Climate Crisis: Nnimmo Bassey Urges Edo to Protect Forests, Embrace Clean Energy

Environmental activist Nnimmo Bassey has urged Edo State to safeguard its forests and accelerate investments in renewable energy as a critical strategy to confront the escalating impacts of climate change. Speaking at the 2026 World Environment Day commemoration, Bassey emphasized that delaying climate action would only deepen existing environmental, economic, and social crises across Nigeria.

Bassey pointed to Edo State's significant ecological assets, including its forests, biodiversity, and fertile lands, stressing their importance for building resilience against climate change. He warned that continued deforestation, oil pollution, and gas flaring pose serious threats to these resources and undermine climate adaptation efforts. The activist drew parallels between Edo's environmental challenges and those in other Niger Delta regions, noting that damage from fossil fuels begins at the extraction point.

“

Edo has an opportunity to build a future based on ecological sustainability, renewable energy, food sovereignty, environmental justice and community wellbeing.

Addressing climate change through a justice lens, Bassey highlighted that Africa, despite contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions, disproportionately suffers from climate impacts like floods and droughts. He argued that nations and corporations responsible for the majority of historical emissions should bear greater responsibility. Bassey also criticized development models prioritizing profit over environmental and community well-being, cautioning against "green colonialism" where communities bear the environmental costs of renewable energy projects.

“

The communities most exposed to climate impacts are often those with the fewest resources to adapt.