SDGs: Can Nigeria fight these environmental issues by 2030?

THE international community over the last decades has adopted quite a number of environmentally related agreements, one of which is the new global development agenda agreed by the United Nations (UN) in September 2015, which is a follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The universal agreement which is based on a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030, carefully balances the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development.

Integrating the environment and development is essential, as any human development, largely depends on a healthy environment. While some of the goals are basically environmental, others such as Ending Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Affordable and Clean Energy, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, and the likes, need a good environment for a successful implementation.

Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation
With more than 40 per cent of people around the world affected by water scarcity, it is essential to ensure access to water and sanitation for all. This figure is however, even projected to increase with the rise of global temperatures as a consequence of climate change.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), although 2.1 billion people have gained access to improved water sanitation since 1990, dwindling supplies of safe drinking water is a major problem impacting every continent. By 2050, it is projected that at least one in four people are likely to be affected by recurring water shortages.


Goal 13: Climate action
The goal urges the global community to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, as almost every country across the world is affected by the effects of climate change. With greenhouse gas emissions now more than 50 per cent higher than their 1990 level, strengthening the resilience and adaptive capacity of more vulnerable regions is essential.

Goal 14: Life below water
With over three billion people depending on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods, this goal focuses on the conservation and sustainably use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. The UNDP noted that there has been a 26 per cent rise in ocean acidification since the beginning of the industrial revolution.

Goal 15: Life on land 
Around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihood, as plant life provides 80 per cent of our human diet. According to the UNDP, today, the loss of arable land is at 30 to 35 times the historical rate. Drought and desertification is also on the rise each year, amounting to the loss of 12 million hectares and affecting poor communities globally.

Achieving these goals demands huge commitment from every country, and it is important for Nigeria as a nation to align them with our national development plan. So how can Nigeria localise the SDGs, as well as ensure that a lot is done in the 15-year development framework?

“With the right policy in place and an enabling environment from government’s legislation, this will attract private investors, as well as encourage the public to play their part. So, I believe that we can get there. We might not be able to solve it, but we will make a very good head start for sure,” said Paul O’Callaghan, CEO, WestAfricaENRG Limited.

Mr Ayodeji Ogunyemi, Director, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young Nigeria, noted that to compliment efforts on climate change, a wider environmental protection plan for Nigeria would be valuable.

“To achieve this, there is a need for a Nigeria climate change master plan. I understand that the Ministry of Environment already has such a plan or similar, but the plan needs to be updated with the outcomes and targets from last year’s COP 21, as well as have all costs, benefits and financing assumptions reworked. It then needs to be faithfully executed and closely monitored. All stakeholders, development agencies and others that are key to the success of the plan should be sensitised early and given the opportunity to the planning process.”