Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, says transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources would reduce the rate of environmental degradation and pressure on the ecosystem.
ERA has also charged the Federal Government to set up a special trust fund of about $200billion, for the restoration of ecosystem in the country.
The group particularly said that the restoration of the Niger Delta environment from further degradation as well as stopping desert encroachment in the North, are urgent tasks that must be done.
Director Program and Administration, ERA/FoEN, Mike Karikpo, said as the United Nations has set aside 2021-2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, Nigeria must also be deliberate in restoring the nation’s environment.
Karikpo said without concerted actions to preserve, restore and enhance the viability of our ecosystems, our capacity to make progress in critical areas such as education, health and employment will be greatly compromised.
He said funds for ecosystem restoration should be in the region of $200billion so that within the next ten years, the Niger Delta environment can be restored and within 30years, host communities are not left to bear the burden of degraded environment.
“Ecosystem restoration work should focus on addressing the actual sources of environmental degradation, so that the removal mechanism does not become business as usual in the continuation of carbon emissions released inito the atmosphere.
“The government end gas flaring now to restore Niger Delta ecosystems.
“Nigeria must commit to energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, to reduce the rate of environmental degradation and ecosystem disturbance.”
ERA/FOEN further calls for the urgent restoration of the polluted Ogoniland ecosystems and the entire Niger Delta region ecosystem within the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030.
“The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will be a mirage unless concerted and genuine effort is made to provide finance and set targets to reduce the rate of deforestation and ecosystems disturbance by the number and scope of ecosystem restored, improved biodiversity and ecosystem resilience tor the health of Mother Earth and wellbeing of people.”
On his part, Executive Director of ERA, Dr GOdwin Ojo, said “restoring the ecosystem will enhance biodiversity, clean polluted rivers and contaminated soil and improve local livelihoods of our people.
“Ecosystem restoratiion will enhance capacity of our soils and forests to store
greenhouse gases rather than the false solution of carbon capture and storage facilities that do not cut emissions at source and poses grave danger to ecosystems.”—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
