The truth that we have only one planet Earth and that our environment is deeply interconnected is daily being played out in the web of crises confronting the world today. They may appear not to be closely linked but a close look shows that there are strands revealing that they are held together by a clear logic. This logic pertains to reinforced fields of perception in which transactional actions have shut out the doors of transformational actions. This training hopefully will help us to ask questions, interpret events robustly and take actions to prise open the shut doors of justice as we relate to our environment and nature’s resources. Nature’s resources belong to nature. When humans term them “natural resources” the implication is that these resources occur naturally and can thus be grabbed or taken by the quickest, the strongest and the most brazen. Resolving or at least tackling the endemic environmental problems of the world requires that we critically review the root causes of some of these problems as well as the political filters through which we view them. Anything short of this means that we simply skirt the problems or at best tackle the symptoms while the problems fester and eventually develop into catastrophic proportions. Some policy makers consider the number one task of safeguarding the environment to be the demolition of so-called illegal structures and informal settlements, even though we know our cities cannot survive without them. Nigeria has many environmental problems. Indeed, you will find as many of these problems and challenges as you care to name. Some of these challenges include the following: • Deforestation, illegal logging, bush burning, over grazing • Desertification • Industrial pollution, chemical pollution • Oil pollution- including oil spills, toxic wastes and gas flaring • Mining issues • Solid waste management/medical wastes/electronic wastes/plastics • Erosion – gully, coastal, etc. • Floods/droughts – most of our cities lack drainage plans. The rural communities are at the mercy of the elements. • Water pollution • Sanitation • Land grabs • False climate solutions – agrofuels, REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) We can add noise pollution to this list. The careless attitude of the citizenry adds to the problems. A casual look around shows plastic water sachets all over most of our cities and even police/military checkpoints on our highways. These block drains, dirty the environment and are not biodegradable.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:27:04 +0000
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