The world will once again converge under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Antalya, Trkiye, from November 9 to 20, 2026. This year’s event, COP 31, is expected to focus on ten priority themes, including Clean Energy Transition and Electrification, Zero Waste and Methane Reduction, Climate-Resilient Cities and Green Industrialisation, Youth and Education, and Food Security.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference is an annual forum where the Conference of the Parties (COP), the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), convenes to review the Convention’s implementation and negotiate measures to address climate change. The forum has become the most important platform for collective action against climate change.
Although the conference began as a global response to increasing scientific evidence of rising temperatures, it has become an annual gathering where governments, businesses, investors, civil society organisations, and international institutions negotiate the future of climate policy.
There is no doubt that the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly visible across the globe. Rising temperatures have triggered more frequent and intense heatwaves. Similarly, extreme weather events such as devastating floods, prolonged droughts, violent storms, and widespread wildfires have become commonplace. These events leave communities to grapple with loss of life, damaged infrastructure, and significant economic setbacks. The changing climatic conditions are also disrupting agriculture, reducing crop yields, and threatening food security for millions of people.
Although Africa contributes only a small share of global greenhouse gas emissions, it has played an active role in climate negotiations since the inception of COP. This is because the continent remains among the regions most vulnerable to climate impacts. Prolonged droughts, severe flooding, desertification, coastal erosion, rising temperatures, and food insecurity have made climate change central to Africa’s development agenda. Consequently, African countries have consistently used the COP process to advocate for climate justice, adaptation support, financial assistance, and technology transfer.
Nigeria became a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1994 and ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2004. Nigeria has increasingly aligned its domestic policies with international climate commitments while simultaneously advocating for an equitable transition that recognises Africa’s developmental realities.
Over the years, Nigeria has submitted and updated its climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. It has also developed national climate policies, established institutions dedicated to climate governance, and enacted the Climate Change Act 2021. The Act provides a framework to coordinate climate action across government institutions and advance Nigeria’s long-term climate ambitions.
Nigeria ranks among the world’s largest gas-flaring nations. The practice, which involves burning natural gas associated with crude oil production, has been a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. Communities in oil-producing regions have long complained of the negative effects of gas flaring, including air pollution, health concerns, and damage to agricultural livelihoods.
Nigeria has implemented several regulatory measures to curb gas flaring. Successive laws, including the Petroleum Industry Act (2021) and the 2023 Gas Flaring Regulations, have further strengthened penalties and prohibited routine flaring.
Policy reforms have also been introduced to reduce gas flaring and promote the commercial use of associated gas. These initiatives have encouraged investment in gas gathering, processing, and utilisation projects.
Nigeria’s efforts to curb gas flaring have yielded notable results. Although the problem has not been eliminated, the volume of gas flared has reportedly decreased dramatically from 80% to 7% over the past 35 years. Stricter regulatory oversight, increased collaboration among government agencies and operators, and growing recognition that reducing flaring offers both environmental and economic benefits have driven this progress.
Unlike many developed countries that built their economies on fossil fuels, Nigeria still faced widespread energy poverty. Millions of households and businesses lack reliable access to electricity, making rapid decarbonisation difficult. Therefore, some argue that natural gas should serve as a transition fuel while renewable energy capacity is expanded and modernised.
Renewable energy is gradually becoming one of the most visible aspects of Nigeria’s climate strategy. Investment in solar energy, mini-grids, clean cooking technologies, and other renewable-energy solutions has increased.
Despite being a major oil and gas producer, Nigeria still experiences significant electricity shortages. Large parts of the population rely on expensive, polluting diesel or petrol generators for daily energy needs. Renewable energy therefore presents an opportunity not only to reduce emissions but also to improve energy access, stimulate economic development, and enhance energy security.
Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan represents the most comprehensive expression of the country’s climate and energy ambitions. Launched following Nigeria’s commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060, the plan seeks to address the dual challenges of climate change and energy poverty. It outlines pathways to expand clean energy, improve energy efficiency, modernise transportation systems, increase industrial sustainability, and reduce emissions across key sectors of the economy.
Beyond energy generation, Nigeria has pursued other climate-related initiatives that complement its efforts on gas flaring and renewable energy. These include afforestation programmes to combat desertification, climate-smart agricultural practices to improve food security, improved waste management initiatives, and measures to enhance resilience against floods and other extreme weather events. The National Forest Policy, 2019, provides that the overall objective of the national forest policy is to achieve sustainable management of forests and forest resources that would ensure a sustainable increase in the economic, social and environmental benefits for the present and future generations. One objective under the National Environmental (Desertification Control and Drought Mitigation) Regulations, 2011 is to attain the 25% national forest cover prescribed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
For Nigeria, the 2026 conference offers an opportunity to showcase progress on reducing gas flaring, expanding renewable energy, implementing its Energy Transition Plan, and advancing sustainable environmental practices. It also offers a platform to strengthen calls for climate finance and technology partnerships that can help the country achieve both economic growth and environmental sustainability.
Nigeria has demonstrated that meaningful progress depends not only on international agreements but also on practical domestic measures that improve lives, create opportunities and build resilience. Ultimately, the success of the 2026 conference will be judged by its ability to accelerate implementation, mobilise investment and transform climate commitments into real-world outcomes for nations such as Nigeria and for the millions of people whose future depends on a sustainable and inclusive energy transition.
Moses Omorogbe, LLB, BL, LLM, is the company secretary/legal adviser of Linkage Assurance Plc.