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For Beauty Alozie, a 28-year-old seamstress and mother of one, the heat in Ebocha is not normal. The rural, oil-rich town in Rivers State, at the heart of Nigeria’s Niger Delta region where Alozie was born and raised, is uncomfortably hot. The source of this heat, which has a fume-like quality that stings the eyes, is man-made; industrial fires continuously spew in a process called gas flaring, the controversial practice of disposing waste gas from oil exploration by openly burning it. Flares eject ominous dark clouds, releasing harmful greenhouse gases that pollute soil and water sources, and contribute to the burden of climate change. It was previously seen as a necessary measure—if the gas from oil drilling is not flared, it could become explosive. It is possible to avoid: Newer, albeit more expensive technologies, now allow for the safe capture and transportation of the gas.