UNILAG Professor Shifts Climate Change Blame from Carbon to Human Excesses

A professor at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has challenged the long-standing global narrative that blames carbon as the chief culprit of climate change, arguing instead that human excesses and inefficient systems are the true drivers of environmental degradation.

Speaking at the 19th Inaugural Lecture of the 2024/2025 Academic Session on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, Professor Mohammed Awwalu Usman delivered a thought-provoking presentation titled Is Carbon Truly as Guilty as Charged? The Perspective of a Process Systems Engineer on Sustainability. He asserted that carbon, by itself, is a natural element essential to life, and that its negative impact stems from wasteful practices, poor resource management, and indulgent lifestyles.

Citing insights from five major research projects, Professor Usman showcased solutions including retrofitting refineries, integrating food-energy policies, valorising waste, and creating greener industrial processes. These examples, he explained, prove that sustainability is both possible and measurable when supported by innovative engineering and responsible human choices.

He urged stakeholders to replace the “net zero” mindset with “net wisdom,” embedding sustainability into policy, industry, and education, and aligning human activities with nature’s principle of minimising waste.

Born on February 25, 1968, in Idiche, Okene, Kogi State, Professor Usman is a distinguished scholar in Process Systems Engineering, specialising in sustainable process technology, biofuels, catalysis, and resource conservation. A consistent top performer throughout his education, he earned his B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1990, followed by an M.Sc. (1993) and Ph.D. (2003) from UNILAG.

He began his career at UNILAG in 1994 as a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Chemical Engineering and rose to the rank of Professor in 2020. He is married and blessed with children.