CLIMATE CHANGE AND OIL EXTRACTION CONSEQUENCES ON WOMEN'S HEALTH AND LIVELIHOOD IN THE NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Oil production and climate change are bringing about serious environmental degradation to the Niger Delta region and women are forced to take an outsized burden. This paper discusses the implications of these overlapping problems in the health and livelihood of women. The damage created by Oil spills, gas flares and pollution to the ecosystem of the region has devastated the health of women by exposing them to toxic materials in high quantities, Respiratory complications and health challenges in reproductive systems. Climate change compounds such issues leading to more flooding, erosion and subsequent depletion of fertile lands putting more pressure on the lives of women. Women have become less secure with regard to food as well as income-generating activities due to loss of farmlands and fisheries. In addition, women have suffered mentally in psychosocial terms due to displacement, loss of their livelihoods, and violence. This paper accentuates the pressing requirement to confront the livelihood and health question experienced by women in Niger Delta. It advocates using corporates and governments accountability to environmental degradation and human rights violation. Other issues in the study beset the relevance of sustainable livelihoods and economical empowerment to women and climate-resilient solutions, which tap into the needs of people identified as being vulnerable. The findings of the present research may hold great significance in policy-making and practice since the gender-sensitive approach to coping with the consequences of oil extraction and consequences of climate change should be provided. Through listening and catering to the needs of the women of the Niger Delta, we are going to have a more just and fair future.