With industrial activities at an all time high despite wide claims to an information age, the world has slept on managing the environment and protection of nature.
From the cutting down of trees, to oil exploration, gas emission, timber processing, consummerism, local cooking methods and other human activities have all given impetus to environmental degradation, global worming and above all the umbrella tag, climate change.
An estimated 7 million deaths occur as a result of air pollution worldwide annually, mainly because of air pollution, no one human is marked 100% safe. About 92 million people worldwide again do not breathe clean air. Although global leaders have consistently lent their voices on the need to combat climate change, it is now reported that only the most industrialized nation, China, seems to be doing its best to that effect. Since the matter at hand affects the entire nations of the earth, it is imperative for Nigeria and Nigerians to adopt the international maxim of thinking globally and acting locally.It affects everyone. Old and young, literates and illiterates, rich and poor, including other strata you can add up to the list.
In Nigeria, the want and level for/of urbanization is rocket high on the sky. For different factors and reasons, mostly unconnected largely with the quest for sometimes, individual economic improvement, most persons migrate to major cities and towns. While it is not at all against the law and gives a fair representation of all ethnicities in the land, hence enhancing the much needed integration, it also portends serious environmental insecurities. Overpopulation, hyper-consumption of plastic and other packaged products -with no proper waste management are few out of the many concerns. Domestically, from lightening of candles and local bush lamps, to excess use of electricity and even letting on the bulb in a room when there is no need for it. In the Niger Delta region and other oil producing states, oil and water pollution, with the Ogoni metaphor in Rivers state coming to mind, to flairing and emissions of gas, pipeline vandalism and flooding induced erosion all pile up this dilema. It is important to give some attention to various bottling companies too. The packaging of sache' water, diferent can and plastic products do not hold danger to man's space as much as their poor recycling, improper disposal and popularly on the cards, burning of such materials whose smoke spell doom to the inhabitants.
Although it is necessary to carry out some activities like cutting down of trees, the policies of planting others for replacement are helpful to curbing dessertification and such other dangers. But how well is this done? In the industries, especially for the Niger Delta areas, more than the government has done and is still doing can be achieved. Government can do well by formulating policies to guide activities of multinational companies and ensure they are followed to a logical conclusion.
For instance, nothing can stop the state governments from asking coca-cola or Faro water and the likes to put down reports on environmental protection on a quarterly or yearly basis. It will do so much in controlling the messy faces most Nigerian cities wear. By and large, community, district, ward or borough heads can work closely on weekly or monthly sanitation activities with their subjects. Such government officials as counsellors can do a lot by providing sceptic tanks and working in close collaboration with community clusters. Concerned individuals of influence can pursue the provision of engineer fields or help acquire them. Having been adjudged the highest in the emission of greenhouse gas across Africa through flairing gas, Nigeria and its citizens are the most exposed to serious danger. The polluting fossil fuels can be replaced with cleaner technology needed to control air pollution in Nigeria. Minning is predominantly still done locally. Since it may be a bit cumbersome for individuals to come in, may government come to the rescue, amen. Technological minning is the way forward. Families and single entities can consciously contribute immensely by properly disposing waste rather than recklessly littering their immediate spaces with them. Children can be taught the habit of tree-planting in an attempt to salvage the environment. Nature gave itself to mankind in order for him to explore and not exploit it. As the African aphorism captures it, we do not inherit the environment from our ancesstors, we borrow it from the next generation.More caution should be applied in using this borrowed earth!
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