By Barbara Nwaiwu
A climate expert, Dr Benson Fasanya, has called for improved waste management practices, including composting, waste segregation and biogas production, as practical measures to reduce methane emissions, tackle climate change and strengthen food security.
Fasanya, Founder and Executive Director of the Centre for Earthworks (CFEW), made the call on Friday in Abuja, warning that poor management of organic waste from farms, households and dumpsites remains a major source of methane emissions.
He explained that methane is generated when organic materials decompose in the absence of oxygen, while agricultural activities also contribute to emissions through animal waste and plant residues.
According to him, methane is a potent greenhouse gas that accelerates global warming, with agriculture among the sectors most affected through crop losses, diseases, reduced yields and growing threats to food security.
“Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas and ensuring that we manage methane emissions means we will be able to reduce the warming of the planet,” he said.
Fasanya said practical waste management measures such as source segregation, composting and biogas production could significantly reduce methane emissions by preventing organic waste from decomposing unchecked.
“Instead of allowing organic waste or farm waste to decompose and lead to more methane emissions, we can manage it and convert it into compost,” he said.
He added that methane captured from organic waste could be converted into biogas for cooking, electricity generation and other productive uses in farms, abattoirs and communities.
“Biogas can be used in farms, abattoirs and communities because when methane is trapped, it can easily be used for energy production,” he said.
The CFEW founder urged a shift from conventional waste disposal to a circular economy approach that promotes reuse, repair and recycling, noting that poorly managed dumpsites where organic and non-organic waste are mixed are significant sources of methane emissions.
He said the organisation had trained farmers, communities and small businesses on methane reduction through improved organic waste management, adding that separating waste at the source would enable the production of compost, briquettes and other environmentally friendly products.
Fasanya also highlighted the use of black soldier flies to convert organic waste into valuable compost, describing the approach as a sustainable solution that could reduce methane emissions, protect the environment and create jobs across the waste management value chain.
“The management of methane emissions has a lot of potential in producing jobs and opportunities in the value chain,” he said.
Speaking on methane emissions in the Niger Delta, Fasanya said communities have continued to experience environmental impacts from extractive activities, including pollution associated with oil and gas operations.
He noted that oil and gas operations remain among the major sources of methane emissions in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta, where gas flaring and fugitive emissions from petroleum activities have contributed to environmental concerns.
Fasanya called for stronger collaboration among communities, regulators, researchers, civil society organisations and the media to tackle methane emissions, while urging policymakers to strengthen the implementation of existing climate policies.
He said greater public awareness, capacity building, effective policy implementation and active community participation would be critical to reducing methane emissions and safeguarding food security.