Addressing misinformation about local weather change diplomacy, By Chukwumerije Okereke

David claims that the target of Dialogue Earth is to get the Nigerian authorities to kill the refinery. Nonetheless, the transient he shared contradicts this conclusion, emphasising that the first purpose of the essay is to extend consciousness of the refinery’s paradox throughout the context of Nigeria’s vitality transition plan and its dedication to reaching internet zero emissions by 2060. This, for my part, is a really legitimate query and one which I’ve raised and mentioned in a latest article on the Dangote refinery and Nigeria’s local weather dedication.

The latest write up by the extremely revered and admired David Hundeyin is characteristically provocative. He makes some essential factors, that are communicated in his typical model.

His sharing of the commissioned transient he acquired from Dialogue Earth within the spirit of full openness is commendable, as is his assertion that Nigeria’s and Africa’s future needs to be determined by Nigerians and Africans themselves. Doubtless, this contains how we determine to make use of our hydrocarbons.

I’ve by no means interacted with Dialogue Earth, discuss extra of receiving funding from them. I don’t maintain transient for them. Nonetheless, as a number one African local weather coverage knowledgeable, I consider that a lot of David’s presentation is simplistic, bordering on sensationalism, and has the potential to result in a conclusion that doesn’t advance a wholesome debate concerning the financial influence of local weather change in Nigeria and the way we should always finest reply to make sure Nigeria’s long-term financial sustainability.

David claims that the target of Dialogue Earth is to get the Nigerian authorities to kill the refinery. Nonetheless, the transient he shared contradicts this conclusion, emphasising that the first purpose of the essay is to extend consciousness of the refinery’s paradox throughout the context of Nigeria’s vitality transition plan and its dedication to reaching internet zero emissions by 2060. This, for my part, is a really legitimate query and one which I’ve raised and mentioned in a latest article on the Dangote refinery and Nigeria’s local weather dedication.

Whereas I wholeheartedly assist the refinery for financial causes, it’s self-evident that its operation, in addition to the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA), pose challenges to Nigeria’s local weather ambitions. This rigidity and the way finest to resolve it requires a relaxed nationwide dialogue. I’ve beforehand beneficial that the federal government ought to set up and undertake clear insurance policies to assist harmonise our local weather change, financial, and vitality safety goals.

These may embrace carbon buying and selling, carbon tax, carbon sequestration, carbon seize, and carbon storage. Many of those measures are outlined in Nigeria’s Local weather Change Act, and if correctly carried out, they’ve the potential to generate billions of {dollars} for the federal government, whereas concurrently selling financial progress. And by the best way, a radical environmental and social influence research in relation to the refinery, as urged within the transient David shared, is already required by our present laws and important for social, environmental, and financial causes.

David additionally makes a number of different bogus or, at finest, unsubstantiated claims within the article. For instance, I see nothing within the transient he shared to conclude that Dialogue Earth doesn’t care about human poverty attributable to exporting uncooked supplies and importing refined gasoline, that they don’t think about the emissions generated from this course of unhealthy for the setting, or that their goal is to maintain Africa poor. The sort of conclusion is reached by assuming that the one different to questioning the refinery’s local weather change implications is to assist the present state of vitality poverty and the unpatriotic coverage of exchanging crude oil for imported refined merchandise, which is clearly unhealthy for Nigeria’s financial system and the setting.

The place I consider Western environmental NGOs continuously go mistaken is that they push Africa too arduous on inexperienced transition and leaving the oil within the floor, whereas not lobbying or campaigning arduous for sufficient monetary assist and expertise switch to develop renewable vitality capacities in Africa. I’ve talked about this problem a number of occasions in my dialogue on the topic.

A extra nuanced and truthful place is that almost all of Western environmental NGOs against fossil gasoline funding in Africa actively assist different insurance policies that promote renewable vitality funding and poverty discount in Africa. They envision a clear Africa fuelled by renewable vitality, which is able to present Africa with a world financial benefit.

The place I consider Western environmental NGOs continuously go mistaken is that they push Africa too arduous on inexperienced transition and leaving the oil within the floor, whereas not lobbying or campaigning arduous for sufficient monetary assist and expertise switch to develop renewable vitality capacities in Africa. I’ve talked about this problem a number of occasions in my dialogue on the topic.

A number of research have discovered that international locations can enhance their financial competitiveness by investing in renewable vitality. Every nation should think about, choose, and pursue a method that’s delicate to its vitality calls for. On this regard, I’m sure that strengthening Nigeria’s native refining capability throughout the context of a border financial diversification agenda is the proper technique to deal with local weather change, create jobs, and develop our financial system.

Local weather change is actual, and it’s projected to value Nigeria as much as $460 billion by 2050. It is without doubt one of the most vital financial growth challenges dealing with Nigeria and different African international locations.

Whereas investing closely in wind and carbon seize expertise, the UK has used its coal energy crops greater than ever earlier than in recent times to satisfy excessive vitality demand, because of the extraordinarily harsh winter. Whereas China is the world’s largest photo voltaic generator, it is usually essentially the most polluting nation. In each instances, international locations are trying to strike a stability between local weather change, vitality safety, and long-term financial competitiveness. Each require threat evaluation, situation planning, and customary sense primarily based on observable tendencies. Nigeria should additionally assume and act strategically, somewhat than hiding her head within the sand.

The worldwide local weather settlement requires a fast transition away from oil and gasoline in direction of renewable vitality. The settlement requires a tripling of the renewable vitality portfolio by 2030. Regardless of having an abundance of photo voltaic vitality, solar energy at the moment contributes lower than 0.5 per cent to our grid.

Nigeria can acquire a major financial benefit by diversifying its financial system and embracing the inexperienced financial system. This doesn’t require chopping all oil and gasoline manufacturing tomorrow.

…by asking a non-expert to jot down an opinion submit on the Dangote refinery and local weather change, Dialogue Earth demonstrated an absence of intelligence and prudence, and may thus be accused of being naive, determined, and silly. They’ve introduced this ant-infested wooden upon themselves, and so they should now endure the inquisition, blame, contempt, and opprobrium that include it.

It’s clear that David thinks local weather change is a spiritual perception, and it’s apparent that this knowledgeable his interpretation of the transient he acquired and the commentary he offered. I vehemently disagree that local weather change shouldn’t be actual and is a matter that calls for pressing consideration.

It needs to be underlined that the advocacy of varied Western NGOs and residents to encourage a speedy inexperienced transition shouldn’t be restricted to Africa however is powerful and efficient of their dwelling nations. Local weather advocacy and motion is a serious social, political, and financial problem in the UK, america, and different industrialised international locations. It’s a main matter in election debates and a dividing line between main political events.

Nonetheless, Western environmental NGOs reminiscent of Dialogue Earth continuously make the error of selling the identical trigger in Africa with out a thorough data of the African psyche, historical past, and financial circumstances. And by doing so, they threat being charged with “local weather colonialism,” a phrase I’ve used and addressed in prior writings.

Respectfully, I consider David ought to have merely declined the request to analysis and write the transient on the grounds that local weather change coverage and economics aren’t his areas of experience.

Nonetheless, by asking a non-expert to jot down an opinion submit on the Dangote refinery and local weather change, Dialogue Earth demonstrated an absence of intelligence and prudence, and may thus be accused of being naive, determined, and silly. They’ve introduced this ant-infested wooden upon themselves, and so they should now endure the inquisition, blame, contempt, and opprobrium that include it.

Nonetheless, it will likely be detrimental to Nigeria if David’s feedback make it tough to have a mature and science-based debate about how Nigeria can finest stability its local weather change and financial progress targets with the intention to obtain long-term local weather resilience and sustainable growth in a quickly evolving inexperienced transition world financial system.

Chukwumerije Okereke is a professor of International Local weather Governance and Public Coverage on the College of Bristol’s College of Coverage Research, in addition to the director of the Alex Ekwueme Federal College Ndufu-Alike Centre for Local weather Change and Growth in Ikwo, Nigeria.