Stakeholders are calling for increased sensitization on the utilisation of carbon offset opportunities especially for communities within the Niger Delta region. This is just as they decried the dangers posed to the environment as a result of harmful human practices including carbon emission.
The stakeholders, who bared their minds at a one day multi-stakeholders’ dialogue on carbon-offset organised by Search for Common Ground in Asaba, Delta state, advocated a multi-sectorial approach in tackling the challenges of carbon emission.
The Dialogue forms part of activities of the eighteen month project titled ä community centred approach to transforming criminality and violence in the Niger Delta currently being implemented in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States by a consortium led by Search for Common Ground.
Speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of the event, the program manager for the EU funded project in the Niger Delta, Joshua Chorbe, said the need to empower community members with knowledge on carbon credit and offset opportunities necessitated the dialogue.
“This dialogue aims to enhance awareness creation for stakeholders to dialogue on how these issues of carbon offset can be utilised especially the opportunities around it. Also, it is to explore the disadvantage of other human actions asides from gas flaring. How can people within the communities begin to understand that their actions also contribute to issues of emission and how do we reduce that? We are determined as an organisation to further strengthen our advocacy engagements to other relevant MDAs in the field of carbon offset on how they can also amplify what this means and how community people can benefit from it.
On the part of some participants including Professor Iwebgue Chukwujindu Maxwell, Director of Advanced Research Centre, Delta State University Abraka, every member of society has a role to play protecting the environment. “Every one of us in one way or the other emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere even from our cooking system, our waste management system here in Nigeria, how do we manage our waste, majorly by burning. We accumulate it in certain dumpsite during the dry season we begin to burn which will lead to emission of carbon dioxide. Vehicular emission is another point of emission. Most of us own vehicles and we also emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Then gas flaring is one major issue in the Niger Delta.
A community member from Burutu, Apostle Godsflag Agbon, who is a retired environmental health director, lamented the impact of gas emission on the health of members of the community. “The dialogue is very impactful as it will create awareness on the dangers of emitting all these greenhouse gases. Carbon emission affects the water we drink and bath and it results in skin diseases. If it is abated it will be of great importance. Search for common ground should try as much as possible to go on with the campaign and then also meet the government for support. Give the communities the awareness so that they too will support them.
On the role of government in pushing for carbon offset and credit opportunities, Mrs Briggs Vivian Douye, Director Climate Change, Delta State Ministry of Environment said “the role of government in the carbon offset is first of all to bring up policies, framework to enable the carbon market. Delta State has actually keyed into this carbon offset because last year the Governor of the state signed a memorandum of understanding with a UK based company to carry out a mangrove restoration and sea grass project. By the time that project comes to bare, we are going to be earning a lot of carbon credits which will be sold in the international carbon market. That way, we are not just conserving the environment; we are bringing economic benefit to the state.