Speaking at the COP26 talks in Glasgow, President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigeria is committed to reaching net-zero by 2060.
He also said all Nigerians knew the importance of tackling climate change very well.
“Desertification in the North, floods in the centre, pollution and erosion on the coast are enough evidence,” the president said. “For Nigeria, climate change is not about the perils of tomorrow but what is happening today. Nigeria is committed to net-zero by 2060.”
Buhari also urged international partners to support “transition fuels”, including financing gas developments.
“Nigeria is actually more of a gas than an oil-producing country,” Buhari continued. “Consequently, I am requesting for financing of projects using transition fuels, such as gas.”
“Nigeria has energy challenges for which, we believe, gas can be used to balance a renewable energy-based system, be it wind or sun. This would enable us launch the long-term renewable energy infrastructure procurements and investments needed to have a sustainable energy supply.”
According to Buhari, Nigeria will continue using gas until 2040. He believed this was in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement, which called for limiting temperature increases by 2 degrees Celsius while striving to reach only a 1.5-degree increase.
“Gas will be key for addressing the clean cooking challenge, which is also a challenge of deforestation, and for giving our electric grid the stability and flexibility to integrate renewables at scale,” Buhari said. “Nigeria will need to integrate an unprecedented 7GW additional renewable capacity each year to achieve net-zero.”
