The Minister of State for Environment, Iziaq-Adekunle Salako, says climate change and energy transition challenges require innovative solutions and a firm commitment to ethical governance.

Mr Salako said this in Abuja on Tuesday at the first International anti-corruption and climate change conference organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre).

He described climate change as the defining issue of the time and the single greatest threat to a sustainable future, planet and security.

According to him, transparency and accountability are the bedrock of sustainable development, and through collaborative efforts, we can have a more just and sustainable future to overcome these challenges.

He said climate change was not just an environmental challenge but a developmental quagmire, described as the Everest of all problems. He also described it as the thorniest challenge facing humankind and an urgent threat to lives, health, food, biodiversity and livelihood.

“As challenging and acute as the climate change crisis is, it cannot enjoy exclusive access to funding and attention and has to compete with other critical sectors for financing. Sound transparency and accountability framework for climate change is critical for sustainable climate action through better coordination, improved decision-making processes and spending allocations.

“It also ensures better monitoring and evaluation of mitigation and adaptation results against established climate goals, enhanced identification of responsible stakeholders coherence and harmonisation of country assistance.

“Nigeria is implementing the enhanced transparency framework established under the Paris Agreement,  which requires parties to submit Biennial Transparency Report ( BTR) and National Inventory Report as a mechanism to promote clarity and openness. The federal government of Nigeria, through its relevant agency, will ensure the submission of the first BTR for the country on or before December 31,” the minister said.

(NAN)