuels; a few parties were not.”
Fanny Petitbon, France Team Lead at 350.org: “In Belém, rich nations showed their unbearable hypocrisy: demanding ambition from those least responsible for the climate emergency, while systematically refusing to pay up their historical climate debt. The commitment to triple adaptation finance is weak, vague, and tragically late. When cyclones and droughts strike now, a 2035 deadline is a cruel joke.
“Self-proclaimed climate leaders like the EU, Japan, and Canada failed to adequately deliver for those already suffering, proving their leadership is hollow. In the meantime, they continue to pour billions of dollars into fossil fuel subsidies and to protect the privilege and interests of climate wreckers – the fossil fuel industries and the super-rich – by refusing to tax them to fund urgent climate action, despite strong public support.”
Fenton Lutunatabua, Pacific Team Lead at 350.org: “With the Belem Action Mechanism, we’re seeing progress. But without a transition away from fossil fuels, we’re stagnating at a time when our islands can’t afford even a small amount of delay. The COP30 statement does not mention a plan to end fossil fuels, nor does it allocate sufficient finance for frontline communities, and that casts a shadow over our time here in Belém. We need to address the obvious cause of the climate crisis and make sure that everyday people are able to survive it. The closing window on 1.5℃ means we’re walking a fine line here between survival and climate catastrophe”.
Masayoshi Iyoda, Japan Campaigner at 350.org: “COP30 in Belem is yet more proof that Japan fails to contribute to achieving the Paris 1.5 goal and protect Japanese people from the risk of climate disasters and the social and economic loss caused by addiction to fossil fuels. Japan did not play a role in supporting the transition away from fossils but instead offered up greenwashing technologies and false solutions. Japan must immediately start increasing its climate finance support for adaptation, loss and damage, and tripling renewables.
“A lack of ambition in Japanese climate policies is shown in Belem again and with the new coal-fired power plant project, GENESIS Matsushima, they are travelling in the wrong direction. A just roadmap of transitioning away from fossil fuels is what we need to respond to the science – not more investment in the most polluting industries.”
Tasneem Essop, Executive Director, Climate Action Network International, said: “We came here to get the Belém Action Mechanism – for families, for workers, for communities. The adoption of a Just Transition mechanism was a win shaped by years of pressure from civil society. This outcome didn’t fall from the sky; it was carved out through struggle, persistence, and the moral clarity of those living on the frontlines of climate breakdown. Governments must now honour this Just Transition mechanism with real action. Anything less is a betrayal of people – and of the Paris promise.
“Civil society held steady at this COP – together with frontline countries and movements who refused to let justice be pushed aside, even as some developed countries dug in their heels and tried to block agreement.
“We will continue to fight for Adaptation – that is essential for protecting people by investing in their resilience to climate impacts, securing the resources they need to withstand rising risks, and ensuring no community is left exposed. Without Adaptation finance and a just, equitable, and fully funded plan to transition away from fossil fuels, governments are not confronting the root cause of the crisis. We have a win for justice from COP30, but we keep fighting.”
Anabella Rosemberg, Just Transition Lead, Climate Action Network International, said: “Workers and environmental activists are united! The creation of a Just Transition mechanism is a significant achievement for social justice and climate justice, the people and the planet. The Just Transition mechanism comes with the most progressive rights-based framing we have ever seen in a COP decision.
“For the first time, labour rights, human rights, the right to a clean environment, Free, Prior and Informed Consent, and the inclusion of marginalised groups are all recognised as core to achieving more ambitious climate action. This didn’t come from nowhere. Social movements mobilised, organised, and put real solutions on the table. This is our victory, carved out despite all odds.
“But a mechanism grounded in rights is only powerful if it delivers. A Just Transition is not a side-chapter of climate policy – it is the lens through which the entire implementation of the Paris Agreement must now be guided. Now that the mechanism exists, governments must fill it with ambition, finance, and cooperation. Workers and communities have waited long enough – and we will keep fighting to ensure this mechanism which is for the people reaches the people.”
Mohamed Adow, Director, Power Shift Africa, said: “With an increasingly fractured geopolitical backdrop, COP30 gave us some baby steps in the right direction, but considering the scale of the climate crisis, it has failed to rise to the occasion. Among the green shoots to emerge was the creation of a Just Transition Action Mechanism – a recognition that the global move away from fossil fuels will not abandon workers and frontline communities.
“COP30 kept the process alive – but process alone will not cool the planet. Roadmaps and workplans will mean nothing unless they now translate into real finance and real action for the countries bearing the brunt of the crisis. Despite calling themselves climate leaders, developed countries have betrayed vulnerable nations by both failing to deliver science-aligned national emission reduction plans and also blocked talks on finance to help poor countries adapt to climate change caused by the global north
“Rich countries cannot make a genuine call for a roadmap if they continue to drive in the opposite direction themselves and refuse to pay up for the vehicles they stole from the rest of the convoy. Belém restored some integrity to the Global Goal on Adaptation, removing dangerous indicators that would have penalised poorer countries simply for being poor.
“The slow pace of finance negotiations is worrying. The promise to triple adaptation lacks clarity on a base year and has now been delayed to 2035, leaving vulnerable countries without support to match the escalating needs frontline communities are facing. As it stands, this outcome does nothing to narrow the adaptation finance gap. COP30 was supposed to have a big focus on raising funds to help vulnerable nations adapt to climate change. But European nations have undermined these talks and stripped away the protections poor countries were seeking in Belem.
“Europe, which colonised much of the global south, and then imperiled it further through its industrialised carbon emissions, now works against even efforts to help it adapt to the climate crisis. Even though COP30 didn’t achieve what we hoped, the very fact that fossil fuels, trade and the needs of the vulnerable are on the agenda is welcome. These are urgent, real-world issues that will not go away until action is taken.”
As COP30 wraps in Belém, Brazil, Mercy Corps is speaking out on the urgent need for climate action and adaptation finance for communities on the frontlines of the crisis. Ten years after Paris, the summit has failed to deliver the commitments people need to survive and thrive in a rapidly warming world, according to Debbie Hillier, Mercy Corps UNFCCC Policy Lead
COP30 was a failure for the communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Ten years after the Paris Agreement – in what was meant to be the “implementation COP” – leaders left Belém, Brazil, without the commitments needed to protect people already living with the devastating consequences of climate change. Despite record-breaking losses, escalating humanitarian need, and clear evidence that adaptation finance is dangerously insufficient, negotiators failed to deliver the scale of action this moment demands.
Debbie Hillier, Mercy Corps UNFCCC Policy Lead
Communities facing climate impacts urgently needed COP30 to deliver stronger mitigation ambition, a just transition away from fossil fuels, and – most critically – a substantial increase in adaptation finance. Instead, the final text made no progress towards transitioning away from fossil fuels, despite countries committing to this two years ago in Dubai. While a global agreement is preferable, Colombia and the Netherlands are showing real leadership by agreeing to co-host the first International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels. This will be an important space to identify the necessary pathways to phase out fossil fuels, which will be incorporated in a roadmap, to be drafted by Brazil, ahead of COP31.
If the world fails to reduce emissions and mitigate the crisis, the cost of adaptation will continue to rise, and climate-vulnerable communities will continue to suffer the consequences.
Adaptation finance is not abstract. It determines whether farmers can protect their crops, whether coastal communities can reinforce shorelines, whether health systems can withstand climate-related disease outbreaks, and whether countries can build resilience rather than lose hard-won development gains.
While the COP30 outcome includes a new commitment on adaptation finance, it is deeply disappointing. It includes no baseline year, no clarity on the actual target, and no mechanism defining who is responsible for delivering the tripling. It also allows other flows such as concessional loans and private finance, and delays delivery to 2035 – far too late for communities already in crisis.
The adaptation finance pledge was part of a broader package agreed in Belém. COP30 adopted a set of indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) – in theory, a milestone that should enable the world to begin operationalizing the goal and tracking real progress. The new Belém–Addis Vision outlines a path for follow-up, and the Baku Adaptation Roadmap provides an opportunity for countries and stakeholders to shape implementation.
Yet the indicators themselves were the product of last-minute political bargaining, leaving them difficult to measure and lacking clarity. Most critically, without adequate finance, these indicators cannot translate into real resilience. Countries can monitor and report endlessly, but without resources, communities will not become safer or more prepared.
COP30 failed to correct the deep structural imbalance in global finance. There was no progress to end fossil fuel subsidies that continue to dwarf climate finance flows, nor to provide the debt justice needed by countries forced to spend more on repayments than protecting people from climate impacts.
References to finance for developing countries remain weak and fall short of core principles such as “polluter pays” and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC). Without addressing these systemic failures, the world will continue to invest more in driving the climate crisis than in solving it.
COP30 may have been called the “implementation COP” or the “people COP,” but in reality, it failed to turn commitments into action. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, communities cannot afford more empty promises. The signal on adaptation finance is far weaker than what vulnerable communities needed, but momentum for greater ambition remains – from civil society, from frontline countries, and from the International Court of Justice, which has underscored states’ legal obligations earlier this year.
The window to deliver climate justice is rapidly closing. COP30 did not go far enough, but the fight for a world where vulnerable communities can adapt and thrive must continue.
