Net zero has become one of the many popularised terms used in climate change discourses. The International Climate Change Development Initiative has been contributing to public knowledge of the concept of net zero and aims to improve engagement on the subject through a series of net zero webinars organised monthly.
Speaking on the second edition of the webinar series titled “Young people’s contribution to net zero”, the guest, Abdulhameed Abenelo Idakwoji, who serves as the Country Contact Point (Nigeria) for the 18th UN Climate Change Conference of Youths, simply described net zero as ”a state when the global emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) generated is equal to greenhouse gases (GHG) removed from the environment.”
In his presentation which was live-streamed on Youtube, Mr. Idakwoji highlighted ways for young people to meaningfully be a part of Nigeria’s net zero drive.
”Depending on each individual’s strengths and familiarity with climate change, young people can use as a stepping stone their track records in the past to come up with strategies and solutions that can contribute to Nigeria’s adaptation and mitigation frameworks,” he said.
Stressing the potential of collaboration where young people can harness it rightly, Idakwoji said, ”Young people should seek partnerships among themselves. It is easier to support people who can show a track record of what they have done in the past. There are coalitions or umbrella organisations that young people can be a part of.”
Nigeria is one of the 137 countries that have pledged to reach net zero over the next few years.
The #NetZeroNG Webinar series by the International Climate Change Development Initiative is hosted by Seyifunmi Adebote and is live-streamed on YouTube.
Over the next few months, the webinar series will continue to bring together seasoned experts to directly engage with the public and answer specific questions regarding net zero’s dynamics in Nigeria.
By ‘Seyifunmi Adebote
