President Muhammadu Buhari Monday in Abu Dhabi called for greater global
cooperation against the devastating effects of climate change to avert
disaster for the human race in the 21st century.
Addressing the opening of the 2016 World Future Energy Summit, President
Buhari reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to work with the United Arab
Emirates and rest of the world in a collective effort to mitigate the
effects of climate change.
“Africa is already suffering from the consequences of climate change,
which include recurrent drought and floods. In Nigeria, the drastic
drying up of the Lake Chad to just about 10% of its original size, has
negatively impacted on the livelihood of millions of people, and
contributed in making the region a hot bed of insurgency.
“Desert encroachment in Niger, our northern neighbour and in far northern
Nigeria, at the rate of several hundred meters per annum, has impacted on
the existence of man, animal and vegetation, threatening to alter the
whole ecological balance of the sub-region.
“In the middle and southern part of Nigeria, land erosion threatens
farming, forestry, town and village peripheries and in some areas major
highways.
“Constant and abrupt alteration between floods and droughts prove that
climate change is real and therefore a global approach and cooperation to
combat its effects are vital if the human race is not to face disaster in
the 21st century,” President Buhari told participants at the summit.
Noting that the summit was taking place soon after the United Nations
Conference on Climate Change held in Paris late last year, President
Buhari praised the United Arab Emirates for consistently supporting
international action on climate change.
“We see Abu Dhabi as a dependable partner in the collective effort to
manage climate risks including the attainment of the sustainable
development goals by 2030.
“Thank you, Abu Dhabi, for consistently continuing to support
international action in this sphere.
“We appreciate your immense contributions worth hundreds of millions of
dollars in Energy aid to developing countries,” the President said.