Women In Energy Oil and Gas (WEOG) has declared September 3 as World Decarbonization Day, launching an ambitious plan to plant over 10 million special trees to offset carbon emissions.
During a press conference in Abuja, the announcement was made by Oladunni Owo, National president of WEOG and chief executive officer of Blackgold Energy Authorities. WEOG aims to promote gender diversity and inclusion in Nigeria’s male-dominated energy sector.
Speaking on the theme “Collaboration, Innovation, and Action for a Low Carbon Oil & Gas Industry,” Owo highlighted the urgent need to address the excessive carbon in the atmosphere due to industrialisation and human activities.
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She emphasised the importance of decarbonisation, explaining it as a process to convert, store, capture, and sequester carbon to prevent it from escaping into the atmosphere.
“Despite advancements in human investments and industrialisation, there is more carbon in the atmosphere than is sustainable for human life,” Owo stated. “Suddenly, we started hearing words like depletion of the ozone layer, global warming, and carbon pollution and emissions.”
Owo underscored that decarbonisation could make oil and gas exploration and production cleaner, thus minimising environmental impact.
“Our energy resources can still be very useful. Oil and gas are not just about fuels; they are also about fertilisers, polyester, rubber, petrochemicals, and several other products that are not necessarily fuel,” she added.
She highlighted tree planting as the simplest and most achievable method for decarbonisation, encouraging everyone to participate. Owo also pointed out the significant energy gap in Africa and Nigeria, advocating for a diverse range of energy resources, including solar, wind, hydrogen, nuclear, and gas.
“We want to elevate this to another level and let it become another Conference of the Parties (COP), spreading from Nigeria to other parts of the world,” Owo said, stressing the global impact WEOG hopes to achieve with its initiatives.
Originally, WEOG intended to mark World Decarbonization Day on June 24, 2024. However, following interest from various international groups and an unveiling in Houston, Texas, during the OTC, the official date was set for September 3, 2024.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu is expected to make the main declaration, with September declared as Decarbonization Month and a Decarbonisation Week scheduled from September 3 to 5 in Abuja.
Owo invited stakeholders, industry experts, and potential partners to join and support WEOG’s advocacy. She also confirmed the initiation of the National Decarbonization Park.
Prince Nwosu, also speaking at the event, encouraged women in the oil and gas sector to embrace WEOG’s initiatives and visions. “It cannot be well if you are not aware,” he said, urging women to sustain advocacy on climate change and its impact.
