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By
Unico Iregbu Kalu
Climate change is fast introducing an alternative pathway to
both national and global development. Twenty years ago, an average young man
would engage on any available practice to eke out a living, without giving a
thought to the impacts of his actions on both the environment and the climate.
The effects of climate change are already here with us and it is the young
people who will bear the greater brunt of the effects. As such, lifestyles and
attitudes are gradually moving towards reducing the emission of greenhouse
gases. Globally, young people are becoming aware of their roles in the fight
against climate change and possible effects of their actions and inactions.
Their contributions range from advocacy, public enlightenment, research, to
actual demonstration of low carbon path through either engaging in recycling,
planting trees or getting involved in the development of solar technologies.
However, it is absolutely sad that in Nigeria, the young
people are not involved in the climate change decision process, both locally
and internationally. Nigeria has been involved in several global efforts
towards climate justice. It has participated in different international
negotiations on the different thematic areas but the young people who are
supposed to benefit from a safer climate are not part of the country’s official
negotiation team. If there are national positions on the different building blocks
within the climate negotiations, such positions are not put in the public
domain. Nigerian youths are unaware of such national positions and did not have
any input in their formulation.
Another round of climate change negotiations, in Durban,
South Africa, is fast approaching. However, to date, Nigerian youths, and
possibly the general population, are yet to identify what the country will be
negotiating for in South Africa. The youths are unaware of how the country
intends to ensure that the established ‘adaptation fund’ will benefit them;
they do not know what is being discussed in the REDD+ and how that can
translate into a more sustainable use of the forests around them; they are not
aware of Nigeria’s preference for the established ‘technology mechanism’ which
establishes the framework for the transfer of technologies from Annex 1 Parties
to non Annex 1 Parties.
As the world comes together again in South Africa to discuss
strategic initiatives to solve the climate crisis, young people, especially in
Nigeria, expect more pronounced milestones that will ensure the immediate
implementation of certain agreements already reached in the course of the
negotiations. Young people also expect that more just decisions will be taken
to help the countries most vulnerable to climate change. It should not stop at
identifying negative effects of climate change, practical solutions should be
urgently initiated.
Nigeria being among the most vulnerable countries to climate
change needs to initiate requisite domestic policies and/or programs that will
ensure it benefits from the many international mechanisms instituted to fight
climate change in developing countries. Also, climate change reporting
obligations for Nigeria should be given adequate attention, while internal policy
reform should be embarked on to promote the fight against climate change
through pursuing a low carbon path to growth and development. To achieve these
goals, strong political will on the part of the government is required. Civil
society groups should step up their advocacy and public awareness campaigns to
enlighten the public and put more pressure on the government to take necessary
actions. The youths should be involved in climate change policy process. They
have the capacity to drive and sustain major national transformations, and the
future is theirs.
Unico Iregbu Kalu is Interim Coordinator at the Nigeria
Youth Climate Action Network.
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