COP 31: Niger Delta Women Take Demands For Climate Justice To Brazil

Over 30 women from rural communities in the Niger Delta region are set to attend the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP 31) in Brazil to demand global action on climate justice for Nigeria’s oil-rich region. The women, representing millions of Niger Delta women, will press for urgent remediation of the environment damaged by over 70 years of oil exploration activities by multinational companies like Shell. This was one of the major outcomes of the 3rd Annual Niger Delta Climate Change Conference, with the theme ‘Building A Resilient Future, Integrated Climate Action and Community Empowerment in the Niger Delta’, held in Port Harcourt recently. The conference, which brought together various stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community leaders, and government representatives, aimed to address the devastating impacts of climate change and environmental degradation in the Niger Delta region. The Niger Delta region has been battered by decades of oil exploration, resulting in significant environmental degradation and poverty, with women in the region having been disproportionately affected, with limited access to resources and decision-making opportunities. Dr. Emem Okon, Executive Director of Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, said the women, from the creeks, coastal and upland communities in Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Edo, will be representing millions of Niger Delta women “who cannot be in Brazil to lend their voices.” Other women advocates from the Niger Delta also spoke at the event, expressing fears over the  existential threat the Niger Delta faces due to climate change. They worried over established researches which have predicted that half of the region may be submerged by water by 2030 if urgent action is not taken.

Source: The Whistler