The role of parliament in driving Nigeria’s long-term climate goals, By Chukwumerije OkerekeINVESTIGATION: How Nigerian soldiers killed unarmed civilians in Kaduna community
Between 23 and 27 March, the 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union was held in Geneva, Switzerland. The IPU, founded in 1889, is the world’s oldest parliamentary body, predating even the United Nations. It has 180 members, 14 associate members, and six geopolitical groups .
As the world grapples with climate change, parliamentarians have continued to play a critical role in driving climate action. For example, parliaments have passed legislation to guarantee that countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The first of such was the Climate Change Law of the United Kingdom of 2008. Subsequently, several other countries, including Mexico, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, etc., have enacted their own climate change laws.
Closer home, in Africa, as part of its Post-Legislative Scrutiny, the Kenyan Parliament, in the build-up to Africa Climate Week 2023, amended the country’s Climate Change Act to make provisions for carbon market mechanisms, in line with the country’s new vision of finding the intersection between climate action and sustainable development.
While experts work to figure out pathways to achieve these, the Nigerian Parliament has a critical role to play in ensuring that all stakeholders do their parts. This could take the form of oversight and the continuous monitoring and evaluation of the processes. It is also the role of parliament to ensure that the funds necessary to drive action are appropriated annually.