It was very humbling to chat with United Nations High Level Climate Action Champion for the United Kingdom, Nigel Topping who visited Nigeria to discuss with key stakeholders in business, government and educational institutions on implementing COP26 commitments and maintaining momentum in the run up to COP27. Mr Topping is also a prominent driver of the Global Finance Alliance for Net-Zero (GFANZ) where he mobilizes action from investors, cities, businesses and organizations towards their carbon emissions reduction strategy and net-zero commitments. In this chat, I was joined by Climate activist, Olumide Idowu who also discussed Mr Topping’s mission to the Nigerian Universities he visited during his stay. Mr Topping and I discussed Nigeria’s capacity to join the Race to Zero campaign as well as some of his strategies to get businesses on board with the campaign. Finally, we spoke about climate change and mental health and his overall thoughts towards supporting young people dealing with eco-anxiety and climate distress.
To start, I would like to share some contextual information about the Race to Zero campaign – what Net-Zero means, and why Nigeria is also part of conversations around this. Technically, Net-Zero refers to a balance in the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the greenhouse gas taken out of the atmosphere. When you hear terms like carbon or climate neutrality, they essentially mean the same thing. The goal is to have absolute zero emissions hence, the global campaign “Race to Zero”. Net-Zero as a concept is well embedded in the 2015 Paris Agreement and experts are asking that countries do everything they can to mitigate climate change in the second half of this century. Our president, Muhammadu Buhari at the last COP26 in Glasgow said that Nigeria will cut its carbon emissions to net-zero by 2060. There is so much to unpack to this commitment considering that we (Nigeria) are an oil-producing and dependent country dealing with some of the most daunting development challenges of our time all exacerbated by the climate crisis. On the other hand, Nigeria also plans to transition to a low energy pathway by exploring gas as a major source of energy. This move has been frowned upon by some western countries who believe we should be aggressively looking to ditch fossil fuels forever. This article however, only covers my discussion with Nigel Topping.
Jennifer: I understand that during your visit to Nigeria, you have been able to meet with government and private sector players. Could you tell us what your thoughts are on Nigeria’s capacity to transition to net-zero, especially with regards to already existing plans and framework as well as some moves towards gas exploration as a low energy transition plan?
Nigel: I think Nigeria’s commitment to Net-Zero by 2060 was a really significant signal of intent from a government. For an economy that is really reliant on fossil fuels, that was very significant globally. I think the Climate Change Act is also a very real policy commitment. In terms of readiness, this is mixed and this is the same in every country. There are things that are ready to go fast, and the things that are challenging and different in every country. One thing I have also realized on this trip is that Sub Saharan Africa (excluding the northern parts – Egypt, Morocco and South Africa) is emitting hardly anything. This means that there is a huge challenge and opportunity for human development here. And as my colleague, Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin from Egypt always say, “we have to be really more holistic and not just talk about emissions reductions, but also about a net-zero development pathway”.
Nicholas Stern, the great climate economist who has been studying a village in India for over 40 years has also said that this net-zero development pathway is the only development story of the 21st century. There is no way to develop on a high carbon pathway. So I think that it’s a transition challenge. What do you do in the next 10-15 years to get on the right track? I think the thing to be really cognisant of is that the world has decided that we will get to zero and the economics are tilting towards solutions that will help us get to zero. Green Hydrogen for example, is getting very popular and it’s going to be 10/15% of what is required for this transition. It will allow us to fly, get on ships, give us liquid green kerosene, and also support steel production in place of coal. And so, for countries and companies thinking that they’re going to invest in blue hydrogen – natural gas – steam reforming and then carbon capture and storage for a very long time, might be getting it all wrong because the economics might just not work out. It is really difficult to know when you can stop building coal power stations, digging coal out of the ground, shutting the power stations, etc. This is almost the same thing with the delay to oil and to gas (although that will be quicker because the move to electric vehicles is going really fast). There are obviously areas where it would be crazy to not explore gas resources for instance, if you have an unreliable power grid, and you can upgrade a gas fired power station so that it delivers more electricity for the same amount of gas, you reduce carbon intensity of power generation and also reduce diesel generator use. Think of it this way, If you’ve got about 200,000 people dying prematurely from basically dirty, clean cooking fuels in the country and you’ve got an opportunity to provide them with a gas solution, which is going to get them off charcoal and ultimately improve their health, then it does make sense from a climate point of view. A secondary benefit is that women also do not have to spend time searching for wood to cook.
It can be silly to get fundamentalist about gas where you do not want to consider the benefits gas can potentially play in people’s lives. However, we must be aware of the power politics at play; there are big interests who want to keep exploiting oil and gas for a longer period, and even the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that we shouldn’t be exploring any more fossil fuel. So I think this becomes an economic question. If you don’t lean into the transition early enough, you could end up actually falling behind competitively. There is a risk that some other African countries who are more proactive about driving the transition can get ahead but ultimately, this is a really difficult thing to navigate.
Jennifer: Absolutely! I like what you said about power politics because there was this article on the Guardian that talked about how countries in Africa and leaders need to move away from the idea of gas, and we, at SustyVibes questioned this thinking because it is a massive leapfrog to say, “go straight into clean energy”, when we (Nigeria) are still grappling with a lot of economic issues, and very reliant of fossil fuels.
Nigel: At the end of the day, you would have to find your own pathway based on the idea of sovereignty, but you want to make sure it’s a smart pathway. I’m also very conscious of the fact [that] this is a conversation that needs to be had by Africans. I have noticed the debates for and against gas, and this happens in most countries and it is very healthy because we need to examine the arguments respectfully and not try to make it black or white because it is not, it is complex.
Jennifer: So my second question is very much in this line, it centres around businesses. From your experience at both the Carbon Disclosure Project and We Mean Business, what are the practical strategies to get major businesses on board this Race to Zero campaign? Some people have argued that this is very ambitious for countries in Africa who still grapple with basic economic development issues.
Nigel: Nearly everybody thinks you must be crazy when you have that initial conversation with them about Net-Zero commitments. And this is not just an African response, for instance, I talked to one of the biggest strategy consultancies in the world and I told them the steps they could take to get to net-zero. They replied saying most of their emissions come from flying and they do not control emissions from airplanes. I reminded them that they have power as a consumer to demand greener choices. They are now considering carbon offsetting but also to create a buying group to pressure airlines to use more sustainable aviation fuel. Another example is a group called Cargo Owners Zero Emissions Alliance with businesses like Amazon and Ikea who have committed to only shipping their products in cargo vessels that are zero-carbon by 2040.
So, there will always be levers to drive even if you are a small business, you are often in the value chain of a big company, and most of those big companies are already committed to Net-Zero. This means an opportunity to innovate and grow your market share against slower competitors. If you’re a big company, you can also tell your suppliers to align to these commitments in five years time or you are out. In all, everyone’s got different leverage and different opportunities. I also think that as more people commit, the easier it gets for suppliers and consumers to commit. We also saw this in Glasgow with 10,000 companies, cities, investors putting out Net-Zero commitments.
A close friend of mine, Hannah Jones, who used to run innovation and sustainability at Nike, and is now running The Earth Shot prize for Prince William…she always used to say “we’re committed to zero, we know exactly how we’re going to deliver the first third, and we’ve got a pipeline of innovative solutions from which we’re confident the second third solutions will come. And we have no idea how we’re going to take the last third… but we have kind of a belief that this is now an inevitable ending point for the global economy and in the power of humans to innovate”. And I saw this at the Nigeria Climate Innovation Center (NCIC) in Lagos, innovation often coming from young entrepreneurs who understand that we’ve got to solve the problem by picking a problem and working to solve it.
One of my favourites in Lagos is this young entrepreneur looking at going to rural renewable systems working with northern tomato farmers that lose up to 40% of their produce from a lack of power. This entrepreneur developed a simple solar dryer that helps them prolong the life cycle of their produce to 2-3 weeks. This way, he helps farmers increase their yield, create jobs and also helps to reduce [food] waste. It is crucial to see it in this order: yield – jobs – environment. And this is something that I have intellectually understood before coming here, and in speaking to everybody now. I have realized that you don’t lead with the climate change narrative, it is more of a co-benefit.
Jennifer: Yes – because the environment for us means livelihoods and income.
Jennifer: So a very last question which is very dear to my heart is around climate anxiety and its intersection between mental health. I actually read an interview you had with Hollywood reporters where you talked about how even being the UN High-Level champion for climate change can be overwhelming because there are a lot of expectations. What do you think about driving conversation around the intersection of climate change and mental health? And also for youth climate activists, because this is something we now have to grapple with… this reality and this anxiety. So, how can eco-anxiety be best safeguarded? And can these conversations come up in places like COP27 because I believe it is a climate change issue that is currently not well explored.
Nigel: Yes, and ofcourse, COVID has made it worse, because a lot of the normal social interaction are not there and so you end up being withdrawn. So, the first thing I would say is that I think if you don’t get angry or sad or overwhelmed from time to time when you’re dealing with this issue, then you’re kind of not paying attention. I’m feeling it now just talking about it.
I remember once a long time ago, I went to visit somebody in Brazil who ran the Friends of the Earth in Brazil and he asked me how I was doing. I worked at the Carbon Disclosure Project then and I went on about how we were getting more investors and doing x and y. And he put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Nigel, you’re with a friend…tell me the truth, I know you cry yourself to sleep at night sometimes!”
So I think the first thing is that you find ways to share how you’re feeling and not think that it’s a sign of weakness to be overwhelmed or frightened, or scared. In Glasgow, I was crying twice a day! I would be presented with a letter from a group of Indian indigenous leaders who are saying that their land, lives and culture are melting. It is indeed a global mental health shock to realize just how bad we are treating the environment, and this is causing a lot of stress on our lives, livelihoods, relationships etc. So, please do not dismiss it.
Secondly, people who are drawn to activism typically have a tendency to burn out; however, in this case, this is a mental health issue because people are frightened and scared about the climate crisis and don’t feel much agency. I believe that your mental posture can change positively when you start doing something to make a difference. But then, we should still be mindful of burn out. Once, myself and 8 other people working in the sustainability field met with a Zen Buddhist master, and he asked us about our work and we all spoke about how we felt like we were not doing enough. After listening to us talk, he smiled at us and told us [that] we were asking the wrong question – According to him, the question: “Am I doing enough?” is silly and arrogant, because, of course, you are one human being out of 8 billion and it’s a ridiculous idea to think you can do enough. The right question should be: “Am I doing my best?”
And this helped me realize that “more and enough are endless” because we live in such an interconnected world where it is difficult to trace the impact of your actions. We often confuse best and enough and think best means always doing more. You need to give yourself a break and look after yourself, if tomorrow you burn out, you will be useless to everybody. And indeed, this is a hard lesson to grapple with because you are motivated by the urgency and you always want to say yes to one more thing.
Lastly, I am really conscious when I speak to youth activists, or people in my community, since I have a huge sense of agency because I’ve got the fancy role and I get to make stuff happen and see progress, I think it’s also really important that we find ways in which we can make a difference. Because I think there’s a risk in just calling for more change for too long, without getting specific. And one thing I see in the youth movement is that the majority of the youth movements are working on specific bits of the problem. The bit that gets reported the most are the strident voices because the media likes the conflict and will not report on all the young entrepreneurs doing amazing work, organizing, etc.
So I think you’ll really have to recognize that there are lots of different ways of having a [sense of] agency that maybe aren’t as grand as being on the television and delivering a great speech, but that you are making a difference on your own in your own community.
Jennifer: Absolutely. Thank you very much Nigel.