Climate change is one of the critical issues facing the world. Climate change is the average weather condition in a place over an extended period. Globally there are cases of rising temperatures, drought, deforestation, and flooding which are the effects of climate change.
In Nigeria, there are issues of drought, deforestation, and flooding. Of the 744 local government areas of the country, 372 are at risk of flooding. The UN stated that in 2022 flooding killed 662 people, injured 3174 others, displaced 2.5 million, and destroyed 200,000 houses in Nigeria. Nigeria also has the highest deforestation rate in the world, with an estimated 3.7% of its forest lost every year, while farmers in the north are battling drought.
Transportation as one of the major drivers of climate change, is responsible for some greenhouse gas emissions which affect climate change.
Road transportation which relies on the burning of petroleum fuel results in high levels of warming gases (Carbon dioxide, ozone, and black Carbon) released into the atmosphere. The world’s dependence on fuel makes it difficult for the transportation sector to address climate change, but the transportation sector has the potential to limit the effects and issues surrounding climate change.
The Nigerian Transportation sector is one of the major contributors to the Gross Domestic Product GDP, 2022 road transport emerged as one of the best-performing sectors in the third quarter, with a 49.68 percent growth while in the first quarter of 2023, the sector grew by 20.22%. The NBS also revealed that transportation-related activities contributed 1.71 in the first quarter of 2023 and 1.35 percent to GDP in the 2nd quarter of 2023.
Therefore the transportation sector remains critical to economic growth and development. It is the backbone of trade and is very strategic in facilitating and sustaining the movement of people, goods, and services, and the major means of access to education, market, agricultural produce, and health care facilities among other sectors .
Climate change affects transportation and transportation infrastructure.
There is a need for the transportation sector to focus on solutions that will help achieve Sustainable Development Goals, implement the right policies, and invest in low-emission alternatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which affects climate change.
Nigeria said it is set to end dependence on fossil fuel and made a commitment to an energy transition plan to achieve universal access to energy by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2060. However, there is a need to deploy new transportation technology.
Similarly, Nigeria at the G77+China Leaders’ Summit in Cuba said that the climate crisis around the globe has dominated its agenda and resulted in the establishment of start-ups like the Climate Action Africa Labs, a hub dedicated to addressing diverse challenges posed by climate change, including severe droughts, flooding, and the escalating agricultural complexities.
The government through the transportation sector must take the lead in transitioning to low-emission vehicles or electric cars to resolve the challenges of climate change. The government should encourage the use of public mass transit by purchasing electric mass transit vehicles to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. Work with health practitioners to encourage cycling and walking for its health benefits. The transportation sector needs to focus on new policies to mitigate climate change.
Nevertheless, the Nigerian government has recognized the need to adapt existing national policies, strategies, and plans to address climate change and to ensure its adaptation and mitigation concerns are properly integrated into current national development plans, known as Vision 20:2020.
The effectiveness of environmental sustainability policies in the sector, as well as it’s potential of supporting adaptation and mitigation.
Climate change is one of its major threats globally and Nigeria must develop better strategies to manage its impact as well as create more awareness about it is imperative for Nigeria to develop better strategies to manage its impact as well as create more awareness about it
