FG reaffirms commitment to youth-led action against climate change
Amid an alarming streak of temperatures in 2025, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has disclosed that 2025 is set to be either the second or third warmest year on record, according to its latest ‘State of the Global Climate Update’.
The WMO raised the alarm yesterday as the Federal Ministry of Youth Development reaffirmed its commitment to supporting young people at the forefront of climate justice and sustainable development in Nigeria.
The WMO said the past 11 years, from 2015 to 2025, would individually have been the 11 warmest years in the 176-year observational record, with the past three years being the three warmest years on record, adding that the mean near-surface temperature in January to August 2025 was 1.42 °C ± 0.12 °C above the pre-industrial average.
The WMO State of the Global Climate Update 2025 is released for the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), holding in Brazil and scheduled for November 6 to 7, 2025.
Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, is representing President Bola Tinubu, at the summit taking place in the Amazonian city of Belém, capital of Pará State, with a focus on “Climate Action and Implementation”, zeroing in on adaptation, biodiversity, forest protection and climate justice.
The report revealed that record greenhouse gas concentrations drive record heat, sea ice and glaciers continue to retreat, extreme weather causes massive social and economic disruption, but advocated early warning services advance to save lives as well as climate services to support resilience.
The WMO stated that the concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and ocean heat content, which both reached record levels in 2024, continued to rise in 2025. Additionally, the Arctic sea ice extent after the winter freeze was the lowest on record. The long-term sea level rise trend continued, despite a small and temporary blip caused by naturally occurring factors, according to the report.
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting young people at the forefront of climate justice and sustainable development in Nigeria.
MEANWHILE, at the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) organised by ActionAid Nigeria, the minister, who was represented by the Assistant Chief Youth Development Officer, Onah Bernard, noted that the ministry was committed to strengthening youth participation in climate governance, empowering green entrepreneurship, and ensuring that national and global commitments translate into local impact.
He commended the organisers of the conference for creating a platform that amplifies youth voices and fosters innovation and collaboration, stressing the need for collaborative efforts to accelerate action through bold initiatives that safeguard the planet and secure a just and prosperous future for generations to come.
In her contribution, ActionAid Nigeria’s Governance Specialist, Judith Gbagidi, who represented the Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, described the conference as more than an event, but a youth-led movement for bold ideas, practical solutions, and collaborative action to combat climate change.
