{"id":21085,"date":"2021-01-27T16:59:42","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T16:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/?p=476789"},"modified":"2021-01-27T16:59:42","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T16:59:42","slug":"an-act-of-ecocide-shows-how-far-the-world-is-from-treating-the-climate-crisis-like-the-emergency-it-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/01\/27\/an-act-of-ecocide-shows-how-far-the-world-is-from-treating-the-climate-crisis-like-the-emergency-it-is\/","title":{"rendered":"An \u2018act of ecocide\u2019 shows how far the world is from treating the climate crisis like the emergency it is"},"content":{"rendered":"
The UN released the largest ever opinion poll on the climate crisis<\/a> on 26 January. Involving 1.2 million respondents spanning 50 countries around the world, the People’s Climate Vote is both comprehensive and crystal clear. It found that two-thirds of people believe<\/a> we are in a “global emergency” and want decisive action to tackle it.<\/p>\n But news that emerged a couple of days earlier from Nigeria is a timely reminder of how far the world is from adequately tackling this global emergency. According<\/a> to the NGO Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), an oil rig fire has been raging in the country for eight months.<\/p>\n News reports say<\/a> the fire initially broke out at an oil well in the Ondo state in May 2020. As Africa Oil+Gas Report<\/em> magazine reported<\/a> shortly after the blaze began, the rig – Grace-1 HWU – was “working for the Nigerian independent [company] Guarantee Petroleum” at the time. However, as the magazine also noted, the Nigerian government had revoked<\/a> Guarantee Petroleum’s licence during its operations in 2020. As a result, the government assumed responsibility<\/a> for tackling the fire.<\/p>\n Oil giant Chevron, meanwhile, is the operator<\/a> of the oil mining lease in the relevant area – OML 95. After the fire broke out, its public affairs general manager told Africa Oil+Gas Report<\/em> that the fire had occurred at “a third-party facility”, not operated by Chevron or its affiliates. The company said, however, that it was “prepared to provide necessary emergency response assistance in accordance with petroleum industry emergency response protocol”.<\/p>\n Nigeria’s Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) told<\/a> Africa Oil+Gas Report<\/em> in May 2020 that it would do “all it could” to put out the fire. According<\/a> to HOMEF, that same month the country’s National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) also said it would take at least six weeks to extinguish the blaze.<\/p>\nEternal flame<\/h5>\n
“This impunity must stop”<\/h5>\n