Kyoto Protocol and the Challenges of Implementation in Nigeria

Abstract

This review paper focuses on the objectives of the Kyoto Protocol and the challenges of compliance and implementation in Nigeria Historically the Kyoto Protocol is an amendment of the agreement on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) signed in the Japanese City of Kyoto in Dec. 1997. It was signed and ratified by 55 industrialized nations of the world before it came into force in Feb. 2005 to reduce the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission implicated in global warming to a safe and tolerable limit. Presently a total of 191 countries of the world have signed the treaty with only 55 industrialized nations ratifying it making the implementation of the treaty obligatory on them. The primary GHG that the treaty addressed to reduce their emission levels are CO2, CH4, N2O, SF6, Hydro fluorocarbon and Per fluorocarbon. The treaty set specific emission reduction targets for each industrialized nation for compliance. This paper relies on secondary GHG emission data in Nigeria for the review. Nigeria is a signatory to the treaty but is yet to ratify it. Some of the sources of the gases in Nigeria include natural gas and fossil fuel combustion, bush burning, gas flaring, fairly used refrigerators and air conditioners, overpopulation, forest fire etc. Challenges facing the implementation of the treaty in Nigeria includes; overdependence on fossil fuel and natural gas as the major foreign exchange earner, absence of reliable data on GHG, emission, absence of sound and sustainable environmental policies and programs, over lapping policies among environmental agencies of government etc .Greenhouse gases build up in Nigeria is on the rise especially CO2 above the pristine value causing a rise in the atmospheric temperature overtime. The effects include desertification, loss of ecosystem and biodiversity, flooding etc. Thus there is the need to mitigate some of the anthropogenic activities that increases the level of GHG in the atmosphere that is in compliance with the provisions of the conventions and treaties on the environment Nigeria needs to ratify the protocol because the benefits outweighs the cost and the revenue loss fear that is anticipated from overdependence on crude oil can be allayed by the diversification of the economy to environmentally friendly ventures such as the development of solar, nuclear, hydro power sources and the exploitation of solid minerals.