Environmental organisations have called for the stoppage of proposed incinerator construction in Lagos State.
They said that incinerators emit higher levels of CO2 per megawatt-hour compared to coal, natural gas, or oil power plants, and is detrimental to the climate, as well as it will not help Nigeria meet its commitments under the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The organisations, including Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev), Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), among others, during a media briefing, yesterday, lamented that waste burning is expensive, inefficient and a threat to human health, environment and climate.
Clean Energy Campaigner for GAIA Nigeria, Weyinmi Okotie, said that transforming the waste into other forms of wastes, such as toxic ash and air and water pollution, are harder to contain and are usually more toxic than the original form of the waste.
He urged all residents and stakeholders to join in the fight for a cleaner and healthier Lagos.
Co-founder of CfEW, Benson Dotun Fasanya, lamented that waste-to-energy incineration is a threat to sustainable development.
SRADeV Executive Director, Dr Leslie Adogame, call on Lagos State government not adopt outdated technologies that are being phased out in the Global North.
He said that implementing a waste-to-energy incinerator in contradicts the city’s aspiration to be a leader in sustainability and innovation, especially with its growing interest and recognition in climate change advocacy.
A representative from PAVE, Akpan Anthony, urged the state government to prioritise the implementation of zero waste strategies, which exemplify a truly circular economy-driven strategic approach to resource management and preservation, such as reduction of waste generation, source segregation, recycling, composting, and reuse programmes.
The approaches, he said, prioritize value retention and provide more environmentally-friendly and economically-efficient options as alternatives to incineration.
