#EndGasFlaringNow Campaign Launch

Nigeria, since 2004, has repeatedly set deadlines for an end to gas flaring but none were met. The first deadline was in 2004 and now, in 2019, the government has vowed to meet its flare-out target of 2020 while the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submission to the UNFCCC puts the target at 2030. The Coalition for Socioecological Transformation (CoSET) was formed to be a formidable force in the fight against the flaring of gas in the country amongst other environmental and climate change concerns.

Gas flaring is a devastating menace in Nigeria with disastrous consequences on the environment, health, agriculture, air and water quality as well as common existence as we know it. Ending gas flaring in Nigeria is one of the cardinal focus of CoSET and the first in its list of campaigns in Nigeria. In January alone, Nigeria lost $64.05 million, an equivalent of N19.6 billion, to gas flaring as oil and gas firms operating in the country flared 18.30 billion Standard Cubic Feet (SCF) of gas in January 2019. CoSET is working to make sure that the 2020 deadline is the final deadline to put an end to flaring of gas in Nigeria and to push the government to also update the current deadline of 2020 to its NDCs.

This aim of the #EndGasFlaringNow campaign is to mobilise voices across Nigeria to kick against the menace of gas flaring and expose its disastrous effects across the country. The campaign launch had in attendance members of CoSET, local community members including farmers, fisher-folks, women groups and climate change researchers who shared first-hand experiences from the impact of gas flaring. The #EndGasFlaringNow Documentary from CoSET and Legit TV was displayed during the launch.