Resources

The Eko Atlantic project is portrayed by Lagos State Government and developers as a model of sustainability, climate change adaptation and economic growth. However, reconciling plans for economic development and environmental protection with the aim of achieving social justice for all requires more open debate and participatory planning.

Kunle Adeyemi, a Nigerian architect based in Amsterdam, was equally fascinated by the way of living of the Makoko community. He argues that Makoko and other water communities embody a unique synthesis of socio-political relations, economic networks, architecture and spatial presence that collectively push at the frontiers of urbanism. The “Floating School” which he developed and built in collaboration with the community opened an international debate on visionary forms of architecture to adapt to the challenges of flood and population growth

Why does Nigeria have to become ‘green’? Many might say that Nigeria needs development of any kind whatsoever to raise people out of poverty and start industrial development. Lead author of the Green Deal Nigeria study, international climate expert Hans Verolme, explains the international context and argues that a Green Deal is not a luxury, but an immediate necessity. Read

Millions of trees are fired and wasted under Nigerian cooking pots as many women still cook on three-stone fires. Cooking with fire wood has destroyed large sways of Nigerian forest cover, which is under threat of extinction today. Mallam Adamu Mbar Yelwa is a 78 year old citizen of Taraba state. He remembers the days when clouds were hanging low over Yelwa forests, providing the people of the area with fresh air and lots of animals. Watch Video

Local communities in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta have complained about lack of development projects in their area says a report commissioned by the Heinrich Boell Stiftung (HBS) in Nigeria. “DESOPADEC has not done anything to improve our lives” says a resident of Iwhrekan community in Delta State. The HBS report critically assessed the extent to which Oil and Gas Development Commissions in the Niger Delta have been able to contribute to poverty reduction, livelihood improvement, and economic development in the region.

In the northern Nigerian state of Jigawa, the demand for firewood for baking bread has resulted in unsustainable felling of trees. This has further accentuated the problem of desert encroachment. Watch this video and contact us on info@ng.boell.org if you have a solution.

Getting young and enthusiastic converts to join the fight against climate change, global warming and unsustainable environmental practices requires taking the message to their door steps. A conversation club in Gembu, Taraba state introduces young scholars to the realities and concepts of environmental protection. Watch video

Not many Nigerian farmers are on twitter, but those who have started networking to get up-to date information on climate change adaptation, are turning in bigger harvests. Unfortunately, despite the fact that 60% of the population are into farming,the majority of Nigerian peasant farmers do not have adequate knowledge. Only 5% have access to improved seeds. But the farmers from Owelli court community of Enugu state have been working with the NGO Tubali on networking and their state government has made information available to them Watch Video

What happens if Nigeria continues with business-as-usual, allowing resource scarcities and uneven distribution of income from natural resources to foster conflict and strife? A troubling picture emerges where extreme drought and excessive rains force millions of people to migrate, looking for food, shelter and employment. Green Deal Nigeria author Huzi Mshelia looks at the conflict implications of climate change.   Read More - Conflict, Green Deal Nigeria study

"We need human rights-based, social development without depleting limited resources" Barbara Unmüßig, president of the Heinrich Böll Foundation argues that because of the limited nature of our planet and the ecological challenges facing us, the fundamentals of our economy have to be reconsidered. In that respect, she thinks, the existing blueprints for a green economy do not go far enough.