The Nigerian Chapter of the Global Legislator’s Organization for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE Nigeria) has called on the National Assembly to pass the draft Climate Change Framework Bill currently at different stages of both legislative chambers.
This comes as the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Patricia Espinosa announced receipt of Nigeria’s Climate Change Ratification Instrument.
President of the group, Bukar Abba Ibrahim stated this at a media briefing in Abuja, Wednesday.
According to the senator, it is time for the Legislature to put a seal on the Paris Climate Change agreement, signed by President Muhammadu Buhari at the 71st United Nations General Assembly, New York, in 2016.
The agreement prescribed a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change impact by limiting global warming to below 2°C.
The senator linked the outbreak of Meningitis in some parts of the country to the effects of climate change-induced heat wave that creates the breeding ground for causal organisms of deadly diseases including the Ebola virus that has re-surfaced in West Africa.
He also enumerated the benefits of increased climate action in developing countries like Nigeria to include meeting the Sustainable Development Goals 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy,) 13 (Climate action) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
The President of the organisation further lamented the shift in policy direction of President Trump-led administration of the United States on climate change and called on the United States Government to rescind her decision on slowing down action on climate change.
On his part, Vice President of the group and a lawmaker in the House of Representatives Sam Onuigbo expressed optimism that when the Climate Change Framework bill is passed into law, it will be assented to Mr. President and implemented immediately.
He therefore urged his colleagues and all well-meaning Nigerians to support the bill, which he said will come up for Second and Third Reading soon.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
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