Lagos Faces Severe Climate Risks — Commissioner
Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, on Sunday, raised alarm over the escalating climate threats facing Lagos.
Wahab, who is at the ongoing United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference in Nice, France, outlined the urgent challenges Lagos is grappling with, including rising sea levels, extreme rainfall events, and intensifying heat waves.
He described all these as “severe climate risks” to the state’s infrastructure, economy, and livelihoods.
Lagos, with an estimated 25 million, is Nigeria’s most populous coastal state.
“As a coastal state, Lagos faces severe climate risks: rising sea levels, extreme rainfall, and excessive heat. But we are not sitting back,” Wahab stated on X.
With over 13,000 tonnes of waste generated daily, the Commissioner revealed that Lagos is shifting away from a traditional linear waste disposal system to a circular economy model.
This new approach focuses on waste recovery, recycling, and conversion into energy — a move aimed at reducing environmental degradation and creating sustainable economic opportunities.
Wahab also emphasised the state’s broader environmental agenda, which includes safeguarding its coastline and investing in long-term strategies to make Lagos more sustainable and climate-resilient.
“We are building resilient infrastructure, investing in drainage systems, and transforming how we manage plastic waste,” he said.
“With over 13,000 tonnes of daily waste generation, Lagos is moving from a linear disposal system to a circular model where waste becomes a resource for energy and recovery.
“We’re committed to protecting our coastline and building a safer, resilient, environmentally friendly and more sustainable Lagos that we can bequeath to the next generation,” Wahab added.
The UN Ocean Conference, which convenes world leaders, policymakers, scientists, and environmental advocates, provides a global platform for urgent dialogue on ocean protection and climate action.
The 2025 UN Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the governments of France and Costa Rica, will be held from 9 to 13 June.
The conference will focus on the theme: “Accelerating Action and Mobilising All Actors to Conserve and Sustainably Use the Ocean.”
Its primary goal is to advance the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) through three key priorities, culminating in the development of an ambitious Nice Ocean Action Plan.
Lagos Faces Severe Climate Risks — Commissioner is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
