niger delta
Newsletter
Credit: Michel Isamuna/Unsplash
Shell's exit from the Niger Delta raises environmental accountability concerns
A report demands Shell address its extensive pollution legacy and safely decommission its abandoned oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta before exiting the region.
In short:
- Shell is preparing to leave the Niger Delta but faces demands to address its pollution legacy and safely decommission oil infrastructure.
- A report by the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations highlights Shell's avoidance of cleanup responsibilities despite significant profits from the region.
- Transparency issues and insufficient funding for decommissioning pose major challenges, with Shell accused of evading long-term environmental responsibilities.
Key quote:
"Shell has pulled off the ultimate Houdini act."
— Audrey Gaughran, executive director of the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations
Why this matters:
Shell's departure from the Niger Delta without addressing its environmental damage could set a dangerous precedent for corporate responsibility worldwide.
This development comes amid findings of widespread noncompliance with plugging requirements in the conventional oil and gas industry. For example, concerns have been raised about Diversified Energy Company, the largest owner of oil and gas wells in the United States, potentially abandoning up to 70,000 oil and gas wells across Appalachia without proper closure.
Keep reading...Show less
Big Stock Photo
Oil spill from Shell pipeline fouls farms and a river in a long-polluted part of Nigeria
AP journalist Taiwo Adebayo writes about an oil spill at a Shell facility in Nigeria has contaminated farmland and a river. It's upended livelihoods in the fishing and farming communities in part of the Niger Delta, which has long endured environmental pollution caused by the oil industry.
In a nutshell:
The spill originated from the Trans-Niger Pipeline operated by Shell, which has faced resistance from local communities due to environmental pollution caused by the oil industry. While the volume of the spill is yet to be determined, activists have shared images of contaminated land, oil-covered water surfaces, and dead fish. Despite attempts to contain the leak, the cleanup efforts have been stalled due to mistrust and past grievances between the residents and Shell, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by the Niger Delta region in addressing environmental damage caused by oil production.
Key quote:
”A credible cleanup would have been a beacon of hope for the Niger Delta and other areas in Africa that have suffered oil pollution, but no credible cleanup is ongoing,” said Ledum Mitee, a veteran Ogoni environmental activist and former president of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People. “It is a cover-up, and we do not see the impact.”
The big picture:
The Niger Delta continues to grapple with significant challenges in addressing the environmental damage inflicted by oil production. Decades of pollution have taken a toll on the region's communities, depriving them of clean water, damaging agriculture and fishing industries, and fueling a cycle of violence. Despite promises of cleanup initiatives and recommendations from independent assessments, progress has been slow. The lack of a credible and effective cleanup effort further exacerbates the frustration and despair felt by the people of the Niger Delta, who continue to bear the brunt of environmental degradation caused by oil production.
Read the article at the Associated Press.
There are countless examples of energy companies polluting the environments in which they operate. One example is this special report about communities across the U.S. that face environmental injustices.
Keep reading...Show less
Facing oil pollution with little govt attention, Niger Delta residents begin replanting mangroves
Faced with little or no attention from the authorities after decades of devastating oil pollution, residents are replanting mangroves destroyed over the years.
Oil hazards aren't the main worry of Nigeria's coastal residents: Toilets are
Some Niger Delta residents are less concerned about oil-induced hazards and risks, or floods and erosion. They are more worried about a lack of sanitation amenities.
Photo by Mariko margetson on Unsplash
Shell to pay $111 million for 1970 Niger Delta oil spills
The energy giant has agreed to compensate communities in the oil-producing Ogoniland part of Nigeria for the pollution. Shell still denies responsibility but the people who took the company to court feel vindicated.
Photo by Mariko margetson on Unsplash
Women protest Niger Delta oil pollution
After decades of oil pollution, women especially have suffered the consequences of serious pollution, and the health problems associated with it. But they are now leading the movement to change that.
www.nytimes.com
U.K. high court says Nigerians can sue Shell in Britain over oil spills
The Dutch energy company has a presence in Britain, and a judge ruled there was “a real issue to be tried.”
ORIGINAL REPORTING
MOST POPULAR
CLIMATE
