Historically, the month of June is an important one for climate action. This is because it is the month when the meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies(SB) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) usually holds. These SBs’ meetings are critical as they address leftover discussions from the previous Conference of Parties (COPs), and shape agenda items for upcoming COPs.
This year’s June however took on additional importance as I had to participate in two other key global events in my role as the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change and Security.
The first of these was the Parliamentary Roundtable on NDCs, which took place in Berlin on 10 June, on the eve of the Global Conference on NDCs. The event was convened by GLOBE Legislators in collaboration with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, NDC Partnership, E3G, Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI).
This event presented an opportunity to highlight the important role of Members of Parliament in the Nationally Determined Contributions(NDCs) process of their countries.
As I stated clearly there, this role is very critical and must start at the inception phases to the implementation phases.
Upon my return from Berlin, I flew to Marrakech to attend the Marrakesh Parliamentary Green Investment Dialogue convened by Climate Parliament and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
There, I spoke on the need to leverage legislative momentum to promote community-based Green Energy Zones, particularly in underserved or off-grid areas.
The overarching message from these events was the need for Members of Parliament to continue to exercise their Constitutional responsibility, and leverage oversight functions to engender more climate action in our countries.
Furthermore, these engagements underscored the importance of multilevel action in order to achieve a resounding impact.
I was therefore pleased when I returned to Nigeria to hear that the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), a leading NGO in the climate and environmental space in Nigeria has taken an important first step to organisational accountability by releasing the report of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the year 2024, while also outlining plans for emissions reductions in the coming years.
This action by SPP is highly commendable and it aligns with my vision as the chairman of the Climate Change and Security Committee at the House of Representatives which has necessitated my engagement with Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government, and the private sector to kickstart the first step of emissions reduction accountability in compliance with the provisions of the Climate Change Act 2021.
It is therefore important to emphasize that the only pathway to aggregated climate action is when individuals, households, communities, organisations, etc, begin to take structured steps to be accountable.
The sum of these actions will significantly yield massive impact that will enhance NDCs implementation, and further bolster Nigeria’s journey to sustainable development.
As a Committee, we intend to expand our engagements with all organisations and therefore expect to see similar efforts at climate accountability by both the private and public sectors of the Nigerian economy.
SPP has laid down the gauntlet. We expect to see similar actions from other organisations— companies with over 50 employees; MDAs at national and subnational levels; diplomatic bodies; etc, following suit. As part of our Constitutional responsibility, we will follow up and demand reports.
- Rep Kama is the Chair of the Committee on Climate Change and Security, House of Representatives and Nigeria’s Parliamentary Champion for Climate Change
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