Climate Change: Nigeria’s Plea for More Global Cash to Fix and Guard Our Natural Treasures

By: Abudu Olalekan

Okay, let’s set the scene. It’s Belem, Brazil, buzzing with all these world leaders and experts at the UN Climate Change Conference—COP30, if you’re keeping track. The air’s thick with talks about our planet’s future, and there steps up Nigeria’s Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima. He’s not just chatting; he’s making a bold plea. Nigeria wants the international community to seriously up the ante on global financing. Why? To protect and restore nature’s real economic worth. Through stuff that’s predictable, fair, and easy to get at. Short and to the point: We need the money, folks.

Shettima’s speaking at this high-level session called “Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans.” Sounds fancy, right? But he’s getting real. Forests, landscapes, oceans—they’re shared treasures, not owned by any one country. Protecting them? That takes global teamwork. Solidarity, he calls it. And here’s the kicker: We’ve treated nature like some cheap commodity to plunder, not an asset worth investing in. Big mistake. “Nigeria is solidly driven by this knowledge to integrate nature-positive investments into its climate finance architecture,” he says, mixing that formal vibe with urgency.

Through things like our National Carbon Market Framework and Climate Change Fund, Nigeria’s aiming to pull in up to $3 billion a year in climate cash. Reinvest it smartly—community-led reforestation, blue carbon projects, sustainable farming. “We call on our global partners to recognise the economic value of nature and to channel significant finance towards protecting and restoring it through predictable, equitable and accessible funding mechanisms.” Boom. That’s Shettima laying it out.

Now, think about it. Countries in the Global South, like us? We barely caused this mess, yet we’re paying the steepest price. Climate justice means those who profited from centuries of exploitation step up for restoration. He insists on more grant-based finance, getting Blue Carbon Markets up and running, and debt-for-nature swaps. Those could free up developing nations to pour money into conservation. “We urge the international community to scale up grant-based finance for nature-based solutions and implement debt-for-nature swaps that free developing countries to invest in conservation, operationalise Blue Carbon Markets under Article six of the Paris Agreement and strengthen community-led governance.”

Why’s this matter? It rewards indigenous folks, farmers, fisherfolk for their care—doesn’t displace them. Countries that ignored their forests and oceans? They’ve regretted it hard. Nigeria’s not sitting back. “It is the reason why Nigeria will boldly sit in the front row of any global forum where these twin determinants of ecological order are being discussed,” Shettima declares. We’re under attack too. Deforestation, desertification, illegal mining, coastal erosion, sea levels creeping up. The Sahara’s pushing forward nearly a kilometer yearly, shoving communities aside, wrecking lives. Each lost patch of land? It brews conflict, piles on our development headaches.

But Nigeria’s not just complaining. We’ve got plans. The Climate Change Act 2021 makes nature-based solutions a legal must-do for the state. “The nation is taking bold, coordinated steps to restore balance between climate, nature and development,” he explains. Our National Council on Climate Change? It’s the backbone, weaving climate action into every government sector. Take the Great Green Wall Initiative—reforesting degraded lands in 11 frontline states, planting over ten million trees, creating green jobs for youth and women. Thousands of them.

Then there’s the National Afforestation Programme and Forest Landscape Restoration Plan. Goal? Restore more than two million hectares by 2030. And don’t forget the Marine and Blue Economy Policy—harnessing our seas sustainably. Climate-smart fisheries, coastal protection, marine biodiversity. It’s all connected.

Shettima wraps it up strong, reaffirming Nigeria’s ready to team up globally. Make climate action mean nature restoration and real human prosperity. “We reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to working with partners across the globe to advance global agenda where climate action becomes synonymous with nature restoration and human prosperity.” It’s a call to arms, really. Or maybe a call to wallets.

This isn’t abstract. Back home, we’re seeing the signs—displaced families, eroding coasts, conflicts over shrinking resources. Shettima’s words echo that urgency. Global South pays the price, but we can flip the script with fair funding. Grants, not loans that bury us deeper. Swaps that trade debt for green action. Community governance so locals lead the charge.

Imagine if we get this right. Forests thriving, oceans clean, jobs blooming. But it takes that global solidarity he mentioned. No single nation can do it alone. Shettima’s plea? It’s not just for Nigeria. It’s for the planet. We’ve treated nature like trash for too long. Time to invest, restore, protect. And yeah, make those funds flow equitably. Predictably. Accessibly.

As the session in Belem winds down, you can bet leaders are mulling it over. Will they step up? Nigeria’s leading by example, but we need partners. The vice president’s message is clear: Nature’s our most critical infrastructure. Exploit it no more. Invest now, or pay dearly later. It’s a story unfolding right before us—one where solidarity could save the day.