‘Lake Chad is disappearing’ — minister seeks collective action against climate crises

Balarabe Lawal, minister of environment, says climate change is causing Lake Chad to disappear, calling for collective actions to address the challenge.

Lawal spoke on Tuesday at a press briefing organised by African ministers on the sidelines of the UN climate change conference of parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.

“Whenever I have the opportunity, I try to raise it. Lake Chad, one of the 10 largest lakes in the world, is disappearing and is disappearing because of climate change, and so we need to begin to look at it, not Nigeria, not Chad, Niger, or Cameroon,” he said.

“It is a global problem that is going to happen.”

The minister recounted the climate challenges faced by African countries, including Nigeria, while urging the developed countries to commit to a new finance goal.

On the issue of deforestation, Balarabe said the Nigerian forest reserve is at three percent as against the stipulated 25 percent.

He urged parties to ensure that COP29 meets its demands, noting that negotiations about climate finance are gradually “becoming a mirage”.

“We are facing a lot of problems, which I think is very visible to all. We have had issues of flooding in Nigeria, which was very devastating,” Balarabe said.

“And we are also facing a very big issue in the area of forest. In Nigeria, we have one of the worst forest covers in the world.

“The minimum is supposed to be 25 percent but in Nigeria it is about less than three percent and that is also aligned with the issue of desert encroachment from the north and coastal rising sea levels at the south.”

The high-level climate event, which commenced on November 11, is expected to end on November 22.