Shell ordered to stop flaring off excess gas

Shell was ordered yesterday by a court in Lagos to end its practice of "flaring" off excess natural gas at oil fields in Nigeria within 12 months.

The company has been given six weeks to come up with a detailed plan for the Iwherekan region to halt flaring, considered one of the worst causes of global warming.

The ruling follows an earlier judgment in favour of local resident Jonah Gbemre and the Iwherekan community. Nigeria is the world's biggest gas flarer and the practice is said to provide more greenhouse gas emissions than all other combined sources in sub-Saharan Africa.

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