The Executive Director, Connected Advocacy, Israel Orekha has called for the capturing of positions of the vulnerable community to climate change at the forthcoming COP 27 in Egypt.
Orekha made the call in his opening remark at the 2nd Niger Delta Climate Change Exhibition, with the theme”Art 4 Climate Justice” in Benin on Friday.
“Vulnerable communities are saying listening to the needs of our people, engaged us with with skills and knowledge that will help tackle climate crisis, not continue to exploit us ,and leave us with degraded environment without remediation and compensation,” he said.
The environmental activist urged those in authority to work the talk to ensure policy implementation at the grassroots.
The executive director also global solidarity to end fossil-fuel colonialism in Africa; the effect, he said had caused environmental degradation in the Nigeria Niger Delta.
He noted that the event “is a strategic event to amplify responses to a call for solidarity to demand environment justice on the impact of fossil fuel on our lands, livelihoods and mental health, while telling the stories of the damages and lessons of the impact of fossil fuel extraction on the Niger Delta communities through arts exhibitions.
“This is holding in Nigeria and will hold in COP27 in Egypt, using arts and culture as a tool for accelerating voices for climate justice.
“Connected Advocacy Research Team put out grassroots findings in various rural communities in the Niger Delta regarding our changing climate and the local and economic impacts of climate change in the Niger Delta which will be featured through art exhibitions.
Niger Delta region, he said had suffered excruciating pains from environmental degradation over years, despite its
enormous contribution to the economic prosperity of the nation.
As a result of this, the environmentalist said the event was convened to build the capacity to increase local climate smart education, that would improve grassroots engagement in mitigating climate crisis.
He called for Africa investment in technology Transfer, rather than expanding fossil-fuel colonialist agenda.
More investment, he said should be channeled to decent green jobs/initiatives.
