Climate crisis remain problematic and requires an urgent solution
No doubt Nigeria remains one of the most vulnerable countries in the world hit with the climate crisis. Climate change is widely recognized as the most urgent and serious problem facing humanity. We know that human activity is warming the Earth. And we know we have the knowledge, technologies, and resources to solve the problem, in ways that support the most vulnerable nations like Nigeria and communities.
Just In the last three months, a church nearly collapsed due to flood disasters which were made worse by climate change. We were not in the rainy season.
Also, the core Northern States of Nigeria was reported to be as cold as London. Our climate is no longer predictable. All these are not accidental; it is a pointer to the general neglect of the environment over the decade. Most of the programs that promote the environment in Nigeria as been eroded with general neglect by the succeeding governments and the general public.
No thanks to the big fatted capitalist companies who have not in any way act on the need to improve eco-green by reducing the production of single-use plastic, stop massive desertification, ban fossil fuel companies from massive emission of carbon and pursue their activities in an environmentally friendly ways and their produced products in an environmental friendly manner.
The health condition of the vast majority of the people around the world have once been stated by a friend that it is out of concern for the world capitalist as they derive pleasure in super-profits through the ailment and would not want to proffer a long-lasting solution to such ailment as it will mean that the profit will keep coming-in at the expense of the said ailment. The same analogy applies to big fatted oil companies like Shell, NNPC companies and companies that uses or produces plastic materials. They will be reluctant to act on the drastic reduction of plastic materials and pollution of land, water, and air. It is our collective actions that can force them to think and act green and be environmentally conscious.
We have little time to choose a future that prevents the worst impacts of climate change, by making a rapid transition to renewable energy sources, drastically lower carbon emissions, ban single-use plastic or reduce plastic pollution and plant more trees.
Entire ecosystems are already changing, and many species are going extinct because their habitats are changing faster than what they can adapt to and yet the mouthpiece of the vast majority of the vulnerable countries were silent in the last climate change conference in Spain (COP25) by the rich countries represented by callous but reactionary capitalist to silent the vulnerable countries.
As a climate campaigner, we will continue to confront fossil fuel companies and politicians standing in the way of transformative climate change action. In 2023 general election, Greewaves will place pressure on political candidates to include and publish comprehensive plans that will promote and massively invest in clean energy, embraces massive afforestation programs, place a ban on single-use plastic materials, reintroduce Environmental Sanitation Programs at all levels with the provision of waste evacuation and management facilities and phase fossil fuels.
NLC and TUC the two popular trade unions will also be compelled to join us in this struggle it won’t be easy and looks unachievable considering that crude-oil revenue generates more than 80% of Nigeria's gross GDP. But collectively, it is worth achieving, putting into consideration that earth is our home, we cannot afford to toy with it.
The big plastic production companies and other companies that make use of single plastic material will not be left out we will not only condemn the use of single-use plastic materials in Nigeria, we shall also educate their workers to see reasons to saving environment and save their future as human beings have no other home than earth. Linking their safety with the need to protect and promote the green environment, putting into cognizance environmental pollution caused as a result of massive production and use of single plastic materials which ended up in our landfill and oceans; despite being recyclable only about 1% of them are recycled yearly. We shall be open to partnership with big-big NGOs and human/environmental rights activists in the massive campaign against the environmental polluters, massive planting of trees and forcing our government at all levels to think and act green.
By: Akande Daniel
