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Petroleum and the Green Gospel: Religious Pathways to Energy Transition and Environmental Remediation in the Niger Delta

Kaaka, Fegalo J.D., Pius Barinaadaa Kii, PhD

Abstract

This research studies the environmental politics and remediation in a setting historically impacted by pollution due to oil and gas. This study has two objectives; first, to investigate the influence of religious institutions on environmental behaviour, remediation governance and community trust and second, to assess how faith-based ethical frameworks could enhance the social acceptance of emerging clean-energy technologies and low-carbon transition pathways. Using a combination of different research methods – that is, systematic literature review, documentary analysis, and thematic synthesis – the paper assesses the religious narratives and institutional responses and community-based ecological ethics that drive decarburization discourses and remediation outcomes. Faith institutions can offer a moral anchor for environmental action, help mobilize people on the ground, and make remediation efforts more credible, research finds. This reinforces public knowledge of hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, Nano bioremediation, and gas-based transition fuels, which ultimately removes public distrust of state environmental measures. The research concludes that the obstacles to environmental remediation and energy transition in the Niger Delta are not merely technical or regulatory but are fundamentally embedded in social trust, moral leadership and community engagement. According to its recommendation, a coordinated Faith-Remediation-Transition (FRT) model should be operationalized. There must be strengthened partnerships between environmental institutions and religious bodies. Meanwhile, local governance systems must be integrated with climate ethics. Finally, there must be alignment of faith-driven EE with national clean-energy transition strategy. This will aid a just, credible and community-owned sustainable future.

Keywords

Faith-Based Environmentalism; Energy Transition; Green Remediation; Climate Ethics; Niger Delta

References

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