Educating Nigerians On Importance of Green Census

Written By Joshua Adams

With the world currently battling with the impact of climate change, it is noteworthy that the forthcoming national population and housing census will be environmentally friendly, transformational, digital and will differ in nature and scope from previous ones.

Green census is conducting a census that causes little or no damage to the environment and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, therefore helping in combating climate change.

Census is a very complex exercise and requires the mobilization of both human and material resources, hence it has a considerable impact on the environment.

For instance, for the 2006 census, about twenty-eight million sheets of paper questionnaires and over three million paper maps which are equivalent to about six thousand trees were utilized.

Therefore, there is now the need to pursue an eco-friendly approach in the conduct of the 2023 census, to cut back on potential impact on the environment and contribute to addressing the escalating challenges of climate change through the implementation of Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions to fulfill her commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement which the nation is signatory to.

The excitement is the fact that the National Population Commission is working in this direction awaiting presidential approval so that the country can feel and witness a new style of census.

According to the Director Coordinating Population and Climate, National Population Commission, Hajia Aisha Adamu, the benefits of the green census are minimizing impact on the physical, social, and economic environment.

During the 2012 and 2022 national flood disasters, rural dwellers suffered greater impact than their urban counterparts.

Many farmers’ livelihoods were totally destroyed with these realities sufficiently covered in the national news stories.

Therefore, census could be a tool to addressing this imbalance.

There is no gain saying that statistics generated from the Population estimates can be used to appropriate resources to states and local communities for many crucial eco-concerns like wildlife, environmental and public health programmes. Since it will also be population and housing census, the exercise will be used to provide affordable housing.

With climate change exacerbating severe weather events, these communities are increasingly devastated in terms of both physical and financial safety.

Census data can also be a way to identify where to invest in green jobs, as companies use census data to determine where to start up, expand or relocate.

Communities at the frontlines of combating climate change need investment in sustainable development and the green jobs that these investments create.

The census will help to determine where and how billions of naira are spent on infrastructure needs.

Data from the Green Census should help the Federal Government allocate funding for hazardous waste management, which will help prevent toxic waste dumping and spills.

In marketing Nigeria’s upcoming census as green, efforts must be geared towards avoiding green washing, to the extent that there would be more action and less noise.

However, the NPC as a member of the Nigeria Climate Council and a crucial partner in generating carbon credit needs to sensitize Nigerians on this new concept of green census.

Indeed, this is a great opportunity for Nigeria to acquire a robust and authentic national energy audit, and specific-climate data.