Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Health of Mother Earth Foundation has called for immediate switch to renewable energy sources, as the solution to climate crisis induced by fossil fuels.
HOMEF said the the call to embrace renewable sources of energy which are cleaner alternatives to emissions laced fossils, was imperative, as climate crises induced by fossil fuels have led to global warming.
Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, made the advocacy during the opening ceremony of HOMEF’s School of Ecology series on ‘Overcoming Climate Action’ Inertia.
Bassey speaking on Propelling the Energy Transition, regretted that 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 was inevitable.
He noted that in Nigeria and other African countries, political leaders were creating the false impression that moving away from fossil fuels will spell economic doom, intensive energy deficits and a reign of poverty.
“This School of Ecology on Propelling the Energy Transition aims to achieve what the name says, force change from bad or dirty to good or renewable energy. With our partners in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
“We believe that there are lessons that can be learned from available wisdom and applied to fundamentally tip the scales away from polluting and harmful activities.
“We are actively learning from indigenous wisdom which largely encourage living within planetary limits and in harmony with Nature. Our youths can pick up the wisdom of the elders, process and adapt them in innovative ways to bring about the needed change.”
Bassey lamented that the indications from multilateral actions prompted by the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was tilting towards the perpetuation of polluting activities.
The agreements, according to him was embarking on carbon removal from the atmosphere, or at pollution sources to buy time by delaying climate action while offloading the impacts on the youths and children.
“This school denounces the intergenerational crimes connected to insistence on energy firms that harm humanity and the Planet.
“You have heard of ongoing moves towards divestment which the Niger Delta Convergence Manifesto characterizes as criminal flight, a move to profit from avoiding responsibilities for current and historical ecocide.
“To worsen the situation, the European Union is displaying an unwillingness to be weaned from fossil fuels as the gas taps from Russia gets constricted on account of the war with Ukraine. Suddenly all eyes are on Africa and our leaders are purring like spoilt cars as they jump at the coming reign of fossil colonialism.”
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