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Nigeria’s Energy Challenge: The Carbon Cost of Power Reliability

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  Nigerian commercial building with rooftop solar panels and a diesel backup generator, illustrating a hybrid energy system for reliable and lower-carbon business operations. By Dr. Juliana Philip Ndalnamu Research Tips with Dr. Juliana Imagine a busy hotel in Lagos or a commercial office in Abuja. The lights are on, air conditioners are running, guests are checking in, and staff are processing payments. Then the grid supply fails. Within moments, a diesel generator started, allowing business to continue. For many Nigerian organisations, this is a familiar part of daily operations. Reliable electricity supports productivity, customer service, food safety, comfort, and business continuity. When grid supply is interrupted, stopping operations may not be realistic. Yet the cost of keeping the lights on extends beyond fuel bills, generator servicing, and equipment maintenance. There is also an environmental cost: the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the energy an organis...
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How to Measure Your Organisation’s Carbon Footprint: A Practical Guide

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  Nigerian commercial building with a diesel generator, electricity meter and rooftop solar panels, illustrating carbon footprint measurement and energy use. By Dr Juliana Philip Ndalnamu Research Tips with Dr. Juliana Imagine a hotel announcing that it will reduce its carbon footprint by 30% over three years. It sounds ambitious, but can management explain how much greenhouse gas the hotel currently emits? Without a credible baseline, it is difficult to measure progress. Last week’s Sustainability Monday article explained Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions. The next step is learning how to estimate them using activity data and emission factors. This guide introduces the basic methods and shows how Nigerian businesses can begin organising their data. 1. What is activity data? Activity data is a measurable record of an activity that causes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It tells an organisation how much fuel, electricity, material or service it used during a defined repo...
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Scope 1, 2 and 3 Emissions: Carbon Footprint Explained

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  Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 carbon emissions explained using a hotel example Imagine managing a hotel in Nigeria. Every month, you review two familiar bills: diesel for the generator and electricity purchased from the grid. They tell you something important about the hotel’s energy use, but do they tell you its entire carbon story? Not quite. Food has been grown and transported before it reaches the kitchen. Bed linen may be washed by an external laundry. Staff travel to work, and the hotel’s waste must be treated or disposed of. These activities can also generate greenhouse gas emissions, even when they do not come directly from the hotel’s own equipment. This is where carbon footprint measurement becomes more useful than simply checking fuel and electricity bills. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) groups organisational emissions into three categories: Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 . Understanding the difference helps organisations build a clearer emissions invento...
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Carbon Footprint Measurement: Why It Matters Before Setting Net-Zero Targets

  Sustainability Monday Carbon Footprint Measurement: The Foundation of Credible Net-Zero Targets From climate ambition to measurable action Last week, we examined what Nigeria needs to do to move from its net-zero commitment toward meaningful climate action. But there is an important question that comes before setting ambitious reduction targets: How can an organisation reduce its emissions if it does not first know how much it is emitting? This is where carbon footprint measurement becomes fundamental. A net-zero target may sound ambitious and impressive, but a credible transition to net zero requires more than announcing a target year. Organisations need to understand their current emissions, identify the major sources, establish a baseline, and then determine where meaningful reductions can be achieved. What Is a Carbon Footprint? A carbon footprint is an estimat...
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Nigeria's Net-Zero 2060: What Should We Measure Next?

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  Nigeria Net-Zero 2060 pathway showing oil and gas emissions transitioning to clean energy, transport, climate finance and sustainable development. Beyond climate commitments and policy announcements, Nigeria needs a practical way to determine whether its transition is producing measurable results. Nigeria has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060 and has developed an Energy Transition Plan (ETP) covering five major areas: power, cooking, transport, industry, and oil and gas. The country has also established a broader legal and institutional framework for climate action. But there is a question that deserves much more attention: How will we know whether Nigeria is moving towards net zero? A climate commitment is not the same thing as a climate outcome. A policy announcement is not the same thing as implementation. A renewable-energy project that has been announced is not necessarily the same thing as renewable electricity delivered...
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