Shettima Charges World Leaders On Reasonable Action Against Climate Change

Vice-President Kashim Shettima, has tasked global leaders on taking “reasonable action” and moving from pledges to performance in tackling climate change.

Shettima made the call at the opening of the Heads of State Summit at the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP 30), on Thursday in Belém, Brazil.

He also implored world leaders to be more proactive in curtailing climate change attendant natural disasters that have claimed innocent lives and rendered many homeless across the globe.

” Let COP30 be remembered as the moment when the world moved from pledges to performance, from ambition to action, and from dialogue to delivery,” he said.

The Vice-President, who is representing President Bola Tinubu at the global event, reaffirmed Nigeria’s global climate leadership with a commitment to achieving an emission reduction target of 32 per cent by 2035.

He explained that the new initiatives form the core of Nigeria’s climate finance architecture designed to attract billions of dollars in clean energy and adaptation investments.

Shettima said Nigeria’s renewed climate agenda represents “not just an aspiration, but a solemn national commitment to preserve the planet for future generations.

” The earth speaks in the language of loss and warning. It tells us that our survival is tied to its well-being.

” These are the cries that have compelled us to gather, from one city to another, in pursuit of one shared purpose — to save the only home we have.”

He stressed that climate ambition could be sustained by goodwill alone, saying ” No nation can finance climate ambition with goodwill alone.

” We need a reliable and equitable architecture that recognises the realities of developing nations and empowers them to deliver on global commitments.

“I hereby say without absolute certainty that we are not the problem; we are an integral part of the solution.

” This is why, at COP30, we hope to demonstrate that Africa can lead in carbon capture through forests, in renewable energy expansion, in digital monitoring of emissions, and in regional cooperation that translates ambition into prosperity,” he said.

Shettima maintained that Nigeria is ready “to work with all nations to build a fairer, greener, and more resilient world, one where our children inherit not the ruins of our indifference, but the fruits of our collective resolve.”

He stated that the National Carbon Market Framework would enable Nigeria to generate, trade, and retire carbon credits in alignment with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, ensuring transparency and integrity in carbon transactions.