Lagos Climate Office, LAMATA partner on managing climate change

The Lagos Office of Climate Change and Circular Economy (OCCE) and Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) have begun talks towards stemming the rising threat of climate change and how to harness the opportunities to create jobs and contribute to the GDP of the state.

Speaking during a courtesy call on the management of LAMATA, Titi Oshodi, the special adviser to the Lagos State governor on climate change and circular economy, said climate change poses a threat to the well-being and economy of Lagos.

She explained that the Lagos State Climate Action Plan 2020 – 2025 showed that more than half of Lagos’s 21 million residents live in informal settlements, which renders them highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

She stated that the Lagos State Adaptation and Resilience Plan (LCARP) estimated the effects of climate inaction at $22-29 billion, 11 times the state’s 2022 annual budget.

“These numbers and statistics are worrisome, and that is why we are on this road show to engage all stakeholders to partner and create awareness the menace of climate change. Energy, waste, and transportation are the highest emitters of greenhouse gases in Lagos. So, it makes sense that stakeholders within the sectors are our first point of call.

We were with LAWMA a few weeks ago, and we have also come to LAMATA to seek possible areas of collaboration. And we are most delighted by the reception and readiness of these stakeholders,” she said.

Oshodi added: “This is because climate change is not all bad news. It also holds huge economic opportunities for job creation and revenue generation. The Nigerian Green Manufacturing Report 2022 projects that just seven green manufacturing industries could be worth $2.7 billion by 2030. So, imagine how much of this Lagos can harness and the impact it will have on not just our environment but the economic prosperity of Lagosians.”

In her response, Abimbola Akinajo, managing director of LAMATA, informed the OCCE’s delegation of LAMATA’s several activities geared towards sustainability.

She said that LAMATA was currently conducting studies on alternative fuel usage in public transportation, adding that the authority’s regulatory functions also aim at promoting multi-fuel rolling stock to mitigate the impact of greenhouse gases on fuel in transport operations.