The recent hike in the cost of kerosene has resulted in the use of firewood for cooking by Nigerians, therefore increasing the level of carbon in the atmosphere and at the same time reducing the number of trees, this trend has been on-going for a while now, without the government showing any serious concern on how this affects the populace in general.
The Lagos state government’s tree planting campaign and efforts towards reforestation is an initiative that should be emulated by other state governments, stakeholders should make it a priority to empower the populace, tackle poverty and remain sensitive to the plight of Nigerians, when it is impossible for an average Nigerian to afford kerosene, he/she look for an alternative, leading to the use of fire wood.
Trees are known to shrink carbon dioxide a major greenhouse gas, causing global warming, trees help to absorb excess carbon in the environment ,as a result the usefulness of trees cannot be overemphasized In our environment, especially with the recent flooding in Lagos, tree felling for domestic and commercial purposes should be discouraged in order to sustain our environment, statistics shows that between 1990 and 2005 Nigeria has lost over 79% of its forest, giving Nigeria the highest level of deforestation in the world.
The recent flooding is Lagos should serve has a warning for all stakeholder in Nigeria that the cumulative effect of their policies might not be immediate but in the long run it might be destructive, they might not consider that the hike in price of Kerosene might trigger more demand for firewood and thereby increase global warming.
The environment is already endangered as it is, let not make it worse, let’s protect our environment. Follow us on:@greenernaija
Olaleye Taiwo
FOR: Greenernaija
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