The World Bank has disclosed that Nigeria would need about $140 billion by 2030 in order to take effective action on climate change.

Benoit Bosquet, the Practice Manager Africa, Environment & Natural Resources at the World Bank disclosed this during his presentation at the ongoing workshop on Climate Change Knowledge Immersion in Kaduna State.

He said that in order for the country to take actions like reducing greenhouse gas emissions “and adapting to climate change, Nigeria needs about $140bn by 2030. The action is technically feasible and economically beneficial but the sooner it is undertaken, the better. The longer it will take to undertake climate action, the more expensive it will be.‎”

He added that climate change could increase the global poverty headcount by over 100 million people by 2030. “The poor will be affected the most, in particular, women, children and elderly citizens”, he said.

Also speaking at the workshop, the National Coordinator of Nigerian Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), Dahiru Salisu, said: “the impact of climate change that has befallen ‎the country is largely our making. It is due to this realization, that countries‎ around the world including Nigeria decided to take action through several formal initiatives, like the signing of the Paris Agreement last year.”

Anita Fatunji