In a concerted effort to combat methane emissions and safeguard Nigeria from the adverse effects of climate change, experts convened at a roundtable discussion hosted in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

Spearheaded by the African Initiative for Transparency, Accountability, and Responsible Leadership (AfriTAL) in collaboration with Environmental Centre for Oil Spills and Gas Flaring (ECOSGF) the discussion at the conference aimed at formulating strategies to mitigate Nigeria’s contribution to methane pollution globally.

Spearheaded by Brown Louis Ogbeifun, Executive Director of the African Initiative for Transparency, Accountability, and Responsible Leadership (AfriTAL) in collaboration with Environmental Centre for Oil Spills and Gas Flaring (ECOSGF) the discussion aimed to formulate strategies to mitigate Nigeria’s contribution to methane pollution globally.

The focal point of the dialogue centred on identifying anthropogenic sources of methane emissions, particularly stemming from livestock manure decomposition, organic components in agro-industrial wastewater, and mining activities.

According to AfriTAL’s Executive Director, Louis Ogbeifun, these emissions, often stored or treated in waste management systems, produce biogas comprising approximately 70% methane, 30% carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide.

“I am sure that every Nigerian today sleep and wake up with heat, that should be of concern to everybody, was it like that in the past? No, what has suddenly led to this, so some of us a beginning to look at climate change as something that is real or more real than what people have projected and that the destruction of the eco system is beginning to catch up with human beings.”  

“We need therefore to do something where we have control in terms of advocacy and in terms of trying as much as possible to manage our waste well as a way of reducing the short term methane emissions within the atmosphere.”

“First, many of our garbage cans are open, many of our waste dumps are open within our environment for instance. So, if we decide to do better by bagging our waste from the house level before putting it in the garbage we can then cover it; that is within the environment.”

“Then, secondly, at the larger scale, within the community, maybe the local government, all that baggage we expose into the landfills, can we begin to ensure that we bury them properly.”

“Simple things like that can help our villagers or our communities to know very well that there are things that we do to help abate methane in our environment.”

He noted that Methane is the major cause of heat in our environment.

“Methane is a major contributor to the current heatwave in the country, because methane is 80 percent more potent in trapping heat and carbon dioxide, what does that mean, carbon dioxide for instance can stay in the atmosphere for 100 years by what textbooks says, but methane stays in the atmosphere for about 12 years.

“What that means therefore is that when it traps the heat, getting it released until it disperses of course is going to increase the wave of heat, it is going to increase the wave of temperatures and that is why it is said the methane on its own causes about 40 percent of global heat related issues within the environment.”

Methane, with over 80 times the warming potency of carbon dioxide, poses significant threats to climate stability, environmental integrity, air quality, and human health.

As Africa’s leading oil and gas producer, Nigeria ranks among the top 10 global methane emitters, necessitating urgent measures to align with climate goals and socioeconomic objectives.

Other experts emphasized the imperative of bridging technical, economic, regulatory, and social gaps to ensure effective and sustainable methane mitigation efforts.

Panelists, including Anthony Onoja, Clara Obi- Chinwoke, Godswill Ukoipoko, Monday Williams, and Nosa Aigbedon, underscored the necessity of reducing methane emissions by 45% by 2030 to yield immediate and enduring benefits for climate resilience, agriculture, and ecosystem health.

Acknowledging challenges in policy implementation and enforcement, stakeholders stressed the importance of transparent governance, public awareness, and the adoption of environmentally friendly technologies.

Monday Williams who himself is an engineer, highlighted the success of Akwa Ibom State’s clean energy policies and urged other states to emulate similar initiatives.

Keynote speaker Adam Heal, Executive Director of Stakeholders Democracy Network (SDN), emphasized the urgency of addressing methane abatement challenges while capitalizing on emerging opportunities.

Dr. Louis Brown and Dr. Aigbedon reiterated the critical need for proactive waste management practices and sustainable agricultural approaches to curb methane emissions.

“There is no verifiable scale which exists on the exact scale of emissions, but SDN is building Nigeria’s prototype of Methane tracker”.

He recommended they policy makers move from target setting to delivery, improve in monitoring and data, gas commercialisation to reduce flares amongst other measures.

Dr. Clara Obi-Chinwoke emphasized the importance of inclusive policymaking and knowledge dissemination to empower rural farmers, particularly women, in climate adaptation strategies. She highlighted the necessity of bridging the gap between research outcomes and end-users to ensure effective agricultural solutions.

“When we talk about anthropogenic sources, you can’t overemphasise it without mentioning agriculture, the local people are the major work forces”.

“The policy formulations are not in the interest of local people; you cannot solve a problem without involving the key victims of the problem”.

The collective efforts showcased at the roundtable signify a pivotal step towards mitigating Nigeria’s methane emissions and advancing sustainable development goals on both national and global scales.