Nigeria ratifies Paris Climate Agreement

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Nigeria has become the most recent nation to ratify the Paris Climate agreement, which endeavors to keep away from the most overwhelming effects of climate change by reducing carbon emissions.

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President Muhammadu Buhari signed the instrument of ratification in Abuja and announced the development on its official Twitter handle.

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Nigeria had shown Nigeria’s dedication to universal endeavors to overturn effects of the harmful trend by signing of the agreement at a special event in New York, hosted by the former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in September last year.

To date, out of the 197 parties, 141 have ratified the convention. The Paris agreement come into force on November 4, 2016, a month after the date on which at least 55 parties to the convention accounting in whole for at least an expected 55 per cent of the overall universal greenhouse gas emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the depository.

With the ratification, Nigeria has devoted itself to cutting greenhouse gas emissions unreservedly by 20 per cent and provisionally by 45 per cent. The Paris agreement is estimated to deliver $100 billion per annum by 2020 in support of developing nations, to take climate action.

Under the agreement, every nation submitted an emissions decline proposal known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).

Nigeria is taking into consideration 30 per cent energy efficiency in industries, households, businesses and vehicles, and improved use of natural gas in generators and renewable energy.

Other measures being mulled over comprise stopping gas flaring, capture of gas, setting standard for appliances, generators, buildings and climate smart agriculture; all is estimated to lead to $4.5 billion profits to the nation.

An environmentalist and Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, Nnimmo Bassey, anticipates that the ratification of the agreement will be noteworthy for Nigeria, if it takes real climate action by impeding gas flaring sooner than the date planned by the Federal Government and investing in renewal energy.