Climate Change: BlueGreen Initiative joins “Fund Our Future” Campaign in Uyo
Members of various participating organisations
BlueGreen Initiative for Sustainable Development (BlueGreenISD), a fast-rising organization promoting environmental awareness in Nigeria, has joined the walk for Climate Justice in Nigeria through the “Fund Our Future” campaign.
BlueGreenISD, linked with Global Platform (GP), joined five other advocacy networks and organisations in lending their voices in demanding actions to checkmate activities that promote climate change in the country.
The Climate Justice Walk took place simultaneously across the two States of Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, on Thursday, September 19, 2024. Other groups that fully participated in the walk included Clement Isong Foundation, Ibeno Youth Advocacy Network, Plasticultured, Etinan Youth Advocacy Network, and Activista.
The Executive Director of BlueGreenISD, Mr. Ediongsenyene Ndunobong, in a chat with our reporter, noted that the Global Platform (GP)Team in Nigeria, deemed it fit to organise young people for a “Climate Justice Walk”, considering the ills that have been done through preventable climate change actions, and the need to demand a shift from funding by financial institutions to channeling such funds to aid Climate Justice.
“Global Platform (GP) Team in Nigeria had to organise young people for a Climate Justice Walk to raise awareness and demand that banks like; HSBC, CitiBank, and Barclays redirect their funding away from the two main drivers of climate change: fossil fuels and industrial agriculture.”
He pointed out that coastal communities in Akwa Ibom were experiencing shortfalls in crop yield and fishing expeditions due to poor activities of man on the climate, thereby endangering the lives of people in these areas, using Ibeno and Eastern Obolo LGAs as reference points.
“Coastal communities in Akwa Ibom like Ibeno and Eastern Obolo LGAs, have had their means of livelihoods threatened by activities of IOCs and temperature change, signaling a drastic decline in fishing activities which remain the mainstay of these communities. These changes in temperature and oil pollution, have been attributed to climate change caused by deforestation, gas flaring, and unchecked exploration by the International Oil Companies,” he stressed.
Some of the key demands made in line with the “Fund Our Future” campaign include a redirection of funds to sustainable and safer agricultural practices, an increase in public funds for renewable energy and Agroecology, a call for the planting of more trees, and an end to financing deforestation, fossil fuels, coal, and expansion.
Other demands include: financing just transitions through scale-up climate finance, tax justice and debt relief, regulation of investment in fossil fuels and industrial agriculture, and a call to end deforestation and many more.
The campaign is one of the many advocacies embarked on by CSOs and Environmental Networks to promote safer environments in Nigeria.