The House of Rresentatives, weekend adopted a motion titled “Need to Implement Carbon Credit as Part of the Effort towards Mitigating the Impact of Climate Change In Nigeria” sponsored by Rep. Sam. I. Onuigbo from Abia State at plenary.
Subsequently, the Federal Government has been urged to direct the National Council on Climate Change in collaboration with the Federal Ministries responsible for Industry, Trade and Investment, Environment, and Budget and National Planning to immediately implement the Carbon Credit Scheme through the formulation of an Action Plan that is consistent with of the Climate Change Act, 2021.
Leading the debate the Rt. Hon. Onuigbo noted that the devastating impact of climate change in the World, particularly in Nigeria with desertification racing southward at a speed of 0.6km per annum, gully and coastal erosions destroying communities and farmlands, thus drying up Lake Chad and resulting to the frequent cases of herders and farmers’ clashes with attendant deaths and flooding across several States.
He explained that this 9th Assembly had passed the Climate Change Bill which was assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari which stipulates that the Federal Ministry of Environment shall, in consultation with the Federal Ministry responsible for National Planning set Carbon Budget for Nigeria to keep average increases in global temperature within 2°C and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increases to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels
According to him, the Act also mandates the National Council on Climate Change to collaborate with the Federal Inland Revenue Service to develop a mechanism for Carbon Tax in Nigeria and collaborate with the Federal Ministries responsible for Environment and Trade to develop and implement a mechanism for Carbon Emission Trading.
The Abia State Federal Lawmaker noted that Legislators have responsibilities for ensuring that measures are taken to avert the devastating impacts of climate change, hence, the need for the House to strongly advocate that Nigeria implements the law on Carbon Credit as part of the several measures that can be taken towards reducing the impacts of climate change in the country.
The industrial sector, he stressed contributes a high percentage of greenhouse gas emissions in Nigeria, hence, the need to develop the capacity for implementing a carbon credit scheme to incenticize the decarbonization of the industrial sector in Nigeria.
Rep Onuigbo states that the Paris Agreement on Climate Change signed by Nigeria on September 22, 2016, and other international conventions, including the Kyoto Protocol are of such international conventions, adopted in 1997 which came into force in 2005 to reduce man-made greenhouse gas emissions, and Nigeria has a responsibility to implement them internally;
He expressed has worry that except Nigeria takes necessary measures to reduce the impacts of climate change in the country, the Climate Change-induced calamities will continue.
He thereafter prayed the house to also urge the Council and the Federal Ministries mentioned above to present to the National Assembly, for approval the Budget derived from the processes in line with the first prayer especially as the implementation of Section 19 (2)(3) of the Climate Change Act about the Carbon Credit/Action Plan is already behind schedule.
Adopting the motion the house also mandated the Committees on Climate Change, Environment, National Planning, Industry; Commerce and Legislative Compliance to liaise with the National Council on Climate Change and Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to ensure compliance and report back within one (1) week for further Legislative action.
