Experts seek inclusion of carbon pricing in climate plan
WITH efforts to revise and submit its Nationally Determined Contributions ( NDCS) in top gear, stakeholders have canvassed inclusion of carbon fee and dividend policy in the country’s draft.
The experts said this would boost government’s plan to lift 100 million people out of poverty in 10 years and ensure recovery in post COVID- 19 pandemic era.
They stated that carbon pricing is an idea whose time has come and cannot be left out, stressing that the ambitious plan of the government can be achieved through a national carbon pricing policy; the carbon fee and dividend otherwise referred to as climate income policy.
Carbon fee and dividend is the policy proposal created by Citizens’ Climate Lobby ( CCL) to internalise the costs of burning carbonbased fuels. It’s the policy that climate scientists and economists alike say is the best first- step to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic climate change from global warming as well as eliminate poverty through basic climate income.
Speaking at the first webinar on the theme ‘ Understanding Climate Income’ organised by the Citizens’ Climate Internatio nal, the Africa Regional Coordinator of the group, David Terungwa, said the policy is an opportunity for Africa and other parts of the world to eradicate poverty completely.
He said adopting of the policy would be a means to recover from COVID- 19 pandemic, adding that nothing stops any states in Nigeria from pricing carbon.
“Nigeria remains one of the few countries in the world that flare gas. There have been regulations for years and penalties. But gas flaring has continued without any hindrance. Companies are taking advantage of our weak laws and enforcement to continually flare gas that our people are looking for, to cook”, he said.
The Programme Director at Citizens’ Climate International, Carthy Orlando, disclosed that 36 countries have legislative carbon pricing policy, 97 countries have carbon pricing in their NDC’S commitment to the United Nations while 61 jurisdictions around the world are pricing carbon.