A need for Environmental Conservation
Today globally, we are celebrating World Environment Day. But here in Nigeria, today celebration doesn’t call for funfair, today celebration call for a sober reflection on us all. Our collective years of environmental negligence, Nigeria for years has failed to embrace the environment, our activities have greatly altered the planet and the consequences of it are visible for us all to see. Also, we use this medium to mourn those departed souls of those who were killed by the callous brutality of the capitalist agents and rapists. We call for sustainable peace all over the world and seriously frown against rape and all forms of sexual abuse and we solidarize with the struggle to demand justice for the death of Barakat Bello, Uwa, Godiya, Tina and George Floyd who in the hands of abuse of democratic rights of movement internationally. All of these incidents are clear indications that not only we demand neither police reform, nor attitude change of rapists but most importantly, we demand system change. We demand a system that respects environmental and human democratic rights in all forms. We are totally against exploitation, abuse, and harassment of humans and nature for the motive of profits and self-greed. We embrace a system that respects humans, places humans, and the environment about profit and self-greed.
And more interestingly, this year's theme is ‘Time For Nature’ but is it time for nature in Nigeria? The answer is NO, the world capitalist has taken us backwards including the Nigerian capitalist.
In recent times, more attention has been drawn to the issue of climate change, ozone layer depletion, and global warming; based on these there have been series of mass actions/rallies around the world to reduce or end the environmental crisis e.g climate change. But in Nigeria reverse is the case, no serious action has been taken to put earth as a priority, the gross negligence on the side of our government for decades is a clear example of how important the environment is to us in Nigeria despite being one of the most vulnerable countries in the world bearing the brunt of environmental crisis including climate change. Climate change in the 21st Century is the most serious challenge the human species faces and with the backwardness and the latecomer into the world capitalism, our people suffer the more, even more than many of these countries which are taken seriously the issue that concerns the environment. Nigeria is seriously besieged by critical environmental degradation resulting in desert encroachment, drought, and soil erosion due to climate change, either wind impact or very high-intensity rainfall resulting in heavy runoff and soil loss. The problems have adversely affected agricultural productivity and thus casting doubt on food security in Nigeria. The ecological and social settings in some parts of Nigeria are often distorted most times leading to losses in human and material capital. Desertification and aridity are the major environmental problems in most of the Northern states. While on the other side of the country, flood disaster is a major threat. All of these are environmental catastrophes that we face without any attempt to make the environment a sustainable one.
The long time unresolved issue of the cleanup of Ogoni land remain unresolvable, the rate of which the people living in that region faces environmental crisis and illness as a result of oil spills remain unspeakable. And it is important that we the most passionate people who are environmentally conscious of the problems created by the disruption of nature should stand on our ten toes to raise serious struggle in making our environment great and sustainable again. We must place demands on Nigeria and global capitalists who exploit nature for their selfish motive. The energy-intensive activities of modern society with the full participation of the global capitalists' businesses are modifying the atmosphere to such an extent that the climate of future generations may virtually unrecognizable, the loss of biodiversity and wildlife becomes extinct.
The continued build-up of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and the production of certain synthetic chemicals are releasing large quantities of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.
Individuals’ changing their behaviour towards the environment is good on the one hand, but on the other hand, this cannot be enough to save the planet while these capitalists with giant corporations continue to wreck the environment. For instance, the issue of Niger Delta Environmental Pollution struggles ‘Clean-up Ogoni Land” has not received any serious attempt to revive such an environment while the oil-rich companies continue making billions at the expense of the degraded environment causing harm to the inhabitants in that environment. Capitalism is a blind, satanic, and unplanned system where the only driving force is the need to maximize profits at the expense of a degrading environment.
The only solution is to take the major industry out of private hands (out of the hands of 1%) to enable the development of a democratic socialist plan of production. It is only under a socialist planned economy program which is placed under democratic working-class control and management of those industries this only can make production activities in Environmental friendly ways since it is no longer for the interest of profits making but to better sustain the Environment and makes it habitable for its inhabitants.
Socialism is the only alternative to planet-destroying capitalism.
Having a system that would nationalize the major big corporations and banks that dominate the economy - backed by the active mass support of the working-class majority and an organized central student’s body - it would be possible to harness the enormous wealth, science and technique that exist in Nigeria. This could then be used not for the profits of a few, but to meet the needs of all - and to begin an effective struggle to save the planet.
It would be possible to immediately introduce measures to offer the coming generations a decent and prosperous future, such as a real living wage for all, massive employment by the government in every ministry, right to secure decent housing, right for every citizen including the police to be unionize and revival of the education system.
This could be coupled with immediate steps to help save the green environment, including a major shift to renewable energy(biogas), effective environmental sanitation program, massive afforestation, free or very cheap public (alternate auto-mobile) transport for all, the mass building of carbon-neutral, high-quality council house building, grants to skilled workers, and more.
Finally, a very important beginning to save the planet could start in Nigeria or elsewhere, but to completely resolve the environmental crisis requires world action. However, a break with capitalism in Nigeria would mean a serious plan to save the planet and meet peoples' needs and also, affect internationally.
To achieve this, however, requires a global democratic socialist plan of production based on the interests of the overwhelming majority of people, and in a way that safeguards the environment.
Environmental Crisis: Only a planned socialist program can save the human lives and planet: Together let’s build a mass working-class movement to achieve it!
*By: *Akande Daniel B* .
Coordinator,
Greenwaves Climate Action. Contact him on
greenwavesng@gmail.com*
