Political Economy of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Human Security Threat: An Evidence from Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examined the political economy of greenhouse gas emissions and human security threats in the Niger Delta Region, Nigeria. Nigeria is one of the largest producers of crude oil in Africa and flares a greater percent of her gas. The Gas Flare Track indicates that from March 2012 to February 2019, the total carbon dioxide emitted in the five Niger Delta states was estimated at an average of 239.1 million tonnes. Gas flaring by the transnational oil firms is a major contributor to global warming leading to the human security threat in the region. At present, the Niger Delta ecosystem is one of the worst hit by the adverse effects of global warming. The effect of climate change in the Niger Delta region has pushed a greater percentage of its inhabitants into abject poverty. The government is rhetorical and adamant about attending to the socio-economic challenges occasioned by climate change. The continuous neglect and deprivation of access to petrodollar benefits led to the anti-thesis between the Niger Delta inhabitants and the oil companies backed by the federal government in the Region. The aftermath of this struggle is the launching of the artisanal refining of crude oil, which became another source of greenhouse gas emission in the Niger Delta Region. The artisanal refining enterprise, however, received a morale boost from the oil-bearing communities, but unbeknown to them of its environmental impact. The study adopted the externality theory and structural conflict theory as its theoretical construct. The study relied on the qualitative method of data gathering techniques, which include the internet, journals, and books. The study unraveled that gas flaring has become another source of revenue for the Nigerian government, hence cannot end it. The paper recommends amongst others the amendment of the Reinjection Act of 1979 clause that allows multinational oil companies to flare gas.