The decline in gas flaring in Nigeria has not led to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions

ABSTRACT: The Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report 2023 highlights Nigeria’sstrides in decreasing gasflaring, yet recent data reveals a continuous rise in the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This raisesuncertainty about whether the reported reduction in gas flaring can effectively lower Nigeria’s GHG emissiontargets.Therefore, this article scrutinizes the Nigerian government’s initiatives to curb gas flaring nationwide anddelves into the ramifications of this reduction on the country’s overall GHG emissions. The findings of thisstudy reveal that despite the decline in gas flaring, it has not significantly curbed GHG emissions in Nigeria.Consequently, the article concludes that solely reducing gas flaring may not sufficiently mitigate climate-relatedadverse effects nor substantially decrease overall GHG emissions, as gas flaring represents only a fraction of thecountry’s GHG emissions.

KEYWORDS: Clean Development Mechanism, Nigeria, GHG Emissions, Gas Flaring, Gas Flaring Policiesin Nigeria.