Climate change is the single biggest environmental challenge that the world is facing, not only today but in the foreseeable future.
For a long time, there have been calls for countries to take a stand on climate action, and AUN being a development university with a sustainability vision, has also joined the movement.
A paper presented by Habib Sani of the AUN School of Law at a seminar on January 31 discussed possible ways the application of an international legal framework can be helpful in climate change mitigation in Nigeria.
The paper which is under review offered recommendations including the establishment of a new national legal framework anchored on the 'principles of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDRs)' to ameliorate the existing disparities and various overlaps that exist in current legal regime on Green House Gases mitigation in Nigeria.
It proffered a climate policy fund implementation at the national and project level, and the adoption of alternative legal strategies to tackle issues of insufficient funds including redirecting existing investment strategies towards renewable energy.
Sani, a School of Law faculty member, also identified adaptation and mitigation as some of the ways climate change can be addressed. Analyzing the severity of greenhouse emissions, the presenter noted that Nigeria deserves special attention due to its position as a major exporter of fossil fuels, which sets it apart from other African Countries.
Some of the other methods he identified through which the adverse effects of climate change can be mitigated in Nigeria are for the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be domesticated along with the Paris agreement which Nigeria has signed, and for the Nigerian Government to embed climate change policies into its national policies.
Also, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) 'has to reinforce compliance with the provisions of international agreements, protocols, conventions, and treaties on the environment'.
Reported by Grace Togor Passa