HOMEF blames gas-flaring, exploration activities for poverty in Niger Delta

Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, yesterday, raised concerns over adverse environmental and economic effects of gas flaring and exploration activities in the Niger-Delta region and called for actions to reduce poverty and ensure a sustainable environment for all.

Speaking during the HOMEF School of Ecology, with the theme, “Propelling the Energy Transition” in Benin City, Edo State, Bassey said human-induced activities were responsible for many environmental challenges in the world, particularly in Africa and Nigeria.

Bassey, in a paper presentation titled: “Nationally Determined Catastrophe: What NDCs mean to Africa and low-lying regions”, said Africa as a continent is worse hit, going by Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Expressing worry over the worsening effect of gas flaring, he said government at all levels must make deliberate efforts to check the menace, saying: “Gas flaring is a criminal activity.

He added: “Some of the ideas and policies coming from multilateral conversations are not things we should swallow because of the forces behind the decisions. “

“Climate change is the outcome of fractured socioeconomic systems. If this is accepted, it should be expected that it is within human capacity to act in ways that would stem the tide, mitigate the impacts, and build resilience. Rather than do this, we are seeing a rise in arguments claiming that market forces can solve the climate crisis. It is clear that market environmentalism cannot solve problems created by the failure of markets.

“The unholy wedlock between fossil fuel industries and governments has locked societies on the fossil pathway and made it seem like dependence on dirty energy is both inevitable and unavoidable.

In Nigeria and other African countries, we hear top political leaders insisting that moving away from fossil fuels will spell economic doom, intensive energy deficits and a reign of poverty. It is not hard to see how false these arguments are.”

The environmentalist said HOMEF School of Ecology will, among others, proffer solutions to energy challenges in the country.l particularly, “With the intensification of climate impacts by way of floods, droughts, and wildfires around the world, it would be expected that global emergency measures would be taken to tackle the crisis.