Speaker says climate change not a hoax

The Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, says the increasing spate of environmental and natural disasters across the world is a proof that climate change is not a hoax.

Dogara stated this at the opening of a National Stakeholders Summit on Legislative Framework for Environmental Law and Policy in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said that environmental change was expected to increase the likelihood and impact of extreme weather variability, and that the paradox of climate change had continued to exacerbate the plight of many local communities in Nigeria.

He said that the Nigerian environment currently presented the picture of a threatened heritage.

Dogara also said “climate-related disasters have increased displacement and vulnerability of exposed populations.

“It’s like these disasters convey a brutal message to those who believe climate change is a hoax that they can only continue to ignore environmental issues at unremitting peril.

“Some of the emerging national environmental concerns include depletion of bio-diversity and illegal trade in wildlife.

“This fast-growing habitat alteration and illegal trade in wildlife products is eroding Earth’s precious biodiversity, robbing mankind of our natural heritage and driving important species to the brink of extinction.

“It only stands to reason that this National Summit should proffer practicable policy and legislative solutions to this menace.”

He maintained that leadership of the National Assembly was conscious of the grave threats posed by such issues as global warming, climate change and ocean surge.

According to him, other threats are drought/desertification, oil spillage, erosion, waste management and gas flaring, degradation of agricultural lands, soil loss, landslides, bush burning, unwarranted and uncontrolled grazing, deforestation and general environmental pollution.

He said that one of the amendments being proposed was to move environment from residual to concurrent list to enable the Federal parliament legislate on it.