By Joke Falaju
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to reducing carbon footprint in the aviation industry.
The Minister stated this while receiving the members of the House Committee on Aviation in Abuja and emphasized the cost implications of transitioning into the greener aviation industry.
While pointing out that Nigeria accounted for only 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions as of 2015, he stated that “As a third world country, we face major limitations in investing in infrastructure and research for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), even though it is part of our mandate.”
The Minister noted that most developed countries have made limited progress in producing SAF due to a lack of market demand, adding that most aircraft are still manufactured to run on fossil fuels.
“It would be very expensive to modify existing aircraft engines to be compatible with SAF,” he explained.
He also added that all the aviation agencies are working assiduously on initiatives to mitigate the impact of climate change.
He highlighted such initiatives to include the production of Seasonal Climate Prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and participation in the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and as a result of this, the carbon footprint for Lagos airport was reduced by 6% in 2021 due to improved energy management, earning the airport a Level 2 ACA accreditation (Reduction).
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Keyamo added that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is actively addressing climate change through initiatives like the “Fly2Green Nigeria” programme to promote Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and collaborate with the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) to facilitate cleaner aviation energy.
Responding, the Chairman House Committee on Climate Change Hon Chris Nkwonta emphasized the financial burden of transitioning to greener aviation saying the committee had discussed this with the United Nations, stressing the need for international support to help developing nations meet climate change targets.
He also harped on the need for conscious steps to decarbonize the sector as much as possible through the innovative use of less emitting fuels and carbon trade-offs; green infrastructure at the airports; and sustainable waste management practices among others.
He called on airlines to invest in buying carbon credits to offset their carbon footprints, saying the funds from there can then be used to invest in more sustainable energy sources for the country and even in climate-smart agricultural practices that can help address food security issues.
