Author Archives: sppnigeria

By Chukwumerije Okereke and Nnimmo Bassey

Outside actors are increasingly looking to test speculative climate fixes such as solar geoengineering in African countries. But this potentially dangerous course of action would divert financing and support from real solutions, while putting the continent’s ecosystems and communities at risk.

BRISTOL/BENIN CITY – Africa is suffering some of the worst consequences of a climate crisis that it did not create. As rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, droughts, and floods devastate communities and ecosystems across the continent, those in the West who are most responsible for global warming are cooking up plans to test speculative climate fixes in African countries. This gamble with the future of the continent – and the planet – is a grave act of climate injustice and an affront to African leaders, many of whom have publicly expressed their concerns about the promotion and normalization of such technologies.

Perhaps most unsettling is the growing effort to study and implement solar geoengineering (also called solar radiation modification, or SRM), a set of high-risk technologies that seek to reflect sunlight back into space to cool the planet. This strategy does not address the underlying causes of climate change, nor does it offer a long-term adaptation solution. Instead, it would temporarily treat the symptoms, all while causing unanticipated – and potentially disastrous – consequences. The risks associated with solar geoengineering are profound, particularly in climate-vulnerable Africa. SRM could change rainfall patterns and interfere with monsoons, potentially endangering food systems, displacing communities, and causing ecosystem collapse. Moreover, the prospect of outside actors testing such planetary-scale interventions in African countries echoes the many harmful medical, agricultural, and economic experiments on Black people and communities throughout history. More broadly, the Global North’s rush to expand solar-geoengineering research in the Global South raises serious concerns about power, equity, and justice in global climate governance – especially about who is setting the research agenda. True, some of the world’s biggest SRM funders have proclaimed their commitment to include African scientists in knowledge creation. But it is necessary to consider whose interests are being served by this research trajectory. African scientists are increasingly being drawn into initiatives largely funded and shaped by actors in the Global North. The result is a growing asymmetry: African researchers provide knowledge, data, and legitimacy, but the real decisions are made elsewhere.

SRM research is not just a scientific issue; it raises moral, ethical, and political questions that must not be ignored. Should we be allowed to play God with Earth’s thermostat? Who decides what level of cooling is “safe”? How can important decisions be made without accountability mechanisms or the consent of those who will be most affected? Who is responsible if things go wrong, or if there are cross-border consequences? And, most importantly, who controls the technology, and who bears its costs? We must recognize that SRM research can never be impartial: it influences policy priorities, validates the use of certain methods, and has real-world effects. Putting money into studying SRM while not fulfilling climate-finance commitments or delivering on the loss and damage fund established at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh is dangerously shortsighted.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that SRM measures “face large uncertainties and knowledge gaps, as well as substantial risks.” The Convention on Biological Diversity agreed in 2010 to a de facto moratorium on solar geoengineering – a position that it reaffirmed last year – in recognition of the serious threats it poses to biodiversity and local communities. And more than 560 academics from over 67 countries have signed an open letter calling for an international non-use agreement on solar geoengineering. This has spurred a global movement, with more than 2,000 civil-society groups and 4,700 people endorsing the petition. Solar geoengineering could also become an excuse to continue delaying emissions reductions. By creating the illusion of a technological fix, it allows governments and corporations to avoid the challenging work of transforming energy systems and ending fossil-fuel dependence. There are no shortcuts to a healthy planet. To address the climate crisis requires systemic change and a focus on those who are most affected, putting them front and center as leaders of climate action rather than as test subjects for speculative technologies. Africa has already begun doing just that, implementing equitable and just climate solutions such as agroecology, renewable energy, ecosystem restoration, and community-led adaptation. The idea that solar geoengineering is a necessary evil or the last resort for a warming planet is far from true. Instead, it is a potentially dangerous strategy that siphons financing and support from real solutions. Africa is not a laboratory, and we will not stand by as the future of our continent is jeopardized. Africans must show leadership and solidarity in rejecting speculative climate technologies that serve the few at the expense of the many.

1. Chukwumerije Okereke is Professor of Global Governance at the University of Bristol and Co-Director of the Center for Climate and Development at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike.

2. Nnimmo Bassey is Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation.

Historically, the month of June is an important one for climate action. This is because it is the month when the meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies(SB) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) usually holds. These SBs’ meetings are critical as they address leftover discussions from the previous Conference of Parties (COPs), and shape agenda items for upcoming COPs.

This year’s June however took on additional importance as I had to participate in two other key global events in my role as the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change and Security.

The first of these was the Parliamentary Roundtable on NDCs, which took place in Berlin on 10 June, on the eve of the Global Conference on NDCs. The event was convened by GLOBE Legislators in collaboration with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, NDC Partnership, E3G, Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI). This event presented an opportunity to highlight the important role of Members of Parliament in the Nationally Determined Contributions(NDCs) process of their countries. As I stated clearly there, this role is very critical and must start at the inception phases to the implementation phases.

Upon my return from Berlin, I flew to Marrakech to attend the Marrakesh Parliamentary Green Investment Dialogue convened by Climate Parliament and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). There, I spoke on the need to leverage legislative momentum to promote community-based Green Energy Zones, particularly in underserved or off-grid areas.

The overarching message from these events was the need for Members of Parliament to continue to exercise their Constitutional responsibility, and leverage oversight functions to engender more climate action in our countries.

Furthermore, these engagements underscored the importance of multilevel action in order to achieve a resounding impact.

I was therefore pleased when I returned to Nigeria to hear that the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), a leading NGO in the climate and environmental space in Nigeria, has taken an important first step to organisational accountability by releasing the report of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the year 2024, while also outlining plans for emissions reductions in the coming years.

This action by SPP is highly commendable and it aligns with my vision as the chairman of the Climate Change and Security Committee at the House of Representatives which has necessitated my engagement with Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government, and the private sector to kickstart the first step of emissions reduction accountability in compliance with the provisions of the Climate Change Act 2021.

It is therefore important to emphasise that the only pathway to aggregated climate action is when individuals, households, communities, organisations, etc, begin to take structured steps to be accountable. The sum of these actions will significantly yield massive impact that will enhance NDCs implementation, and further bolster Nigeria’s journey to sustainable development.

As a committee, we intend to expand our engagements with all organisations and therefore expect to see similar efforts at climate accountability by both the private and public sectors of the Nigerian economy.

SPP has laid down the gauntlet. We expect to see similar actions from other organisations – companies with over 50 employees; MDAs at national and subnational levels; diplomatic bodies; etc, following suit. As part of our Constitutional responsibility, we will follow up and demand reports.

Rep Kama Nkemkanma is the Chair of the Committee on Climate Change and Security, House of Representatives, and Nigeria’s Parliamentary Champion for Climate Change

The Department of Climate Change (DCC) of the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP) has announced the commencement of the second subnational climate governance performance ranking.

The processes started on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, with a virtual workshop organised by the DCC and the SPP to inform state climate change desk officers, directors, permanent secretaries, and climate focal persons of the improved ranking methodology and project timeline.

The virtual meeting was attending by over 40 officials from across the 36 states of the federation.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe, Director of the DCC, emphasised the importance of the ranking as a tool for assessing and promoting best practices in climate governance at the subnational level. She stated that the data collected on the process is also vital for shaping national climate policy and guiding implementation.

The Director said that the Minister of Environment considers the first subnational climate governance ranking one of the key achievements of the ministry and is fully supportive of the effort to run the process again this year.

Dr. Abiola-Awe commended the dedication and commitment of the climate change desk officers and stressed the importance of strategic partnerships and capacity building for enhancing climate resilience.

“The journey toward climate resilience is complex and demands collective resolve, innovative solutions, and strong partnerships. The performance ranking offers a unique lens for evaluating our progress, identifying gaps, and sharing successful strategies. This second edition will deepen our understanding, inspire stronger commitments, and strengthen governance mechanisms that are inclusive, transparent, and effective,” she said.

In his address, the President of the SPP, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, acknowledged the desk officers’ role in facilitating the first subnational climate governance ranking and rating through the commitment and effort they put into completing the survey questionnaires. He described them as the real heroes of the initiative, adding that the inaugural rating and ranking is generating attention and attracting global interests.

“The subnational climate governance rating and ranking is a highly innovative project – perhaps the first of its kind in Africa. I am therefore not surprised that the Honourable Minister recognizes the importance of this highly innovative project, and has embraced it as one of his major flagship achievements,” he said.

Prof. Okereke stated that because the ranking was gaining a lot of interest, it is important to make methodological improvements to ensure its legitimacy.

He stated that the revisions to the method for this year include the establishment of a review and quality assurance panel comprising of high calibre national and international climate governance experts and emphasis on one submission from each state which must have final endorsement of the honourable commissioner or permanent secretary.

He said that the ranking methodology would be revised to give more weight to climate project implementation and that the organisers are speaking with international development partners about how to increase the reward given to the wining states.

Professor Okereke announced that, in parallel to the rating and ranking exercise, SPP would be working with the DCC to mount a range of capacity building trainings and workshops for the state desk officers and commissioners of environment in the country.

“We should remember that the main goal here is not to single out and shame underperformers, but to foster a spirit of collaboration, encourage all states to do better, recognize the ones that are doing well, and give opportunities to the ones that are lagging behind to see what the people ahead are doing and to copy from them,” he added.

Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Environmental and Natural Resources in Ekiti State and Chairperson, Committee of Commissioners for Environment, praised the initiative and pledged Ekiti State’s full cooperation in providing accurate and timely data for the ranking.

Desk officers took turn to give their commendations to DCC and SPP on the ranking project, and vouched to work with their principals to submit accurate data and also to make themselves available for the training and capacity building programmes.

Launched in July 2024, with states like Lagos, Gombe, Ebonyi, Borno and Ekiti as high performers, the subnational governance rating and ranking initiative aims to streamline and catalyse climate action at the subnational level through a systematic, rigorous and robust ranking and rating process.

The second edition will build on this momentum to achieve its goal of empowering subnational governments and improving climate change governance across Nigeria.

The Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), a Nigerian registered environmental NGO, has set a new benchmark for corporate climate accountability with the publication of its 2024 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report.

Under Sections 19 and 24 of Nigeria’s Climate Change Act (2021), organisations with 50 or more employees, as well as all public entities, are legally required to implement measures that reduce carbon emissions annually and to report on their progress, which implies the need for emissions reduction assessment.

Although these provisions of the Act are yet to be widely enforced, SPP’s proactive assessment and disclosure set an important precedent for compliance and accountability across private and public sectors. By voluntarily disclosing its own footprint, the organisation has demonstrated not only compliance but true leadership.

In a statement to the press, the President of SPP, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, stressed the importance of these sections of the Climate Change Act, which seek to hold organisations to account and enforce environmental responsibility.

“Policy without enforcement is a promise unkept. By publishing our own emissions report and laying out clear time-bound reduction targets, we are proving that environmental responsibility begins with accountability. I am proud that SPP is leading this vital transformation,” he said.

According to SPP’s audit, the organisation emitted 2.011 tonnes CO₂ equivalent from February 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025.

The report details SPP’s emission profile, identifying four high emission hotspots: diesel generator use, petrol‐fuelled vehicles as staff travel between field sites and policy forums, single-use bottles purchased to guarantee safe drinking water, and the large energy draw of video-conferencing infrastructure, accounting for 86.1 % of the total emission.

The report goes further to outline next steps to be taken in order to achieve the organisation’s commitment to attain 30% emissions reduction by 2030. To achieve this, the organisation aims to instal solar equipment to reduce diesel reliance, eliminate bottled-water purchases by installing on-site water purification systems and halving webinar-related emissions by optimizing meeting relevance.

SPP’s Executive Director, Mr. Edwin Orugbo, emphasised the report’s broader significance and expressed hope that it will inspire other organisations to follow suit.

“We are under no illusion that change is easy. However, we hope that this report will inspire a nationwide shift toward real sustainability as organisations across sectors prioritise emissions tracking and sustainability reporting,” he said.

As part of its commitment to climate action, Nigeria aspires to attain net zero by 2060. The country’s NDCs 2.0 target also aimed at 20% unconditional GHG reduction, and 47% conditional reduction. These targets which may change in its NDCs 3.0 can only be attained through whole-of-society actions.

“SPP’s exemplary action is therefore expected to motivate Nigeria’s public and private sectors to engage in audits of their emissions and subsequently take action to reduce their carbon footprints in line with the country’s targets, and in compliance with Mission 1.5 degrees of the Paris Agreement,” disclosed the group.

This report can be downloaded via the SPP website: https://sppnigeria.org

By Ugochukwu Uzuegbu, Communication Specialist, Society for Planet and Prosperity

This World Environment Day 2025, themed “Putting an End to Plastic Pollution,” let us re-imagine living in harmony with nature and take concrete actions (both big and small) to eliminate plastic waste and preserve our ecosystems.

Together, we can #EndPlasticPollution and build a cleaner and greener future.

Happy World Environment Day!