Climate Change-Induced Displacement in Akinima Community, Rivers State: Petroleum Economics, Governance, And Policy Implications for Sustainable Development

Abstract

This study examines the nexus between climate change and human displacement in Akinima Community, Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria, with specific emphasis on implications for petroleum economics, policy, and governance. The study aims to understand the climate induced environmental stressors such as flooding, loss of species, loss of agriculture and how they are altering the means of living and causing internal displacement in oil producing areas of the Niger Delta. The study aims to achieve the following: (1) identify the areas of climate change and how they have impacted on the socio-economic vulnerabilities and displacement of the people of Akinima; (2) understand the displacement and its impact on governance and the sustainable management of resources in the oil sector. A qualitative case study approach, in the form of documentary analysis of secondary data, climate related reports of international bodies, national reports on meteorology, environmental impact studies and peer reviewed documents, was adopted. The analysis of the data collected revealed that environmental changes such as, increased and unpredictable flooding and changes in the ecosystem, combined with petroleum related environmental stress have impacted the livelihoods of people, on the sustenance of food production and on the mobility of people.The study's findings highlight that climate-induced displacement in the Niger Delta should not be characterized purely as an environmental issue, but rather as a political-economic concern that is situated within the extractive articulation of the geopolitical game. The study suggests the need for politically-inspired climate adaptation measures that are integrated within petroleum policy frameworks, and recommends the development of adaptive capacity locally, as well as the development of climate adaptation measures that are focused on the restoration of degraded environments. The study notes the gap in the existing literature that considers climate and petroleum governance phenomenology as a resultant factor of climate-induced displacement, and therefore aims to provide an interdisciplinary approach to environmental vulnerability in resource-dependent areas characterized by a high degree of exploitation.

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