Experts raise concerns about the devastating impact of methane emissions on communities

In the heart of Nigeria’s Niger Delta, where the air is thick with the acrid smell of burning gas and the night sky is illuminated by the eerie glow of perpetual flares, communities are living a nightmare.

This nightmare, marked by environmental devastation, health crises, and economic hardship, was at the centre of discussions during a hybrid workshop that brought together stakeholders from oil and gas communities across the region.

Themed; “Capacity-Building Sessions on Methane Emissions Reduction for Fenceline Communities,” the workshop was organised by Policy Alert, in collaboration with the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) and We The People, in Port Harcourt, River State capital, on Wednesday.

For the communities, the workshop was not just a platform for dialogue but a call to action against the invisible yet deadly threat of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that continues to wreak havoc on their land and people.

“Everyone in this hall is connected by common fabric and that is the fact that we either live, were born or work with communities that are impacted by the fallout of oil and gas extraction in our backyards. And that being the case, we are first-line observers and even very well impacted by the kind of contradictions that we have seen in the region over the past few decades,” said Tijah Bolton, the Policy Alert’s Executive Director.

Mr Bolton explained that for decades, weak and captured regulatory practices and corporate actions have turned the Niger Delta into a veritable crime scene, noting that very few people at the community level know about the impacts of methane emissions.

“Yet methane emissions constitute a huge proportion of the Green House Gas components of gas flare and other fallouts of extractive activities”, he noted.

Methane – The invisible threat

Greenhouse gases drive climate change, and methane is one of the most significant contributors. Methane is the simplest hydrocarbon, comprising one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. It is colourless, odourless, tasteless, and highly flammable, making it both useful and dangerous.

What makes methane unique is its exceptional ability to trap heat in the atmosphere. Unlike other greenhouse gases, methane is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide, making it a critical target in the fight against global warming.

It traps heat, leading to rising global temperatures, melting ice caps, and rising sea levels. These changes threaten coastal cities like Lagos and Bayelsa, where rising ocean levels could displace millions of people.

For decades, global efforts to combat pollution have focused on carbon dioxide. However, as the world began to understand methane’s disproportionate impact on global warming, attention shifted to this potent gas. While carbon dioxide remains a long-term threat, methane’s short-term impact is far more severe. Major sources of methane include agriculture and land use, but in the Niger Delta, the primary concern is oil and gas activities.

The oil and gas sector is one of the largest industrial contributors to methane emissions and gas flaring, in particular, releases methane into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change and directly harming local populations.

In Nigeria, methane is a major component of natural gas, however, the extraction and flaring of methane during oil and gas operations have had devastating consequences, particularly in the Niger Delta. The industry flares over 5 billion cubic meters of gas annually, and unburned methane escapes into the atmosphere, along with other harmful pollutants.

For the people of the Niger Delta, the impact of methane emissions is not abstract, it is a daily reality. The unsafe practice of gas flaring is mostly done close to people’s homes, farms and schools. Associated consequences include respiratory illnesses, failing crops, and dying fish and these communities have lived with the consequences for generations.

Beyond the human cost, methane emissions also cause biodiversity loss which affects fisheries, food security, and the livelihoods of coastal communities.

Jude Samuelson, the Head of Environment at Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN), in his presentation, noted that mangrove forests are increasingly affected by frequent erosion due to rising sea levels.

He explained that temperature changes also disrupt marine ecosystems, stating that “many aquatic species have specific temperature ranges in which they thrive. However, when ocean temperatures rise sharply, these species are forced to migrate, often becoming stranded and dying. This has contributed to a progressive decline in aquatic life, posing a significant threat to local livelihoods and biodiversity”.

The broken promises

For Tengi George-Ikoli, Senior Officer and lead of the NRGI programme in Nigeria, the workshop provided the opportunity to explore how oil and gas extraction has affected the communities historically and most importantly, how recent decisions around energy transition, betting big on gas for domestic utilisation, gas for power and non-power uses, clean cooking and transport, impact these communities.

She said: “Gas flaring is not a new issue for oil and gas communities. Some of you can see these flares from your homes. The government has proposed many targets over the years to reduce and eliminate gas flaring without success”.

Ms George-Ikoli noted that despite Nigeria’s commitments to the Global Methane Pledge and its goal to reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, progress has been slow.

“In 1984, the government set an initial ban to eliminate routine gas flaring. In 2010, a fresh deadline was set to end routine gas flaring in alignment with the National Gas Master Plan. As part of Nigeria’s commitment to the World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 initiative, the country aimed for a Zero Routine Flaring Target by 2020.

According to her, more has to be done to hold the government accountable for its commitments. Methane emissions impact on the economy, environmental impacts, air pollution, health impacts, respiratory issues and otherwise should all be minimised with the government holding to its global and national commitments.

The role of traditional rulers

Reducing methane emissions is not just an environmental imperative, it is a matter of survival for communities on the frontlines of climate change. It is a fight for health, livelihoods, and a sustainable future.

Because gas flaring occurs mostly at the frontline communities, traditional leaders, who play a critical role in the survival of their communities, remain unaware of the full extent of the environmental and social challenges caused by oil and gas activities.

The challenges faced by traditional leaders are multifaceted, as noted by the Royal Highness, the Ogeloyinbo of Aiyetoro, Oba Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi, whose community has persistently suffered devastating losses of its homes and land to severe coastal erosion.

Mr Ojagbohunmi said: “Many traditional leaders remain uninformed about the deeper issues affecting their communities. Instead, discussions often revolve around short-term relief efforts, such as distributing bags of rice from oil companies, rather than advocating for corporate accountability and sustainable environmental practices.

“There are also forces at play such as contracts, intimidation, and other pressures that prevent these critical issues from being prioritised in official meetings”.

To empower traditional leaders, the monarch said “Civil Society Organisations must actively engage them, offering support and encouragement. Many leaders have been silenced, either through economic incentives or direct threats, making it crucial for advocacy groups to bridge this gap.

“Civil society must find ways to bring traditional leaders out of the comfort of their palaces and into critical discussions, or take the conversation to them”, he emphasised