Rich nations not sincere on curbing green house gas emission

Experts on climate change have expressed doubt about the sincerity of the developed nations towards green house gas reduction, as a result of their frequent policy change on the issue.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja yesterday, Victor Fadeke, Head, Climate Change Unit at the federal Ministry of Environment, who headed the team, bemoaned the policy shift of the developed nations, saying it is becoming glaring that they are no longer willing to abide by the Kyoto Protocol.

He made reference to the fact that the United States had in 1997 made its position known that it was not going to be part of the agreement and, therefore, pulled out while the remaining agreed under the protocol to take legally binding targets on green house gas emissions by 2012. The protocol sets a binding emission target for 37 industrialised nations.

Ahead of the December International conference on Climate Change holding at Copenhagen, Denmark, Mr. Fadeke said Nigeria is developing a national adaptation policy that will help citizens cope with the adverse effect of climate change.

He said, "Nigerians need to be aware of climate change, the options for adaptations, and the types of adaptations."

Victor Nkom, a consultant on environment in the Ministry of Environment, said Nigeria cannot afford to act unconcerned. He added that the Federal Government through the ministry is already formulating a national policy that would ensure proper adaptation by Nigerians when needed.

The Building Nigeria's Response to Climate Change project, which is being implemented by the Nigeria Environmental Study Team (NEST), an NGO, in Ibadan, released about N10 million to some Nigerian researchers to work on the project. The project will test local adaptation strategies that include finding alternatives to deforestation, controlling erosion, conserving water and developing long term community adaptation plans.

Their fears and doubts, according to the experts, are hinged on the fact that as the Kyoto agreement is about lapsing, the developed nations are planning to come up again with another agreement, as a way to abandon the earlier agreement in Tokyo. This, they said, makes it clear that since they (developed nations) have not implemented this agreement since 1997 when it was signed, there is no hope that going into another agreement will make them do anything meaningful about green house gas emission.