Carbon Credit Systems for Climate Change Mitigation in Nigeria

Climate change mitigation has become a global concern in recent years, and developing a sustainable carbon credit system is arguably one of the most effective strategies to combat this problem. This review focuses on strategies for developing a sustainable carbon credit system for climate change mitigation in Nigeria, with the findings robust enough to be applied in Sub-Saharan Africa. Carbon credit systems adopted in other regions of the world have been reviewed and presented to enable readers to draw inferences for applications in the region of study. Several carbon credit systems, such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), have been adopted in other regions and could be applied in Nigeria to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The current situation of carbon emissions in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa has been analysed, including emissions from different fuel sources (liquid, solid, and gaseous fuels) and the percentage of emission per capita. The analysis revealed that Nigeria and ultimately sub-Saharan Africa are among the world's highest emitters of greenhouse gases, with emissions mostly originating from energy generation and transportation. There are still significant knowledge gaps in implementing carbon credit systems in Africa, which have been highlighted in this review. This has shown the need for strong policy and regulatory frameworks to support the implementation of carbon credit systems in the region, thereby promoting sustainability.