This paper examines the role of oil and gas production in the economies of the Global South and environmental sustainability approaches using the Niger Delta Region (NDR) in Nigeria as a case study. Nigeria belongs to the Organisation of the Petroleum Countries (OPEC), it is the sixth-largest exporter of oil. The country which derives more than 90% foreign exchange from petroleum products also undergoes (host communities) more than 90% socio-economic and environmental degradation. A forensic analysis of Literature in the public domain revealed that despite the Niger Delta communities suffering from high incidences of oil spills and gas flaring with grave negative impacts on the environment, the situation continues unabated with no lasting solution. This paper examines different environmental sustainability approaches in the Niger delta region in an attempt to proffer a lasting solution to the issues presented. It employed a qualitative research methodological approach, gathering data from secondary sources including journals, oil and gas publications and online materials. This paper affirms that environmental degradation resulting from oil and gas operations in the Niger Delta region has continued to affect the people negatively in all ramifications. It argues for the continued production of oil and gas in the region with the implementation of sustainability approaches using the Systems Thinking/System Dynamics (ST/SD) which is embedded in the methodological approach. This is a holistic tool, suitable in analysing the inherent complexities of the role of oil and gas production in the Nigerian economy and the attendant environmental sustainability issues in the Niger Delta region.

Authors: Rasaki T. James, Titus K. Olaniyi

Published in: World Congress on Sustainable Technologies (WCST-2024)

• Date of Conference: 4-6 November 2024
• DOI: 10.20533/WCST.2024.0018
• ISBN: 978-1-913572-77-8
• Conference Location: St Anne’s College, Oxford University, UK