Does Nigeria Need A Climate Change Commission?

by David Stephen
August 15, 2011

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1651/does-nigeria-need-a-climate-change-commission

Obvious weather anomalies in the past few years around the world have caused Nations to act with respect to Climate Change by working to cut and cap emissions that are said to be responsible for this. The United Nations had involved Nations in agreements in relation to environmental protection and continue in summits for a broad Climate Change deal.

Climate Change is a term used for changes in weather condition in the past few years said to be caused by Global Warming. Global Warming is increase in the average temperature of planet earth said to be caused by continuous emissions of gases that trap heat to the earth's atmosphere. Climate Change and Global warming are often used interchangeably.

Response and action from the West and the United Nations towards Climate Change have made nations in Sub-Saharan Africa to take conforming steps for local and global climate protection. Nigeria, a nation in Western Africa is not an exception.

Some months back, Nigerian MPs passed a bill to create a Climate Change Commission (CCC) possibly from recommendations after 2009 COP-15 Climate Change summit in Denmark. Works of the Commission according to the bill should include emission monitoring and regulation, research, policies and national strategy to reduce emissions.

The West African Nation acting in this direction for the long-run also need to have an up-and-down approach to local environmental conditions; floods plagued parts of the South Western region last month and erosion recurrently occur in certain parts of South East Nigeria.

The Federal Ministry of Environment has a Special Climate Change Unit (SCCU) responsible for matters connected to Climate Change; the Unit is seen in the news mostly for paper or research presentation and Climate Change summits. They have their achievements and projections for the long term.

Some people may have fears that a CCC may divert the cause of a diminutive weather variation to Climate Change in a process of being heard or acting to be effective; fears of budget equating achievements; staff capacity and necessity of the commission for the short term.

Some or most of the assignments of the CCC can be subsumed into works of the SCCU at present with slight adjustment and more seriousness. One advantage the CCC presents is commitment of the Government to fight climate change on the long term; it may also provide access to the dreamed $200billion from industrialized to developing nations from 2020, even though these industrialized nations will be recovering from economic downturn at that time.

The Nigerian Government should apply simple and cost effective controls to erosion and build more drainage channels to stymie effects of floods. Nigeria, a top emitter in Africa dwarfed by most industrialized nations in emissions should pursue Climate Change policies for the long term.

Promoting use of carbon capturing devices for organizations within the country, having a fuel efficient standard for imports of engines, planting and maintaining trees, large and modern landfills; are policies that may be trapped as short term targets for any Climate Change section because of parts of the economy still leveling.

The SCCU (or say the CCC) should focus on papers, research works and policies that will not be developments because of 'Climate Change' but developments as modern landfills, renewable and sustainable energy, trees within cities (for beautification) and many more because the Nation is advancing.

Abbreviations (SCCU and CCC) used in this article are not official, please note.

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