A LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR ACHIEVING NET-ZERO EMISSIONS: PATHWAYS TO ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The struggle to achieve net-zero emissions is a unifier that facilitates cooperation between nations and highlights our shared humanity. Although fighting climate change requires global efforts, there is a responsibility on independent states to formulate actionable plans to achieve net-zero emissions in their respective jurisdictions. As a signatory to the Paris Agreement, Nigeria is obligated to strive towards achieving net-zero in the second half of the twenty-first century. In an audacious move at COP 21, Nigeria declared its ambition to achieve net-zero by 2060, forty years earlier than the deadline under the Paris Agreement. To achieve this, the country has enacted laws, formulated policies and even established a national council comprised of the highest political leaders in the country to ensure the implementation of frameworks established to enable the country achieve net-zero in due time. Using a qualitative research methodology, this study critically examines the causes of enhanced GHGs which are responsible for climate change, and the pathway to achieve net-zero. By evaluating the Climate Change Act 2021 and other relevant legal instruments, the study the current framework for achieving net-zero, with a view to proposing ways the current legal framework can be strengthened, to ensure net-zero in Nigeria.