Nigeria witnessed an increase in CO2 emissions in the transport sector until 2015 when it experienced a decline. This reflected the impact of some of the policies implemented during this period. However, the decline was short-lived as the emissions continued to increase, reaching 14.63% in 2016.
Despite the increase, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 drastically changed the narrative of the continuous rise in transport emissions, reducing them by over eight million metric tonnes, a 14.23% decrease from the previous year. This sudden drop in transportation activities was a rare relief for the environment.
As the pandemic subsided, CO2 emissions rose by 13.17% between 2020 and 2022, illustrating that during this period, emissions from transportation increased significantly, signalling a return to the pre-pandemic era.