Lagos benefits from C40’s $3b grant to fight climate change

A network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change, C40 has listed Lagos among cities to benefit from the $3 billion grant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks.

The group supports cities to collaborate effectively, share knowledge and drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action on climate change. The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, now in its 10th year, connects more than 80 of the world’s greatest cities, representing over 600 million people and one quarter of the global economy.

Created and led by cities, including Lagos, C40 is focused on tackling climate change and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban citizens.

The state’s commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare told The Guardian the grant is part of the benefit as a member of the body through its strategic response to climate change.

According to him, Lagos attained membership of the group after the governor, Akinwumni Ambode attended its meeting in the United States.

He stressed that the ministry staged a traiing programme on greenhouse gas inventory to deepen knowledge and enhance success in reducing emissions. C40 headquarters in South Africa is supporting the Ministry of in the endavour through the training their staff on C40 issues.
 
The commissioner stressed that waste management will continue to receive high priority in the state with the evacuation of waste on highways and other public places with a total of 32, 662.00 metric tons of waste evacuated in the Central, Western and Eastern parts of Lagos.

According to him, the government has prioritised regulation of sand mining in the state by processing 11 terms of references for sand mining and sand dredging and one for reclamation and shoreline protection works in order to secure the environment.

On the area of waste water management, the commissioner said, the government has registered a total of 240 waste water haulage trucks for operations in the state, with three septage discharge points registered for yearly operation, while regular monitoring of their activities is being carried out.

He said that efforts had been accelerated on recycling in the State as recyclable materials totaling 1, 407,242 were collected from the buy-back centre and recycling banks.
 
Adejare hinted that government made efforts to monitor different industries and carried out assessment of chemicals and their inventory to ensure compliance to approved standard.