From Blessing Ibunge, Port Harcourt
A Non -Governmental Organisation, Health of Mother Earth foundation (HOMEF), is seeking the protection of the environment, stressing the need to build power from the grassroots, and ensure a shift from fossil fuel-based energy to renewable alternatives.
HOMEF made the call during its virtual two-day session of School of Ecology.
In his address, Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr Nnimmo Bassey noted the need to protect the environment, ensure livelihoods, saying that energy access cannot be over emphasized because of its high gains from the environment and all it carries.
According to Bassey, the idea of shifting the power line is a project that looks at who decides what energy options should be adopted and who has access to the energy options.
Using the mangrove ecosystems as a foundation for the conversation, HOMEF boss explained that they provide breeding grounds for fishes, excellent for shoreline protection and support livelihood as well as cultural expressions.
He said: “At the start of the project, HOMEF in partnership with CEHRD had carried out a participatory research in Kono and Bundu, two fishing communities in Rivers State. The contrast between the two communities is that while Kono has preserved mangrove forest, the mangroves at Bundu have been largely destroyed by oil pollution, plastic wastes and over harvesting of the wood. The communities illustrated the urgent need for the meeting of energy needs of our coastal communities.
“Looking at the fast-disappearing mangroves in various parts of the Niger Delta and other parts of the world, we see a trend that deprives people of access to energy, access to ecosystems that support local livelihoods and help to mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
Dr Bassey noted that “There is need for sustainable change from the people, when an issue has been identified, it should be escalated to national and global level because what affects the grassroots in Nigeria, also affects others in other part of the world. There is also need to share solutions and build movement to ensure that the best things get adopted and put in place, also to analyse and get to the root of the problems, a lot of the problems in the environment are due to faulty power relations.”
With speakers from Nigeria, Ghana, Bolivia, Brazil, South Africa, Swaziland, Philippines, and the United Kingdom broad, they all decried unjust power relations and the entrenching of domination, inequality, oppression, racism, and neo-colonialism.
A leading earth jurisprudence expert and attorney form South Africa, Cormac Cullinan in his presentation said that the responses to ecological challenges are moderated by the world views. He noted that the current economic models promote degradation of nature, calling for a healthy relationship with nature and the other species.
“The need to campaign for a better environment is for everybody in the environment space to continue to support the livelihood, culture and to live in dignity. We all have a space to contribute and be part of the movement to contribute to a greener environment”.
Also speaking, Asad Rehman, Executive Director, United Kingdom Based War on Want insisted that for exist of a just energy transition there must be readiness of nations to act, agree to fighting for a temperature rise of not more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to actively work to undo embedded systems of oppression in the world.
Thuli Makama of Oil Change International (Africa) spoke on the need to uproot the false power and development narratives that has open Africa for exploitation.
She decried the fact that while the world is shifting away from fossil fuel extraction, international oil companies are aggressively seeking new oil fields in Africa.
Makama added that while extraction of resources in Africa is mostly geared for export, the people merely end up with low-paying hazardous jobs.
For Pablo Solon, the former Ambassador of Bolivia to the United Nations, “although struggles that will succeed must have a strong base from the grassroots, they must also have strong national mobilizations.”
He added that the just transition must not be a mere change of energy mode but one that holistically look at various aspects of life that ensures well-being of both people and the planet.
