EMMANUEL NLEWEDUM, Port Harcourt
Women from Nigeria, Brazil, and the Netherlands, known as Women Climate Assembly WCA have called for a trans-national collaboration to tackle the impact of climate change in their countries and the world at large.
The call was made at the opening ceremony of the ongoing Women’s Climate Assembly in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with the theme “Promoting women’s critical role in climate change mitigation initiatives.”
The event had delegation of Brazilian women, Netherland representatives and women from over ten states in Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Rivers, Bayelsa, Bornu, Akwa Ibom states among others in attendance.
The women led by Dr. Emem Okon, Executive Director, Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, urged the Nigerian government to promote women involvement in policy-making processes, address extractivism and its negative impacts and as well collaborate with international communities to tackle climate change challenges.
Speaking at the conference, Dr. Emem Okon highlighted the devastating impact of climate change on women, including flooding, heat, and respiratory problems. She stressed the need for women to be involved in policy-making in Nigeria and across the world to address these issues.
She said the women at the conference will share their experiences and strategies for addressing climate change, discuss ways to influence governments and corporations, and emphasize the need for collective action to address climate crisis.
She said, “the Women Climate Assembly was first hosted as African Regional Women Climate Assembly in 2022.
It is actually part of the assemblies held during the Counter Conference of Parties (COP).
The Counter COP is a project of the African Climate Justice Collectives.
It creates the space of the Counter COP for community members and other persons who cannot attend the United Nations COP (the United Nations Climate Change Conference).
“In this year’s conference, we are dealing with climate change; it is still happening now.
The weather patterns have changed over the years, and these changes have created situations that are not very pleasant for us as community members.
The rains have become heavier. The flooding has become more regular. Its now an annual incident.
“And when flooding happens, people are displaced because their houses and farmlands are flooded, their properties are destroyed by flood.
In fact, flood causes a lot of discomfort, people struggle to survive flooding. At times, people die.
“And also, we have intense heat. People struggle with survival, we don’t have regular power supply. So all of us struggle with heat.
And often times, fan blows hot air, and no longer cool air.
“In the riverine communities, they suffer from sea level rise. People’s houses are destroyed, and the worst thing is that we are frontline to the extractive activities going on in the Niger Delta.
“We have been having gas flaring for the past seven decades. It destroys the roof. It makes us have acid rain and makes rainwater not safe for drinking. The roofs corrode. A lot of people are having respiratory problems.
Women are experiencing infertility issues.
“We are also suffering from deforestation. So, all these things, including the weather patterns that have changed are part of the changes in our environment; they have become destructive.
Livelihoods are destroyed, people do not have alternatives, so, drastic actions need to be taken to arrest the situation.”
Dr. Okon also stressed the need for women to be involved in policy making in Nigeria and across the globe, as they are more affected.
“So, that is why we are here as women, because all these impacts of climate change that I have explained, the effect is double on the women.
When something happens to the men, our husbands, our sons, our fathers, it is women that bear the brunt because we have to take care of them.
If there are no resources to take care of them, we struggle to look for the resources.
“That’s why we gather for the Climate Assembly to share experiences, discuss with each other, know how we are coping, deliberate on what we can do to get the people in authority, the government to listen to us and take the required actions to address the problems.
“And one of our demands is that whatever they do at the national level, at the international level, women should be part of the policy making process because they need to hear from us how we are impacted for them to know the kind of solutions that will work for us, particularly those in rural communities.”
On the sub-theme of the conference, “Beyond Extractivism, Reclaiming Sovereignty”, Okon asked, “do we really need to continue struggling with extractivism? How have we benefited from extractivism since it started?
If we have not benefited as we expected, if we are having more of destructive and negative impact as against the positive benefits that was expected, should we continue with it?
“How are we benefiting from the oil business? Yes, some few privileged people are benefiting. Big business is benefiting.
The women that are gathered here in this conference and millions out there in the communities, how are they benefiting from extractivism?
So that is the question. Can we move forward without extractivism? Or how can we utilize extractivism in such a way that it stops creating the kind of challenges and the kind of problems its creating within the communities? She questioned.
She further stressed the need for an all inclusive efforts from all Nigerians, especially leaders across Africa and the international communities to rise up together in addressing the issue of climate crisis.
“It needs all of us, including the corporations (firms) that are exploiting the natural resources, and the government that are giving them the license and also supporting them in all they are doing to reflect.
“We have to work with people outside Nigeria. And that’s why we have the delegation from Brazil here in this conference.
They are also from rural communities. So, its a question of how are you coping with this problem in your own place?
“The Brazilians have also shared their experiences, they are suffering from the same problem. So, we’ll share within ourselves, what strategies used in mobilizing, what strategies used in engaging the government, and how these strategies are working.
Are they best practices? Are they giving positive outcomes and results?
“How can we join forces to influence both the government in Nigeria and the governments in their own countries and the corporations that are working all over the world.
“The conference will also deliberate on how we influence them to do their business in such a way that they don’t destroy the communities.
The government and these corporations should understand that this business of oil and pollution is affecting the women and the people.
“Our leaders in the government, especially those from these impacted communities, they have to realize that they owe the responsibility, to themselves as indigenes from these communities, to their families, to their communities and to the Niger Delta region, to address issues of pollution and also to address the impact of climate change,” Okon said.
Delivering her keynote address, Professor Engobo Eneseh, emphasised that women play key role in environmental development, adding that “Women are architects of climate action.
Women have been at the forefront of initiatives to address climate change. They design, they build new ways of doing things and finding proactive solutions to addressing the climate challenges.”
Professor Eneseh called for more commitment from the government in addressing climate change challenges, and urged them to make policies that will create better networks for women and ensure they are proactive in the project.
“Women can do a whole range of different things, but governments and the companies involved in these crisis, as well as Civil Societies have to be involved in supporting them. Women need to be empowered because if we give women the opportunity, the evidence shows that we get a lot more.
The World Bank says if you give women $1, they produce $7 of their savings. That’s how women’s involvement in climate action creates results that are long-term.
“The government has to be fully involved in addressing the causes of climate change. They need to respond by making policies that addresses the impacts of climate change.
Pollution, for instance, in the Niger Delta, I think its a crime that we are where we are in 2025 with the level of pollution that we have here, the government have been unable to address that. It’s an open crime.”
The United Kingdom-based University lecturer also corroborated with Emem Okon’s position on building a trans-national network in tackling climate change crisis.
“I think there is need for transnational network in tackling this menace, because the climate challenge we face is a global problem. Climate change is not just a Nigeria or Africa problem.
There is a responsibility on the global community to help support developing countries who are impacted by climate change, including women.
“For instance, like the issue of oil pollution that we have in the Niger Delta, continued flaring of gases by IOCs, I think there has to be a global attention to that because its not just a Niger Delta issue its a global issue that’s perpetrated mainly by multinationals who are now selling assets to run away from their responsibilities globally.
On her part, Carolina de Moura, leader of the Brazilian delegation at the conference, commended organisers of the event led by Dr. Emem Okon, for their passion and commitment in restoration of the environment and for leading the fight against climate injustice.
She backed the advocacy for transnational network in tackling climate change crisis, emphasising the need for women involvement in not only deliberations on addressing climate challenges, but in making key policies of global interest.
She said, “Collaboration with other countries in addressing climate change challenges is a special one. We are part of the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action.
“We build solidarity, we build sorority. We do local work, like plant trees, do agroecological gardens, and recycle materials.
But we also organize to do advocacy work, claiming for justice with all the kinds of instances of government, both local government, national and international governments.
And we do all we can do because its very important to use different strategies due to the huge problem we are facing with climate change and extractivist companies, like mining of iron core amongst other climate challenges, not only in Brazil, but all over the world.
“And they have this linking and learning initiative that put together women groups in different parts of the world.
And its really, really important because we share concrete experience, ways to do the day-by-day work defending the women, the people and nature.
And we learn different strategies and also we connect.”
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