The Lagos State Government over the weekend, restated its commitment to address the scourge of climate change, describing it as a defining global environmental challenge.

The Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Mrs. Belinda Odeneye, stated this at a one-day stakeholders’ meeting tagged “Lagos State Climate Change Risk Assessment”, held at the Adeyemi-Bero Auditorium, Alausa.

She noted that the State had clearly shown its commitment to the development and evolvement of a climate change conscious society towards laying the foundations necessary to counter the global threat.

Odeneye expressed hope that the risk assessment programme, which is expected to be a Statewide exercise, will contribute in no small measure to building an understanding of climate change and its impact on the environment.

“This programme is vital to further strengthen the Lagos State climate action plan and also central to achieving a more resilient system across the entire State; experts cannot do it alone, we must work together with the government at the State and Local levels to ensure that we achieve this goal”, she maintained.

The Permanent Secretary charged all present to be ambassadors of the environment and pass on the message as well as ensure that the masses are enjoined to make use of the best practices to combat climate change.

In a presentation, the Director, Climate Change and Environmental Planning Department in the Ministry, Mr. Micheal Bankole highlighted the effect of climate change to include global warming, greenhouse gas effect and flooding, amongst others.

He added that individuals must cultivate habits that play important roles in mitigating the effect of Climate Change which is now a common knowledge with its attendant rise in water bodies – oceans, seas, lagoons and rivers, which have resulted in flood ravaging the globe.

He mentioned that residents must ensure the reduction of greenhouse effect by shading houses and office buildings, saying that this reduces the need for air conditioning, which in turn reduces the number of fossil fuels burned to produce electricity.

He averred that the Risk Assessment Programme was to ensure equitable distribution of the impact of climate change programmes, actions and policies together with indicators that can support monitoring and evaluation.

“We all have a common interest and responsibility to harmoniously manage the use of our environment in a sustainable manner for the benefit of generations to come”, he said.

Also speaking, the Principal Consultant, GIO Solutions, Mr. David Ogunsawe, said that the programme is expected to provide robust evidence and projections of localised climate risks and hazards, while prioritising sectors and actions that will meet short, medium and long-term adaptation needs of the State’s 2020 Climate Action Plan.

“The programme is expected to commence in September and will cut across the 20 local Government areas as well as the five divisions of the State – Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island and Epe divisions – in order to arrive at a clear action and strategy for addressing priority climate risks and impacts”, he said.

Participants at the stakeholders’ meeting included Senior Civil Servants from State and Local Governments, members of the academia, national and international experts in climate change, NGOs and environmentalists amongst others.