Environmental experts have voiced urgent warnings about the potential disappearance of several coastal communities in Rivers State and the broader Niger Delta region by the year 2050 if significant efforts are not made to enforce environmental protection regulations. These concerns were raised during a workshop on coastal community conflicts, organized by Academic Associates Peace Works (AAPW) in Port Harcourt. The event, supported by the European Union through the C7 project, focused on the increasing threats posed by climate change and environmental degradation.

Chief Dr. Judith Burdin Asuni, Executive Director of AAPW, opened the session by acknowledging the profound and worsening impact of climate change on the Niger Delta. She pointed to rising sea levels and frequent flooding as major contributors to the displacement of communities, which in turn intensifies conflicts over land and other dwindling resources.

Workshop participants emphasized how coastal erosion, flooding, and surging tides have already forced many people from their homes. This displacement has sparked land disputes and heightened communal tensions across the region. Amb. Nkoyo Toyo, AAPW’s Deputy Director, stressed the critical need to implement and enforce environmental regulations to address issues such as land encroachment, declining aquatic biodiversity, and environmentally driven migration.

Toyo noted that the fragile coastal ecosystem, extending for hundreds of kilometers, is under severe threat from both natural and human-induced factors. She highlighted the role of unregulated oil industry activities and the government’s failure to manage emissions and pollution, citing Port Harcourt’s persistent black soot crisis as an example.

The environmental decline is contributing not only to displacement and resource scarcity but also to rising risks of violence. Toyo emphasized that addressing environmental and climate challenges is essential to resolving broader social conflicts.

Nimi Elele from the Rivers State Ministry of Environment echoed these concerns, warning that flooding during rainy seasons leads to widespread displacement, destruction of infrastructure, and heightened social risks, including child abuse. Additionally, falling fish stocks are worsening poverty and food insecurity.

Participants from across Niger Delta states urged immediate government action, calling for public education campaigns and the enforcement of sustainable environmental policies to protect vulnerable communities and secure the region’s future.