Legislators plan new law to unify climate change policies

The National Assembly has announced plans to adopt a new legal framework for the review of existing policies and regulations on climate change in the country.

The chairman, Senate Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, Buhari Abba Ibrahim, and his House of Representatives counterpart, Samuel Onuigbo, made the disclosure at a side event during the climate change summit in Marrakech, Morocco.

Organised by the Nigerian government, it was tagged – Building Legislative Support for Climate Action: Integration of the Elements of Paris Agreement and National Determined Contribution (NDC) into Nigeria’s Sustainable Development Effort, the Parliamentarian Perspective.

Ibrahim said the proposed law would be “holistic and overarching as it seeks to address both mitigation and adaptation efforts towards meeting NDC. Furthermore, it will pave way for a set of laws that will take care of sectoral challenges and targets.

“This law will firstly encourage the use of information in planning by outlining how emissions data captured through detailed greenhouse inventory with adequate and timely reporting from all sectors is adhered to, to inform mitigation. It will also create the mechanism for greenhouse gas emissions trading and add impetus to the contribution of the private sector in low carbon development.”

He also revealed that the law would address institutional arrangements and responsibilities, to avoid duplication of roles. “It will seek financing arrangements to mobilise finance from the public and private sector resources, including improving access to international climate finance schemes and other financial instruments available.”

Onuigbo, who applauded the relationship between the National Assembly and the Federal Ministry of Environment, said the joint committee of the Assembly on climate change was developing a new bill.

Earlier, the Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, said Nigeria was committed to integrating elements of the global agreement and NDC into national development efforts.

In the Paris agreement, Nigeria pledged to reduce its emissions by 20 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2030.

She said there was a huge obligation on government to strengthen existing arrangements to deliver on the pledges.

According to her, implementation of the agreement and NDC component would depend heavily on legislative support in terms of appropriation and oversight.