In line with the IEA Sustainable Tracker Report “Net Zero by 2050” (see separate slug), laying down the imperial decree on “climate” compliance, Paul Arkwright, COP26 Regional Ambassador to Sub-Saharan Africa from March to October 2020, for has come out with a “country-specific” hit-list for Nigeria, the country with Africa’s (and the world’s) largest black population.
Arkwright, previously the U.K. High Commissioner—meaning ambassador—to Nigeria, has a narrow path to walk, here, as African countries see the “climate crisis” as a creation of the industrialized West, one which African countries are now (again, unjustly) being forced to pay for. Africa creates less than 4% of the world’s CO2, and sees this as its chance to “catch up,” especially since Mark Carney (and others) keep dangling this $100 billion per year “mitigation” enticement in front of them. Last week, a 32-page “position paper” on the topic received 100 signatures from developing nations. Recognizing that fact, Arkwright titles his piece, “Nigeria: The U.K. Has a Part To Play in the Climate Crisis,” adding the kicker, “The negotiating lines for November’s UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow are already being drawn in the sand.” [https://www.theafricareport.com/109788/nigeria-the-uk-has-a-part-to-play-in-the-climate-crisis/]
Beyond that concession, however, Arkwright is determined to make Nigeria — Africa’s largest petroleum producer — understand that, regardless of how small their emissions, and what “climate justice” might demand, this “decarbonization” applies to them, too. Here Arkwright slips the veil, for while describing Nigeria’s climate crimes — gas flaring, deforestation — he includes “urban development,” then goes on to say “given that its population is projected to double to 400 million by 2050, Nigeria cannot afford to ignore climate change.”