COP 28: Nigeria commits to UN’s clean cooling initiative against global warming
The federal government has assured world leaders of the countrys total commitment to Clean Cooling, an energy initiative adopted at the ongoing UN Climate Change Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi gave the assurance in an address at a high-level meeting attended by world leaders and other critical stakeholders on climate change. Speaking at the event where the Global Cooling Pledge was made, Dr Abdullahi was emphatic of Nigeria's commitment to the initiative as recently championed by the commission in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). He said the countrys lead agency on energy is poised to drive the new energy economy that would be in line with the global best practices. In our capacity as the lead agency in the energy sector in Nigeria, we recently hosted a one-day workshop on Air Conditioners Monitoring, Verification and Enforcement (MVE) for government officials saddled with the responsibility of ensuring standards. "This was done in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the overall objective of accelerating the transition to energy-efficient air-conditioners (ACs) with climate-friendly (lowGWP refrigerant) in residential and commercial buildings. "Such an initiative actually aligns with my countrys climate targets in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). "However, the ongoing climate change summit here in Dubai has further broadened the scope of our work not only as a country but also as a leading voice in Africa. I can assure you all that Nigeria will take the lead in advocating for this global pledge among other African nations to mitigate the devastating effect of global warming occasioned by climate change. Dr. Abdullahi added. The ECN Director-General also used the roundtable discussion to affirm President Bola Tinubus resolve to aggressively pursue a climate-friendly, energy policy in the face of global warming and emissions. The Global Cooling Pledge is an initiative of the United Nations developed to see a reduction in carbon emissions and bring Minimum Energy Performance (MEP) to 1.5C across the globe. Participants at the session include former United States Secretary of State, John Kerry who is now the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Ms Inger Anderson, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Mrs Damilola Ogunbiyi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) amongst others.