Signed, Sealed, but Not Delivered: the Credibility of Nigeria’s Climate Change Act 2021 in Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change in Nigeria

Abstract Under the Paris Agreement, parties are required to submit Nationally Determined Contributions ( NDC s). Many countries have enacted domestic climate legislation that promote the implementation of these NDC s. This article investigates what climate legislation should include to enable countries to better achieve the Paris Agreement’s climate change adaptation and mitigation goals. It critically analyses Nigeria’s Climate Change Act ( CCA ) 2021 to determine the extent to which it can address climate change in Nigeria. Considering the peculiarities of Nigeria, the article compares the CCA with the UK Climate Change Act 2008. It also compares the Petroleum Industry Act as a piece of climate-related legislation with the CCA ’s objective in respect of gas flaring. The article argues that considering Nigeria’s circumstances, it is unlikely that it will be able to achieve its climate target under the NDC s and the CCA . This article therefore attempts to foreshadow the likely path forward.