The world’s efforts to address climate change and its effects have been the subject of discussion for almost three decades at the annual Conference of Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

This year’s COP, at Baku, Azerbaijan, is the 29th edition of the conference. Nigeria will be there to advance its climate change agenda and related issues – and will have high expectations.

Nigeria’s Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategy and carbon market programme have already been commended by the conference parties.

The country has committed to starting efforts towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2060, as promised at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021.

I am a political scientist whose research interests include environmental and energy politics. As Nigeria joins other African and Annex II nations – countries that have a special obligation to help developing countries with financial and technological resources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb global warming – I argue that these should be its aims at COP29:

using the loss and damage fund that conference parties have set up to help countries cope with climate change impacts

getting partners and investors to invest in its carbon market

enhancing its status as a gas market leader in the transition era

getting access to more adaptation funding

helping its sub-national (state) governments to achieve more climate goals.

Nigeria has experienced extreme weather events, including recent massive flooding and disruption in rainfall patterns. This is affecting the country’s food security. Nigeria’s representative at COP29 must not leave citizens at the mercy of climate change impacts.

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Loss and damage fund

The need for a loss and damage fund has been a critical discussion at successive COPs. The fund is a climate finance mechanism that goes beyond adaptation support to address the adverse effects of climate change on developing countries. Impressive progress was made in the last two COPs towards creating the fund.

At COP28 the parties eventually agreed to get the fund working.

Given the climate events it has experienced in recent years, Nigeria does qualify to benefit from the Loss and Damage Fund. The country should aim to get involved in determining how to do so. This is especially necessary because the impacts of climate change have worsened in Nigeria over the past year.

Flooding, for example, has destroyed property, disrupted livelihoods and forced migration.

One of Nigeria’s critical tasks in Baku should be to ensure that it gets part of the initial US$400 million fund.

Carbon market

Nigeria presented its carbon markets programme at COP28. Carbon markets are trading systems where carbon credits are sold. This allows individuals and companies to compensate for their carbon emissions by buying carbon credits from those that remove or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The establishment of a carbon market is one creative measure to address emissions and expand Nigeria’s tax base. COP29 presents the country with an opportunity to get investors into its carbon market.

Gas market

Nigeria has abundant gas resources and should fight for gas as one of the fuels that are used in the transition to clean energy. The country has 202 trillion cubic feet of untapped proven gas reserves – the 9th largest in the world.

COP28 ended with clear signs that fossil fuels would be phased out. This should sound the alarm bell for Nigeria to tidy its energy transition portfolio. Given the country’s gas abundance, Nigeria should go to COP29 not only to discuss the just transition and its dynamics, but to advocate for gas as a transition fuel.

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Climate adaptation

Given Nigeria’s and Africa’s historically low emissions, COP29 presents another opportunity to advance a united front on adaptation. Adaptation is the climate response mechanism that helps people to cushion the many effects of climate change across the world.

The fact that the Adaptation Fund was upped by US$188 million at COP28 is promising for the outcome at Baku.

Inadequate funding still represents a major obstacle to effective adaptation. Nigeria must negotiate to get assistance from the Adaptation Fund at COP29. The need for adaptation has never been more apparent.

Sub-national governments

One of the impressive aspects of Nigeria’s participation at COP28 was the felt presence of its sub-national entities at the conference. Many of Nigeria’s 36 states were represented at COP28, and some made impressive climate and economic breakthroughs at the summit.

For example, Cross River State signed a memorandum of understanding with the energy company Oando on wind energy. This will expand the state’s energy mix and bring socioeconomic advancement, such as extending energy access to more areas in the state.

Nigeria must encourage and assist more states and local governments to actively participate at COP29. The country must provide them with the necessary support to make the most of the conference. This is because Nigeria’s climate change response is the sum of the response efforts of its states and local governments.

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Looking ahead

Observation of environmental trends in Nigeria within the last year has shown that climate change is becoming an existential threat.

This is why Nigeria’s delegation to COP29 must return with adaptation enhancement, loss and damage funding, economic emancipation through an enhanced carbon market and promotion of gas as a transition fuel.