To address the growing threat of climate change in the Niger Delta region, community members from Bayelsa and Delta states have proposed actionable solutions grounded in local knowledge and lived experience.

The proposals were presented during a series of town hall meetings facilitated by Academic Associates PeaceWorks (AAPW) with the support of the Embassy of Denmark in Nigeria.
The meetings, which were part of the ongoing project titled “Advancing Community Capacity to Mitigate Climate Change Impact and Develop Green and Blue Economy in the Niger Delta”, aimed to empower local communities to take ownership of environmental policies while amplifying their voices in climate governance.

Despite the challenges, the communities proposed bold solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change. These include: Establishment of functional waste management systems, Improved access to agricultural inputs and credit, Enforcement of conservation laws and Localisation of environmental policies to reflect community realities.

Participants at the town hall meetings expressed frustration over the continued pollution of their waterways by oil spills, the health impacts of gas flaring, the destruction of marine life by unregulated trawlers, and the visible absence of environmental sanitation infrastructure.

They also highlighted the weak enforcement of existing policies, limited access to climate-resilient livelihoods, and inadequate inclusion in planning processes, which have compounded local vulnerability, particularly among youth, women, farmers, and fishers.

According to Success Nwanedo, Senior Communications Officer at AAPW, the outcomes from the town hall engagements will inform further advocacy at both the state and federal levels.

She noted that AAPW will continue to work with community stakeholders, traditional institutions, and policymakers to turn dialogue into action, strengthening local bylaws, building technical capacity, and deepening environmental accountability across the region.

She said: “AAPW is committed to supporting the communities in their quest for environmental sustainability and climate resilience. By amplifying the voices of local communities and promoting policy advocacy, AAPW aims to ensure that environmental laws are translated from paper to practice, and that the needs and concerns of the communities are taken into account in climate governance.”