President Buhari approves Nigeria’s INDC as World Leaders gather in Paris for Major Climate Agreement

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the submission of the country’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) aimed at addressing climate change to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Nigeria’s INDC was approved by the President on November 26 and submitted to the UNFCCC on November 28, ahead of Monday’s opening ceremony for the Paris United Nations Climate Change Conference, widely known as COP 21.

The statement from the Publicity Department of the Presidency on Monday November 30, 2015 noted that the Federal Government’s policy to address climate change as espoused in the country’s INDC commits to 20 percent unconditional and 45 percent conditional Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emission reduction in post 2020.

“The action plan announced by the Federal Government represents a fair and meaningful contribution to addressing climate change and equally reaffirms President Buhari’s commitment to an economic transformation which places inclusive, green growth as key priority for this administration. President Buhari is fully aware of the acute threat that climate change poses to Nigeria’s development through flooding, desertification and insecurity and many of these accrue from weather-related natural disasters,” the report said.

According to the statement, the issue of Lake Chad’s current depletion which has become a cause of international concern will be the major focus of the meeting of the Lake Chad Basin Summit of Heads of State and Government in Paris which President Buhari will attend with Nigeria’s delegation on Tuesday December 1 2015. “Lake Chad is currently less than 10 percent of its original size and little of the remaining waters are in Nigeria. Of an estimated 20 million people that lived on the Lake Chad Basin as at 2013, about 11.7 million were in the North Eastern region of Nigeria,” the report intensified.

“Also during the conference in Paris, President Buhari is scheduled to participate in the launching of International Solar Alliance by the Indian Prime Minister and the French President, where he will seek international partnerships to deliver Nigeria’s climate change response.”

ABUJA (State House Press Report)