Lagos targets 60m tons reduction in greenhouse gas emission by 2050

Lagos State government said it plans to achieve about 60 million tons reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) emissions by the year 2050 with a registry to curtail air pollution and gas emissions.

Currently, the state emits over 24 million tons of GreenHouse Gas resulting in $24 billion in damages, going by the World Bank’s estimated $1,000 cost in damages per ton.

The General Manager, Lagos State Environment Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dr Tunde Ajayi, said this at a stakeholders’ engagement session on the implementation of the GHGs Registry for Lagos State in Ikeja.

Ajayi noted the alarming rate of emission of Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) and the devastating effects on the air quality in the state, which, he said had serious implications on the public health and economic downturn.

According to him, Greenhouse gases are gases from human activities on the Earth’s atmosphere that can trap heat which in turn raises the earth’s average temperature – a phenomenon known as global warming.

Ajayi, represented by the Director, Environmental Sustainability (E-Waste and Plastic Solutions in LASEPA, Mrs Dayo Adebayo, stressed that the Lagos State may emit 74 million tons of Greenhouse gas by 2050 if not curtailed, which amounted to a loss of $74 billion damages to the state.

“Consequently, the establishment of a comprehensive carbon registry is a pivotal step in our State’s commitment to address the challenges of Greenhouse Gas and build resilience against climate change impacts.

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“This will serve as a vital tool for tracking, managing, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, enabling us to make informed decisions and implement effective environmental policies.

“I believe that the success of this initiative hinges on the active participation and collaboration of all stakeholders to chart a way forward in a quest for environmental sustainability.

“Today’s stakeholders’ engagement session on Emission inventory and GHGs Registry is to provide a digital platform for open dialogue, knowledge sharing, initiative ideas to develop standard protocols and guidelines for reporting GHG emissions, to ensure consistency and comparability across different entities towards a shared goal.

“Also, businesses can benefit from global opportunities offered by climate change, thus enhancing green investment and earnings.

“By fostering a collaborative environment, we can build an Emission and GHGs registry that is effective and sustainable in Lagos State.

“It is however imperative to implement the use of a sustainable Greenhouse gas registry to help track and record GHG emissions from various sectors.”

In his remarks, the Managing Director of TPHG Technologies Limited, the consultant handling the project, Dr Mofoluso Fagbeja, said the state can achieve more than 19 per cent reduction in carbon emissions if all hands are on deck.

He noted the health impact of carbon emissions on the citizens, stressing that recent data revealed that air pollution and GreenHouse gas emission resulted in 30,000 premature deaths in Lagos yearly with children less than five years old accounting for 49 per cent.

Fagbeja called for collaboration among stakeholders in the implementation of the environmental management plans set out in the greenhouse gas emissions scheme that the Lagos state government is working on as well as seize the opportunity to trade carbon emissions.

According to him, the process will help the state to set different caps for carbon emissions across sectors and also give people opportunities to invest in green technology to bring down greenhouse gas emissions.