The federal government has called for support and investment in infrastructure to transition from fossil fuel to cleaner energies in the aviation industry.
The industry is estimated to contribute about 2.5 per cent to carbon emissions globally.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said the industry’s contribution to carbon emissions is high, adding that it requires urgent action.
He said part of efforts made by Nigeria was to key into the projects introduced by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with the slogan; “No country should be left behind”.
The Minister, while noting that transition is costly, added that it requires research and investment in infrastructure especially for developing countries.
He said this in Abuja on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change and Security led by its Chairman, Kama Nkemkama.
Keyamo said: “Contrary to global views that aviation is a very big contributor to gas emissions, by 2015, aviation industry contributed only 2.5 per cent to global carbon emissions and by every standard that is also high.
“2.5 per cent is enough cause for concern for aviation to pay special attention to climate change and all we have to do to ensure that we key into global movements and projects to reduce gas emissions”.
Speaking on the challenges to transition to cleaner energies, the Minister said: “We are part of the ICAO’s project of no country should be left behind and that is because as a third world country, it is very difficult for us to invest in the infrastructure to carry out the necessary research regarding sustainable aviation fuel. Even the Western world, it’s not easy because even for those who are willing to invest in infrastructure to produce sustainable aviation fuels, the market is not there for it.
“It’s pretty difficult for people because most of the aircrafts in the world, and other things including the generators at the airport, they have been built specifically for fossil fuels. So, you can imagine the enormous cost it will take to change the engines of aircraft to be more receptive to sustainable aviation fuels.
“It’s a huge project that the world will have to go through. And for African countries that are still battling with poverty, with infrastructure deficits and all that, many people see it as not a priority on the list of African countries.
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“That is why Africa is now keying into the global project of no country to be left behind because in investing in this infrastructure, what ICAO has said is that they will not allow the Western countries to go too far in their research, in their production of sustainable aviation foils, without carrying along the other developing countries.”
The Minister also hinted that efforts are made globally to reduce carbon emission at various airports, beyond the skies.
Keyamo said, “There’s also a deliberate effort to ensure that within the apron, they don’t burn too much fuel to pollute the immediate environment of the airport. So, there are things that appear insignificant but they are doing it around the world to ensure that the taxi between where the aircrafts park to take off is not so lengthy. At the end of the day, all efforts are geared towards transition and it is not easy at all.
“Even globally, most of the best airlines have only achieved 2 percent. I think Emirates flew once or twice with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) but most airlines have not been able to achieve it. So, it is the continuous investment in research and infrastructure.”
The Committee Chairman, Kama Nkemkama while acknowledging the challenges in the transition said the committee advocates for incentive and infrastructure for for smooth transition.
“We are aware of the difficulty in the transition and we know it is costly. When we had a meeting with the Secretary of the UnitedNations, we made it clear that a lot of incentives and infrastructure need to be given to developing countries like Nigeria, the Blue Nation, to enable us fulfill climate change transition.”