AN EYE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
MyCountry! MyHome!
Protecting the Nigerian Environment for Posterity– Josiah Diaso
In the year 2000, about 175 scientists were commissioned by the United Nations to assess the health of the global ecosystem; they discovered a general decline in the ability of the earth to produce the goods upon which humans depend. The findings by this research poses serious concern for all and sundry; Governments, corporate organizations, industrialists, and even individual families struggling to make it to their next meal. Let me spell it out in very clear terms, THE EARTH IS GETTING POORER BY OUR EVERY USE, AND WE ARE THE WORSE OFF FOR IT.
The traditional index of National economic accounting, the GDP only provides us a false sense of security in its computation of National wealth. This is so because characteristically, it does not account for natural stock; it is only actually a measure of consumption, what in economic terms is referred to as throughput. It becomes worse with the incessancy with which resources are exploited and waste deposited in what was perceived as an inexhaustible capacity of the earth to produce resources and absorb our waste. The many wars – which are nothing more than resource wars-; Militancy, civil strife and acts of terrorism, have only served to exacerbate an already dire situation.
The earth is being pushed to its very brink over the last few decades by economic pursuits, wars and civil strife, threatening the very existence of the human race and every other organism that inhabit the earth. The deleterious impact of traditional industrial production is legendary, and it goes without mentioning.
The United Nations on 31st October 2012 announced that the population of humans on the earth has reached 7 billion people. This and sheer “Greed in consumption” by many powerful Nations will fundamentally put the globe in a trap that is very difficult to come out from. The Earth that we call our home will turn against us in angst for a poor stewardship towards her. Many Scientists posit that the threat of climate change is very potent, and it poses a possible calamity for people everywhere in the globe. There will be and as a matter of fact there is already in many places of the globe wide-scale food shortages triggered by an abrupt change to conditions not suitable for the growth of many traditional food crops.
Extreme weather conditions would lead to outright crop failure in many regions. The drought that hit the “horn of Africa” in 2012 resulting in widespread crop failure and starvation has been called the worst drought since recorded history.
Nigeria has not been spared her fair share of ecological disaster; floods continuously ravage the southern fringes of the country during the wet seasons, deforestation in grand proportion chiefly to free up land for agricultural and construction purposes continuously reduces the vegetation of the Nigerian ecosphere. Desert encroachment in the Sahel vegetation has resulted in a barren landscape that threatens the livelihood of those inhabit ng the region.
Our home has now turned around to be the potential source of our death…
What We Must Do…
It is important to assert that the quality of life and sustenance of any society is a reflection of the quality of their Environment (Agricultural productivity, natural/mineral resources and topography, pristine atmosphere devoid of atmospheric pollution, clean waterways for domestic usage and for aquatic resources). Poor stewardship towards the environment will lead to a serious decline in the habitability of our environment.
We can help reverse the trend and ensure that our life sustaining system is preserved by;
- Avoiding indiscriminate disposal of waste: having dedicated waste bins for our waste and using them will go a long way to ensure that we do not litter the environment which will in turn harm us. We must realize that there is no “away” for our waste; every item we dispose of indiscriminately has a way of getting back at us. While on a vehicle, it is actually irresponsible to toss waste out of your vehicle windows, it creates the type of problem we all complain about.
- Responsible consumption: Mahatma Ghandi once quipped during an interview that “there is enough for every one’s need, but never enough for every one’s greed”. One of the most potent threats to the earth’s ecosystem is the rate at which we consume resources which sometimes amount to wastages.
We can start on our journey towards responsible consumption by;
* Turning off our taps when we are not using them
* Putting off electrical supplies when we are leaving our homes, Giving out things we no longer use instead of discarding them,
* Reducing the portion of food we eat at a go (It is even actually recommended for healthy living),
* Re-use items such as Polyethylene and plastic bags or cans
- Plant a tree: Trees are referred to as Primary producers in the ecosystem for good reasons; they provide both the oxygen we need for breathing and the food we and other animals require for sustenance. Planting a tree is hence one sure way of replenishing nature. This plus the fact that it provides an aesthetic to the environment that has been fingered to dramatically improve mental health makes planting tree a productive exercise.
- Take a walk: Fossil fuel consumption has been identified as one of the culprit of the current ecological disaster threatening the global ecosystem. On the individual scale, our carbon footprint can be drastically reduced if we reduce the amount of time we go on our vehicles. Car-pooling has been recommended when it is possible, and when the distance is not very long we can go for a walk (it is actually good for the heart). Behavioural change on the individual and societal scale is a must if we must protect our life-sustaining mechanism.
The actions as is recommended here are only there as a guide towards right behaviour, the discipline required to make relevant changes must be mustered by all. Attempts to meet short term survival need must not be at the expense of long term sustainability if we must win this race against time to save our home. As protector of the Nigerian environment everyone must partner with the relevant agencies in developing strategies to tackle current and anticipated future challenges. This will ensure providence for the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generation to provide for itself.
Let us join hands together and save our home…