Norway urges Nigerian businesses to swap diesel generators for solar power

Norway's Ambassador to Nigeria, Svein Baera, has urged Nigerian businesses and governments to transition from fossil fuel-powered generators to solar energy, emphasizing the urgent need for international cooperation to address climate change and environmental degradation.

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It’s World Environment Day today, and it’s important that we then use all kinds of ways to communicate the message that the world’s environment is not as it should be.

During a World Environment Day event themed "Because There’s No Planet B," Baera highlighted that pollution and climate change pose significant threats requiring immediate global action. He pointed to issues like plastic in oceans and greenhouse gas emissions, stressing that "all good forces in all countries must work together to find better solutions of reducing pollution and reducing emissions to save the climate and the environment."

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There is a lot of plastic in the ocean. There are a lot of emissions causing climate change. So all good forces in all countries must work together to find better solutions of reducing pollution and reducing emissions to save the climate and the environment.

The ambassador specifically promoted solar power as a practical alternative to diesel generators, which are widely used in Nigeria. "For instance, to go from a diesel generator and try to invest in solar energy, that is clean energy," he stated. Baera also underscored the crucial role of political leaders in advancing environmental protection through policy coordination and international collaboration, calling for enhanced cooperation to "save our oceans, to save our climate, to have less pollution and a better world, a greener world for all of us."

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For instance, to go from a diesel generator and try to invest in solar energy, that is clean energy.

Baera revealed that Norwegian companies are actively involved in Nigeria's clean energy transition, supplying solar technology to businesses seeking to replace diesel generators. Additionally, Norway's "Energy for Development" program is transferring expertise to Nigeria, particularly in reducing emissions within the oil and gas sector. The ambassador encouraged both Norwegian and Nigerian businesses to intensify efforts in adopting renewable energy sources.

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And politicians in all countries also need to work together. So we need more international cooperation to save our oceans, to save our climate, to have less pollution and a better world, a greener world for all of us.