Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged world leaders to move beyond promises and take concrete action to combat climate change, warning that humanity’s survival depends on urgent, collective efforts.
Speaking on Thursday at the Leaders’ Climate Summit during the ongoing 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said it was time to shift “from pledges to performance, from ambition to action, and from dialogue to delivery.”
“The Earth speaks in the language of loss and warning,” the Vice President said. “It tells us that our survival is tied to its well-being. Let COP30 be remembered as the moment when the world moved from pledges to performance.”
Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 32% by 2035, following the recent launch of the National Carbon Market Framework and the Climate Change Fund. These initiatives, he explained, are designed to attract billions of dollars in clean energy and climate adaptation investments, while providing relief to communities most affected by floods, droughts, and desertification.
The Vice President added that the National Carbon Market Framework will enable Nigeria to generate, trade, and retire carbon credits under the Paris Agreement, ensuring transparency and integrity in carbon transactions. Proceeds from these efforts will be channeled into the Climate Change Fund to support vulnerable communities.
Shettima disclosed that the Federal Government has also introduced a five-year Carbon Market Roadmap, which will lay the foundation for an Emissions Trading System and Carbon Tax Regime, supported by fiscal incentives for industries adopting clean technologies.
He reiterated that developing nations need a fair and equitable climate finance system that reflects their realities and supports their commitments.
“No nation can finance climate ambition with goodwill alone,” he said. “We are not the problem; we are part of the solution. Africa can lead in carbon capture, renewable energy, and digital monitoring of emissions.”
