Group to Plant 10 Million Trees on ‘World Decarbonization Day’

Women In Energy Oil and Gas (WEOG) announced plans to plant over 10 million specially selected trees, known for their high carbon absorption rates, in celebration of World Decarbonization Day.

Oladunni Owo, National President of WEOG in Nigeria, made this announcement during the Decarbonization Initiative briefing in Abuja, which took place during the Nigeria Oil and Gas Energy Week. The event also established September 3 as World Decarbonization Day.

Addressing the theme “Collaboration, Innovation, and Action for a Low Carbon Oil & Gas Industry,” Owo highlighted the unsustainable levels of atmospheric carbon despite advances in human investment and industrialization.

“Terms like ozone layer depletion, global warming, and carbon emissions have become common,” she stated.

Owo explained that decarbonization involves converting, storing, capturing, and sequestering carbon, keeping it within oil wells or underground to prevent its release into the atmosphere.

“Decarbonization ensures that our oil and gas resources remain valuable. Our research indicates that oil and gas are not solely about fuels like petrol and diesel but also involve fertilizers, polyester, rubber, petrochemicals, and other non-fuel products,” she added.

She emphasized that WEOG’s decarbonization agenda aims to make oil and gas exploration and production cleaner, reducing their environmental impact.

Owo underscored the significance of decarbonization, noting that tree planting is the most practical and accessible method to achieve this goal, applicable globally. In Africa and Nigeria, a diverse range of energy resources, including solar, wind, hydrogen, nuclear, and gas, is essential to bridging the energy gap.

“WEOG is pushing to bring decarbonization to the forefront, aiming to elevate it to the level of the Conference of the Parties (COP), and spreading awareness from Nigeria to the rest of the world,” Owo said.

Owo mentioned that while WEOG initially selected June 24, 2024, for World Decarbonization Day, interest from various international groups led to an unveiling in Houston, Texas, during the recent OTC. Subsequently, President Bola Tinubu’s interest in the initiative resulted in the official date being set for September 3, 2024.

President Tinubu is expected to make the main declaration, and September has been designated Decarbonization Month, with Decarbonization Week from September 3 to 5 in Abuja.

Additionally, Owo confirmed that WEOG has established the National Decarbonization Park.