LAGOS STATE CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY 2012-2014
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LAGOS STATE CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY 2012-2014
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LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT
CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY 2012-2014
LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT
FIRST DRAFT
March 2012
Foreword
This text should ideally be provided by the Ministry of Environment for insertion, without any
modification whatsoever, into the document by the client. This is important since the Foreword
is often signed by a high-ranking government officer, often the Permanent Secretary, hence the
need for the text to originate from the Government because, that among other things,
communicates the Government’s commitment to implementing the objectives of the Policy.
i
Executive Summary
Climate change poses serious challenges to Lagos State. Sea level rise (SLR) and flooding are
likely to have serious ramifications on the health and settlements of coastal populations. It is
estimated that 3.2 million Nigerians could be displaced from their homes by SLR. Over 2 million
of these people live in Greater Lagos and other urban areas1. unique features of Lagos State
such as a high and rapidly increasing population, the flat topography, extensive coastal areas
and a high water table, which in some areas of Lagos Island is less than 0.15 m from the
surface, are predisposing factors that further increase the State’s vulnerability to climate change
impacts. Other potential climate change impacts on Lagos State include salt-water intrusion into
aquifers and other fresh water sources, destruction of infrastructure by floods and storm surges,
and increase in the incidences of water-borne diseases, among others.
At the same time, climate change does have opportunities that developing countries and states
such as Lagos State can take advantage of. These include the Clean Development Mechanism
(CDM), which is legislated under Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol; Nationally Appropriate
Mitigation Actions (NAMAs); and Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest
Degradation plus (REDD+).
Existing policies, programmes, actions and measures are insufficient to address the level of risk
posed by climate change. Weak technical capacity and lack of appropriate institutional
framework and governance instruments particularly at the national level are additional
challenges pegging climate change response in the State. They are also some of the factors for
poor participation by Nigeria in climate change opportunities such as the CDM.
It is against this back drop that the Lagos State Climate Change Policy has been developed.
The rationale of the Policy is to guide the State and other stakeholders on the implementation of
collective measures to address climate change impacts and causes through adaptation,
mitigation and other measures, while assuring sustainable socio-economic development
through harmonised and coordinated strategies, programmes and actions to combat climate
change.
The Policy provides an integrated, harmonised and multi-sectoral framework for responding to
climate change in Lagos State through adaptation, mitigation and other measures collectively
referred to as “cross-cutting measures”. Some of the cross-cutting measures include education
and training, research and development, technology development and transfer, finance, and
mainstreaming and governance. Putting into consideration the differentiated impacts of climate
change on different segments of the society, and the differentiated roles of women, men, youth,
and the physically challenged, gender and other social perspectives have also been considered
in the Policy.
Primary priority areas of this Policy are climate change adaptation and disaster risk
management. These priority areas will be supported by critical capacity building areas and
pillars such as finance; technology development and transfer; education, training and public
awareness; and information and knowledge management systems.
Climate change mitigation is a secondary priority of this Policy. Further, regarding mitigation,
the Policy recommends the implementation of measures that meet sustainable development
needs of the State. This is in line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC)’s principle of “social and economic development and poverty eradication
1
French GT, Awosika LF, Ibe CE (1995): Sea-level rise in Nigeria: potential impacts and consequences. J Coast Res
Spec Iss 14:224–242
ii
are the first and overriding priorities of developing countries and that a low-carbon development
strategy is indispensable to sustainable development2.
Climate change impacts on nearly all sectors of the economy but mostly on energy, water,
agriculture and food security, biodiversity and ecosystem services (wetlands, coastal and
marine ecosystems, forests, wildlife, and tourism), human health, land use and soil, industry,
human settlements, transport and other infrastructure. In this context, the Policy recognises the
critical need for the development and implementation of integrated adaptation and mitigation
projects to secure sustainable development of the State.
This Policy conforms to the fundamental and operational principles of Lagos State set out in
Chapter II (Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy) of the Constitution
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999). Among the provisions of the country’s supreme law
that the Policy addresses is on environmental protection (Article 20). Article 20 of the
Constitution empowers the State to “protect and improve the environment and safeguard the
water, air, land, forests and wildlife of Nigeria”. It also conforms to the principles of
environmental law as envisaged in multiple environmental governance instruments including
Edict No. 9 of 1996 to establish the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, and Articles
3.3 and 3.4 of the UNFCCC.
It is also aligned with the National Communications (NCs), which Parties to the UNFCCC use to
communicate their status of implementing the UNFCCC related to vulnerability and adaptation,
national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories by source and removal by carbon sinks, and
potential mitigation actions. Nigeria submitted its initial National Communication to the UNFCCC
Secretariat in November, 2003.
The Policy complements various international conventions, treaties and protocols on
environment and natural resources. In particular, the Policy is in line with the United UNFCCC
and its Kyoto Protocol (KP) as well as other key Conference of the Parties (COP) decisions
such as the Cancun Agreements (COP 16) and the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (COP
17). The ultimate objective of the UNFCCC is to “achieve stabilisation of greenhouse gas
concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic
interference with the climate system within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt
naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable
economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner” (United Nations, 1992).
Other related Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs) linked to the Policy that Nigeria is a
Party to and therefore, that affect Lagos State, include: the United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification (UNCCD); the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITIES); the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat; the
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs); the Vienna Convention for the
Protection of the Ozone Layer; the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Layer; and the Basel Convention on Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and their Disposal, among others.
The Ministry of Environment (MoE) of the Lagos State Government will be responsible for the
implementation of the Policy, working in close collaboration with other key line ministries. The
Policy recommends that various implementation instruments be developed for its
operationalisation. These include an elaborate State Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan.
The Climate Change Department within the MoE shall coordinate and manage the
implementation of the Policy so as to enhance synergies and minimise duplication of efforts. It
shall work jointly with existing relevant State and national governments’ agencies, departments
and institutions as well as other agencies, departments and institutions that may be established
2
Article of the Cancun Agreements
iii
in the implementation of the Policy. As a coordinating institution, the Climate Change
Department shall be vested inter alia with mandates to design climate change strategies and
plans, design relevant projects, promote the introduction of climate change in education
curriculum, and initiate relevant climate change capacity building projects.
Overall, this Policy aims to:
i. Establish a State climate change governance framework to coordinate and harmonise
the implementation of State-level climate change activities and initiatives;
ii. Identify priority adaptation action areas and roles of the State and other stakeholders to
address climate change;
iii. Identify priority mitigation action areas, while taking into account that poverty eradication
and economic development are the overriding priorities of the State, and the roles of the
State and other stakeholders to address climate change;
iv. Promote capacity building efforts through inter alia education and training; public
awareness; research and development; technology development and transfer; and
information and knowledge management;
v. Promote climate change research and observations through monitoring, detection,
attribution and model prediction to enhance climate change preparedness and disaster
risk management;
vi. Support the mainstreaming or integration of climate change into State planning and
development processes including gender, youth and marginalised groups development;
and
vii. Facilitate resource mobilisation for the implementation of identified climate change
activities and initiatives.
A monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework shall be developed as an integral component of
the Policy implementation to ensure that Policy goal and objectives are achieved and priority
actions are implemented in a cost-effective, coordinated and harmonised approach. The
Climate Change Department will develop tools and guidelines for monitoring and evaluating the
implementation of the Policy.
The Policy will be reviewed every three years to take into account emerging issues, challenges,
and trends on climate change at the local, national, sub-regional, regional and global levels
including the dynamic international climate change policy debate.
ivContents
Foreword ........................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ ii
Acronyms and Abbreviations ........................................................................................................ vii
Terminologies and Concepts ......................................................................................................... ix
1 CHAPTER ONE .....................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................1
1.0 BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 LINKAGES WITH STATE AND NATIONAL POLICIES AND STRATEGIES ..................................... 4
1.2 LINKAGES WITH REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS, TREATIES AND
PROTOCOLS ............................................................................................................................................... 4
1.3 RATIONALE AND JUSTIFICATION ................................................................................................... 5
2 CHAPTER TWO .....................................................................................................................6
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES............................................................................................................6
2.0 GOAL .................................................................................................................................................. 6
2.1 OBJECTIVES ..................................................................................................................................... 6
2.2 SCOPE OF THE POLICY ................................................................................................................... 6
2.3 GUIDING PRINCIPLES ...................................................................................................................... 7
3 CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................................................8
POLICY PRIORITIES......................................................................................................................8
3.0 CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION .................................................................................................... 8
3.0.1 Challenges to Adaptation............................................................................................................................... 8
3.0.2 Adaptation Objective...................................................................................................................................... 9
3.0.3 Adaptation Policy Statements ........................................................................................................................ 9
3.1 CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION .................................................................................................... 20
3.1.1 Challenges to Mitigation .............................................................................................................................. 21
3.1.2 Mitigation Objective ..................................................................................................................................... 21
3.1.3 Mitigation Policy Statements ........................................................................................................................ 21
3.1.4 Sectoral Approach to Mainstreaming Climate Change Mitigation in State Development Planning .............. 22
4 CHAPTER FOUR .................................................................................................................30
CROSSCUTTING ISSUES ...........................................................................................................30
4.0 Education, Training and Public Awareness ...................................................................................... 30
4.1 Information and Knowledge Management Systems ......................................................................... 31
4.2 Technology Development, Transfer and Adoption ........................................................................... 32
4.3 Gender and other Social Considerations.......................................................................................... 33
5 CHAPTER FIVE ...................................................................................................................35
IMPLEMENTATION AND RESOURCE MOBILISATION PLAN ..................................................35
5.0 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN ............................................................................................................... 35
5.0.1 INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS........................................................................................................... 35
5.0.2 PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS .............................................................................................. 35
5.0.3 POLICY STATEMENTS .............................................................................................................................. 35
v5.1 RESOURCE MOBILISATION PLAN ................................................................................................ 36
5.1.1 Finance ........................................................................................................................................................ 36
5.1.2 Capacity Building ......................................................................................................................................... 36
5.2 MONITORING, EVALUATION AND REVIEW .................................................................................. 37
viAcronyms and Abbreviations
AR4 Fourth Assessment Report
BAP Bali Action Plan
BAT Best Available Technologies
BET Best Environmental Practices
BNRCC Building Nigeria’s Response to Climate Change
BRT Rapid Bus Transit
CA Conservation Agriculture
CCA Climate Change Adaptation
CCM Climate Change Mitigation
CDM Clean Development Mechanism
CER Certified Emission Reductions
COP Conference of the Parties (to the Kyoto Protocol)
DPR Department of Petroleum Resource
DRM Disaster Risk Management
DRR Disaster Risk Reduction
ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States
EWS Early Warning System
FME Federal Ministry of the Environment
GDP Gross Domestic Project
GHGs Greenhouse Gases
GIS Geographic Information System
HFA Hyogo Framework for Action
HIV/AIDS Human Immuno Deficiency Virus/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
ICZM Integrated Coastal Zone Management
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IPR Intellectual Property Rights
KP Kyoto Protocol
LAMATA Lagos State Metropolitan Area Traffic Authority
LASEPA Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency
viiLAS-CCAS Lagos State Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
LASTMA Lagos State Traffic Management Authority
MEA Multilateral Environmental Agreement
M&E Monitoring and Evaluation
MoE Ministry of Environment
NAMA Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action
NESREA National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency
NMT Non-motorised Modes of Transport
NOSDRA National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency
POPs Persistent Organic Pollutants
PPPs Public Private Partnerships
R&D Research and Development
REDD+ Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation plus
SLR Sea Level Rise
SME Small and Medium Enterprise
SON Standards Organisation of Nigeria
UN United Nations
UNCCD United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
WATSAN Water and Sanitation
viiiTerminologies and Concepts3
Adaptive capacity: ability of a system to adjust to climate change (including climate variability
and extremes) to moderate potential damages, to take advantage of opportunities, or to cope
with the consequences.
Climate: situation of a climate system, including the statistical description, taking into account
averages and variations in temperature, rainfall, winds and other relevant meteorological factors
in a given period.
Climate change: change of climate attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters
the composition of global atmosphere which is in addition to natural climate variability observed
over comparable period.
Climate variability: seasonal shifts in mean climatic conditions such as temperature and
precipitation.
Climate change adaptation: adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or
expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial
opportunities. Such adjustment may be preventive or reactive, private or public, autonomous or
planned.
Climate change mitigation: human interventions to reduce the sources or enhance sinks of
greenhouse gases.
Carbon sink: any process, activity or mechanism that removes greenhouse gases, aerosols or
precursors of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
Coping capacity: means by which people or organizations use available resources and
abilities to deal with adverse consequences of disaster. The strengthening of coping capacities
usually builds resilience to withstand the effects of natural and human-induced hazards.
Disaster risk management: the systematic process of using administrative decisions,
organizations, operational skills and capacities to implement policies, strategies and coping
capacities of communities to lessen the impacts of natural hazards.
Disaster risk reduction: is the conceptual framework of actions considered and taken with the
possibilities of minimising social and economic vulnerabilities to hazards and disaster risks in a
society, to avoid (prevention), or to limit the adverse impacts of hazards (mitigation), within the
broad context of sustainable development.
Disaster mitigation: Structural and non-structural measures undertaken to limit the adverse
impact of natural hazards, environmental degradation and technological hazards.
Early warning system: is a functional system for generation and provision of timely and
effective information, through identified institutions, that allows individuals exposed to a hazard
to take action to avoid or reduce their risk and prepare for effective response
3
Adopted from the Intergovernmental Panel of Experts on Climate Change (IPCC), United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
(UNISDR)
ixClimate Impact Assessment: the practice of identifying and evaluating the detrimental and
beneficial consequences of climate change on natural and human systems.
Greenhouse gases: gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic,
that absorb and re-emit infrared radiation.
Global warming: intensifying greenhouse effect resulting from anthropogenic actions, where
the consequence is an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases, aerosols or their
predecessors in the atmosphere, which absorb part of the infrared radiation emitted by the
Earth’s surface, thus increasing the average temperature on the planet and causing adverse
climatic phenomena.
Resilience: the ability of a system to adapt to climate change, whether by taking advantage of
the opportunities or by dealing with their consequences; the analysis of adaptation identifies
and evaluates the different options, benefits and costs of the measures.
Sustainable Development: Development which meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Vulnerability: The degree to which a system is susceptible to, and unable to cope with,
adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a
function of the character, magnitude, and rate of climate change and variation to which a
system is exposed, its sensitivity and its adaptive capacity.
x1 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 BACKGROUND
Anthropogenic climate change is now recognised as the world’s greatest developmental and
environmental challenge. The 2007 Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) revealed that climate change is real, and is already
happening at an unprecedented rate. According to the report, while it is difficult to precisely
predict the future consequences of climate change, there is sufficient knowledge and
understanding on the current risks and impacts posed by the changing climate to warrant
action.
Climate change impacts are unevenly distributed geographically and socially. Africa is widely
recognised as one of the most vulnerable locations on the planet to climate change. This is
because Africa is already hot and dry; it depends mainly on climate sensitive sectors such as
agriculture for its livelihood and economic growth; and it is characterised by widespread poverty
and inadequate developmental infrastructure, the latter two leading to a reduction in adaptive
capacity.
According to Nigeria’s Initial Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC)4, the following is the climate change picture for Nigeria over the
next century: a change of 7oC or more in maximum and minimum temperatures in certain parts
of the country as well as increase in rainfall in other areas (although this increase is likely to be
offset by increased evaporation rates due to rising temperatures). The impacts of these
changes will be felt across different sectors including health, water, biodiversity, agriculture,
forestry and human settlements. These will include flooding, water shortages, food insecurity,
and increased disease incidences together with associated social disruption.
The Lagos State Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (LAS-CCAS), one of the baseline studies
for this Policy, corroborates the above findings. According to the report, Lagos State is likely to
experience significant negative impacts as a result of climate change. The risks are particularly
high as a result of its long coastline, flat topography, high water table and growing population
and a heavy concentration of gross domestic product (GDP) generating industry and
infrastructure near the coast.
The dependence on rain-fed agriculture in Lagos implies that agricultural production is highly
vulnerable to climate variability and change. Evaporation is projected to increase over Lagos
State as temperatures rise. Increased rates of evaporation and longer dry periods are expected
to lead to increased water demand for agriculture. In addition, sea-level rise and repeated storm
surges will worsen the problems of coastal erosion that are already a menace in the Niger
Delta, while the associated inundation will increase problems of floods, intrusion of sea-water
into fresh water sources and destroying such stabilizing system as mangrove, and affecting
agriculture, fisheries and general livelihoods5.
Due to competing land use needs such as land for human settlements and farming, there has
been a rapid decline in the forest cover in Lagos State. The exploitation of forest for its
resources has also contributed to the decline in Lagos State’s forests. Climate change will only
add to the stress the State’s forests are already facing. For instance, it is estimated that a large
4
Ministry of Environment of the Federal Government of Nigeria 2003: Nigeria’s First National Communication to the
UNFCCC
5
Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST) 2004: www.nestinteractive.org
1proportion of the State’s biodiversity-rich mangrove forests could be lost with a sea level rise of
only 1 m by 2100. For coastal populations, mangroves are a source of food (they serve as
reproductive and nursery grounds for a wide variety of fish), firewood, timber and medicine.
Sea level rise (SLR) and flooding will have serious ramifications on the health and settlements
of coastal populations. It is estimated that 3.2 million Nigerians could be displaced from their
homes by SLR. Over 2 million of these people live in Greater Lagos and other urban areas6.
unique features of Lagos State such as a high and rapidly increasing population, its flat
topography, extensive coastal areas and a high water table, which in some areas of Lagos
Island is less than 0.15 m from the surface, are predisposing factors that further increase the
State’s vulnerability to climate change impacts. It is expected that many will move to what they
consider to be more habitable areas. This will put additional strain on public health and other
social infrastructure, hence the need for proper planning.
Other important health implications of climate change on Lagos State include increase
incidences of water-borne diseases such as cholera, giardia and enteric fever due to water
quality impairment as a consequence of flooding, drought or salt water intrusion; changes in
transmission intensity and/or distribution of vector-borne diseases like malaria due to variation
in temperature and other climatic elements; and malnutrition due to reduced food production.
The latter has a bearing on other diseases such as HIV/AIDS, whose coping mechanism
includes proper nutrition.
Inadequate and poor water storage and supply infrastructure as well as over-abstraction of
groundwater resources in some locations to meet the increasing demand of the rapidly rising
population and industry are challenges in the water sector in Lagos State. Projected climate
change impacts will exacerbate this situation. Generally, for Lagos State, two opposite
extremes are projected with regard to precipitation: wetter, rainy seasons (i.e., high intensity
rainfall associated with flooding) and drier, dry seasons (i.e., meteorological drought) (BRNCC,
2011). These two extremes will have serious implications on the quality and quantity of water
available for domestic, agricultural and commercial use. For instance, more frequent and
intense floods will cause damage to water infrastructure, besides pollution.
The importance of climate change on the State’s water resources is further accentuated by the
fact over 40% of the state is covered by water and wetlands, while additional 12% is subjected
to seasonal flooding. Coastal wetlands are vulnerable to sea level rise. According to the IPCC
(2007), the global average rate of sea level rise during the period 1993 to 2003 was about 3.1
mm per year. This trend is expected to continue, with IPCC projections indicating possible
increases of between 18 and 59 cm by 2100 relative to 1980-1999. This could translate into an
increase of about 40cm by 2050. With this rise, Lagos State would be exposed to increased
erosion, storm damage, inundation in low lying areas, and intrusion of salt/sea water into
groundwater aquifers and estuaries due to SLR; hence reduced freshwater availability is a likely
outcome of climate change. Indeed, IPCC’s projection that up to 33% of the world’s wetlands
could be converted to open waters by sea level rise (IPCC, 2007) should be a concern to Lagos
State.
Loss of wetlands and pollution of water resources will have a devastating effect on the State’s
biodiversity resource and livelihood options. Wetlands provide environmental and economic
benefits to mankind through fishery production, timber production, waste water purification and
recreational opportunities. Wetlands are also important habitats for a wide variety of plants,
invertebrates, fish, marine animals, shrimps and crabs and larger animals, including many rare,
threatened or endangered species. Because they have both land and aquatic characteristics,
wetlands are some of the most diverse ecosystems on earth.
6
French GT, Awosika LF, Ibe CE (1995): Sea-level rise in Nigeria: potential impacts and consequences. J Coast Res
Spec Iss 14:224–242
2Some of these weather and climate extremes in the State have been observed and
documented. Lagos State Climate Change Adaptation Strategy quotes a report by the Triple
―Eǁ Systems Inc. (2010), which notes that “climate change effects that have manifested in
Lagos State in recent times include beach erosions; flooding of buildings in low lying coastal
areas and the destruction of infrastructure including roads, drains, and water pipelines. Extreme
weather events have also become more frequent in the past four decades. In 1995 and 2010,
Lagos State experienced devastating floods”.
The 1995 one in particular was of importance as it provided an indication of what the future
potentially holds for a changing climate in Lagos State. Storm surges accompanied by high
tides inundated the beaches and virtually connected the Kuramo Lagoon to the Atlantic Ocean.
Many of the streets and drainage channels were flooded, resulting in an abrupt disruption of
socio‐economic activities in Victoria and Ikoyi Islands during the flooding period.
Storms and floods are often associated with loss of life, property and infrastructure damage,
loss of GDP and other socio-economic setbacks. They also pose a big challenge to disaster risk
management (DRM). The entire Nigerian coastal strip including Lagos State is projected to
experience more storm surges in the months of April to June and September to October
annually. The threat of accelerated sea level rise exacerbates the already existing high risks of
storm surges and extreme waves, and will further hamper DRM.
Projections of climate change suggest that Lagos State will experience a slight increase in
rainfall, a slight increase in rainfall variability and a temperature rise of about 3° C by 2100
(Triple “E” Systems and Pennsylvania State University, 2010). Similar studies by the Climate
Systems Analysis Group of University of Cape Town and commissioned by the Building
Nigeria’s Response to Climate Change (BNRCC) indicates a 2º C increase by the year 2065
and of 3.5 º C by the end of the century for southern Nigeria. Rainfall increases are also
projected, with a peak increase of about 2 mm/day in monthly rainfall in the 2046-2065 period in
Lagos State.
These changes have far-reaching consequences on all socio-economic sectors but particularly
on water supply, health sector, agriculture and food security, coastal and marine resources,
infrastructure and human settlements. Depending on social categories such as gender, age,
geographic location, economic status and form of livelihood, climate change has, and will have
differential impacts on various segments of the society, culminating in increased inequality in
the State. Development gains including efforts towards achieving the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) will likely be halted and reversed.
Changing climatic conditions such as increases in rainfall amounts projected for Lagos State
may bring with them positive attributes such as increased agricultural productivity that the State
should exploit; however, these potential benefits are outweighed by the negative impacts of
climate change. Nevertheless, climate change does have opportunities that developing
countries and states such as Lagos State can take advantage of. These include the Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM), which is legislated under Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol. The
CDM allows developing countries such as Nigeria to trade certified emission reductions (CERs)
from projects that limit or avoid emissions of greenhouse gases. A number of such projects from
the State have already been registered, while others are in the pipeline. Major planned
development projects such as the Eko Atlantic City, which will derive its energy exclusively from
renewable sources, present huge CDM opportunities. Other areas through which the State
could benefit from climate change include the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions
(NAMAs), opportunities represented by various climate change funds including the Green
Climate Fund, REDD+ Mechanism and technology transfer.
It is against this backdrop that the Lagos State Climate Change Policy (LAS-CCP) has been
developed to assist the State to engage a more strategic and cooperative approach to
responding to the impacts of climate change, maximising any potential benefits of the changing
climate, and benefiting from existing and future instruments such as the CDM, NAMA, REDD+
3and others. It is therefore important to develop a robust policy to guide this approach. The
Policy represents the commitment of the State in putting in place efforts to address the
challenges and opportunities of climate change, for the benefit of both present and future
generations. The Policy is guided by the precepts of international environmental law including
the principle of sustainable development as reflected in the objective of the UNFCCC and its
Kyoto Protocol, the Cancun Agreements and other international environmental governance
instruments.
1.1 LINKAGES WITH STATE AND NATIONAL POLICIES AND
STRATEGIES
The Policy takes cognisance of existing State and national (federal) development and sectoral
plans, policies and strategies. These include sectoral policies and strategies in environment,
water, land, forestry, coastal and marine systems, energy, transport, agriculture, fisheries,
health, disaster risk management, gender among others.
On climate change, the State has already prepared the Lagos State Climate Change Adaptation
Strategy (LAS-CCAS) 2011. The LAS-CCAS 2011 details necessary adaptation measures
needed to help the State and its citizens adapt and increase their resilience to the adverse
effects of climate change. The State has also prepared its “Policy Framework on Climate
Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Governance in Lagos State” 2011. This Policy Framework,
in addition to addressing adaptation strategies for the State, also provides mitigation options
and necessary institutional framework that can enhance the State’s sustainable development
agenda. Both the LAS-CCAS 2011 and the Policy Framework are the foundation of this Policy.
Nationally, the Policy is in line with the National Communications (NCs), which Parties to the
UNFCCC use to communicate their status of implementing the UNFCCC on issues related to
vulnerability and adaptation, national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories by source and removal
by carbon sinks, potential mitigation actions. Nigeria submitted its initial National
Communication to the UNFCCC Secretariat in November, 2003.
The Policy is also in line with Nigeria’s Constitution 1999. Among the provisions of the country’s
supreme law that the Policy addresses is on environmental protection (Article 20). Article 20 of
the Constitution empowers all the thirty-six States within the Federal Republic of Nigeria to
“protect and improve the environment and safeguard the water, air, land, forests and wildlife of
Nigeria”.
1.2 LINKAGES WITH REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTIONS, TREATIES AND PROTOCOLS
The Policy complements various international conventions, treaties and protocols on
environment and natural resources. In particular, the Policy is in line with the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol (KP) as well as
other key Conference of the Parties (COP) decisions such as the Cancun Agreements (COP
16) and the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (COP 17). The ultimate objective of the
UNFCCC is to “achieve stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a
level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system within a
time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that
food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a
sustainable manner” (United Nations, 1992).
Other related Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs) linked to the Policy that Nigeria is a
Party to and therefore, that affect Lagos State, include: the United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification (UNCCD); the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the Convention
4on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITIES); the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat; the
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs); the Vienna Convention for the
Protection of the Ozone Layer; the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Layer; and the Basel Convention on Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and their Disposal, among others.
1.3 RATIONALE AND JUSTIFICATION
The adverse effects of climate change are already being felt by almost all sectors of the
economy in the State, and are having their toll on the livelihoods of a majority of the Lagosians
as demonstrated above. Severe storms and floods are becoming a norm in the State, only now
occurring with greater intensity and frequency. Destruction of infrastructure and human
settlements, sea level rise and salt-water intrusion, increased incidences of water- and vector-
borne diseases, water quality impairment and human and livestock deaths are some of the
consequences of the changing climate that are beginning to express themselves in the State.
The continued emissions of greenhouse gases which will cause more global warming will only
aggravate the situation. Fragile ecosystems like coastal and marine resources which dominate
the State as well as certain social groups such as women, children, youth, the elderly, and
physically challenged are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Metropolitan Lagos
plays a critical role in Nigeria’s economy. Any negative impact on its health, infrastructure,
energy, water and other key sectors that climate change portends will impede on Nigeria’s
millennium development goals (MDGs) attainment. In this context, devising strategies that
support Lagos’ sustainable development goals while at the same time enhance its climate
change adaptation and mitigation capacity is critical for the State.
The State recognises that every major social, economic and environmental sector is sensitive to
climate variability and climate change, both of which are significant factors in each sector’s
sustainable development. The State is also cognisant of the changing climate and of the need
to put in place measures geared towards adapting and enhancing its resilience to the adverse
impacts of climate change as well as contributing to global mitigation efforts.
There is also need for climate change vulnerability, risk and impact assessment to inform
adaptation, development planning, decision making and disaster risk management. In addition,
capacity building in terms of education and training in specialised climate change skills and
public awareness, institutional strengthening, technology development, transfer and adoption as
well as financial support for adaptation and mitigation are critical areas that the State is
cognisant of.
Lagos also acknowledges that a number of factors enhance its contribution to climate change
and its vulnerability to climate change impacts. Rapid urbanisation is singled out in this context;
it leads to increased energy-associated emissions while the resultant unplanned human
settlement to meet the rising urban housing demand is pre-disposed to climate change impacts
such as storm surges and sea level rise.
Existing policies, programmes, actions and measures are insufficient to address the level of risk
posed by climate change. Weak technical capacity and lack of appropriate institutional
framework and governance instruments particularly at the national level are additional
challenges pegging climate change response in the State.
Given the above context, the maiden State Climate Change Summit held in Lagos City in March
2009 recommended a number of actions needed to address the adverse impacts of climate
change and take advantage of its opportunities. In particular, the Summit recommended the
preparation of a climate change policy to guide and inform the State’s actions on climate
change.
52 CHAPTER TWO
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
2.0 GOAL
The overall goal of the Policy is to foster sustainable development in the State through
harmonised and coordinated strategies, programmes and actions to combat climate change.
2.1 OBJECTIVES
The purpose of the Policy is to guide the State and other stakeholders on the implementation of
collective measures to address climate change impacts and causes through adaptation,
mitigation and other measures, while assuring sustainable socio-economic development.
The specific objectives of the Policy are anchored on pillars such as adaptation, mitigation,
finance, technology, capacity building, research and development, mainstreaming and
governance. They are to:
i. Establish a State climate change governance framework to coordinate and harmonise
the implementation of State-level climate change activities and initiatives;
ii. Identify priority adaptation action areas and roles of the State and other stakeholders to
address climate change;
iii. Identify priority mitigation action areas, while taking into account that poverty eradication
and economic development are the overriding priorities of the State, and the roles of the
State and other stakeholders to address climate change;
iv. Promote capacity building efforts through inter alia education and training; public
awareness; research and development; technology development and transfer; and
information and knowledge management;
v. Promote climate change research and observations through monitoring, detection,
attribution and model prediction to enhance climate change preparedness and disaster
risk management;
vi. Support the mainstreaming or integration of climate change into State planning and
development processes including gender, youth and marginalised groups development;
and
vii. Facilitate resource mobilisation for the implementation of identified climate change
activities and initiatives.
2.2 SCOPE OF THE POLICY
This policy provides an integrated, harmonised and multi-sectoral framework for responding to
climate change in Lagos State through adaptation, mitigation and other measures collectively
referred to as “cross-cutting measures”. The cross-cutting measures include education and
training, research and development, and technology development and transfer, among others.
62.3 GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The Policy conforms to the fundamental and operational principles of Lagos State set out in
Chapter II (Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy) of the Constitution
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999). Article 20 of the Constitution gives every state within
the Federal Government the mandate to “protect and improve the environment and safeguard
the water, air and land, forest and wildlife of Nigeria”. It is also in line with the principles of
environmental law as envisaged in a number of environmental governance instruments
including Edict No. 9 of 1996 to establish the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency,
and Articles 3.3 and 3.4 of the UNFCCC, among others.
The Policy is also guided by the following principles and concepts:
i. Consistency with national and State development priorities, including gender
considerations, poverty alleviation, access to basic amenities including energy, job
creation, rural development, human resource development and improved health;
ii. Importance of mainstreaming/integrating climate change issues into programmes and
projects of the government and its agencies, private sector (industry), development
partners, civil society, and communities;
iii. Active engagement of various stakeholders ranging from government (federal, state and
local), intergovernmental, non-governmental, development partners, private sector, civil
society, vulnerable communities, populations and groups including women, youth and
the physically challenged in the formulation and implementation of the Policy actions;
iv. Importance of synergies and harmonisation to avoid duplication of efforts and to
enhance efficiency in resource utilisation;
v. Implementation of prioritised climate change adaptation and mitigation actions in
accordance with environmental impact assessment, social impact assessment and
ecosystem’s approach to avert any negative social, economic and environmental
impacts of the actions; and
vi. Importance of integrating Best Available Technologies (BAT) and Best Environmental
Practices (BET) into climate change response measures;
73 CHAPTER THREE
POLICY PRIORITIES
The primary priority areas of this Policy are adaptation and disaster risk management. These
priority areas will be supported by the following critical capacity building areas and pillars, which
cut across different sectors: finance; technology development and transfer; education, training
and public awareness; and information and knowledge management systems. Given the
differentiated impacts of climate change on different segments of the society including women,
men, youth, physically challenged, and the different roles played by each of these groups in
addressing climate change (in particular, the different roles of women versus men), gender
considerations have been given adequate attention in an effort to mainstream gender into the
Policy.
Climate change mitigation is a secondary priority area of the Policy. Further, regarding
mitigation, the Policy recommends the implementation of measures that meet sustainable
development needs of the State. This is in line with the UNFCCC’s principle of “social and
economic development and poverty eradication being the first and overriding priorities of
developing countries and that a low-carbon development strategy is indispensable to
sustainable development”7.
The Policy further emphasises on the importance of mainstreaming climate change adaptation
and mitigation into the State’s development plans, taking a sectoral approach with focus on key
socio-economic sectors more likely to be adversely affected by climate change and/or with a
greater mitigation potential. These include but not limited to: energy, water, agriculture and food
security, biodiversity and ecosystem services (wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems,
forests, and wildlife), human health, land use and soil, tourism, industry, human settlements,
transport and other infrastructure. In this context, the Policy recognises the critical need for the
development and implementation of integrated adaptation and mitigation projects to secure
sustainable development of the State.
3.0 CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION
Irrespective of whether emission of greenhouses (GHGs) is halted today or not, there is a
certain degree of future warming and climate change to which we are already subjected
because of past emissions. Furthermore, emissions of GHGs are continuing unabated, implying
that future climate change impacts may be more severe than what current science projects. For
these reasons, the State must prepare for and adapt to the effects of global warming through
adaptation actions and policies that are designed to tackle both current and future climate
change threats. The State’s precarious situation as a low-lying region with flat topography that
is vulnerable to sea level rise with its adverse impacts such as inundation further underscores
the need for robust adaptation measures.
3.0.1 Challenges to Adaptation
Despite the recognition by the State of the importance of adaptation to climate change to
safeguard the safety and livelihood of its citizens, there are a number of challenges to the
advancement of adaptation policy and practice that should be addressed. These challenges
include:
7
Article of the Cancun Agreements
8i. High levels of vulnerability amongst the populations, ecosystems and infrastructure;
ii. Poor state of infrastructure, which reduces resilience to climate change impacts;
iii. High poverty levels, which reduce adaptive capacity and contribute to poor coping
strategies;
iv. Limited financial resources to support climate change adaptation (CCA) activities;
v. Inadequate institutional, legal and regulatory frameworks for adaptation;
vi. Inadequate appropriate technological, human/technical skills, data and tools for impact
and vulnerability assessment; and
vii. Low levels of awareness of climate change impacts and human vulnerability to it
especially at the community level
3.0.2 Adaptation Objective
The objective is to develop and implement robust measures which will improve the adaptive
capacity and resilience of the State and its citizens to the adverse effects of climate change.
3.0.3 Adaptation Policy Statements
The State shall aim at reducing vulnerability, and building social and economic resilience of its
people and ecosystems to the adverse effects of climate change through the development of
adaptation plans, policies and strategies and mainstreaming of climate change adaptation into
its development planning processes. Adaptation policies shall aim at:
3.0.3.1 Reducing vulnerability and building economic, social and environmental
resilience
The State shall:
i. Undertake periodic detailed vulnerability assessments, impact monitoring and status
assessments of natural resources in key socio-economic sectors to inform adaptation
decision making;
ii. Promote diversification of economies to reduce over-dependence on climate-sensitive
sectors and occupations;
iii. Promote social protection as a tool for disaster risk reduction and climate change
adaptation;
iv. Promote alternative livelihoods systems amongst most vulnerable communities; and
v. Enhance adaptive capacities of local communities and fragile ecosystems.
3.0.3.2 Development and implementation of climate change adaptation plans, strategies
and policies
The State shall:
i. Support the development and implementation of robust adaptation strategies and action
plans;
ii. Develop a resource mobilisation plan to implement climate change strategies and action
plans;
iii. Collaborate with the Federal Government in the implementation of adaptation strategies
identified in the National Communications to the UNFCCC;
iv. Provide a conducive and enabling legal and institutional framework to advance climate
change adaptation; and
9v. Mainstream climate change adaptation into policy making, budgeting implementation
and monitoring processes.
3.0.3.3 Sectoral approach to mainstreaming climate change into State development
planning
The impact of climate change is usually felt across different sectors of the economy and
segments of society. Mainstreaming of climate change adaptation into sectoral development
planning processes is therefore an important aspect of climate change adaptation. In this
context, the State shall aim at promoting adaptation in the following vulnerable socio-economic
sectors:
a) Water
In Lagos State, freshwater demand outstrips available supply. Climate change will thus bring
additional pressure to an already stressed water sector as it alters the hydrologic cycle in a
manner that affects both water quantity and quality. Climate change and variability impacts on
the water sector have already expressed themselves in the form of extreme weather events in
the past four decades. In 1995 and 2010, the State experienced devastating floods. Incidences
of such extreme weather events are projected to occur with greater frequency and intensity.
This will affect water supply, rain-fed agriculture, human health and settlements, physical
infrastructure, and all other sectors that directly or indirectly depend on water. Given that
projections indicate that the State will receive more than average rainfall, water quantity is not
expected to be much of a problem as does its quality. For areas that have relatively high water
tables, which is much of Lagos, increased evaporation due to increased temperatures is
expected. This will raise the concentration of dissolved salts. Furthermore, extreme flooding
could raise water tables to point where agrochemicals and industrial effluents leach into
groundwater resources.
Sectoral Challenges
i. Increased water consumption especially over abstraction of groundwater resources due
to rapid population growth and industrial development;
ii. Inadequate and poor drainage network;
iii. Inadequate public water storage and distribution infrastructure;
iv. Poor water resource management especially at the household, farm and industry level;
v. Limited awareness of the economic value of water/ under-pricing of water (linked to poor
and/or inefficient management);
vi. High investment costs in the water sector development, e.g. in desalinisation of sea
water; and
vii. Lack of reliable hydro-meteorological data that can allow proper planning and
management.
Sector Specific Objective
The objective is to improve water resource conservation as well as to promote efficient and
sustainable exploitation and use of the State’s water resources in view of the changing climate.
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