Professor David Okali is a retired professor of Forest Ecology from the
University of Ibadan (UI), and the Chairman, Nigeria Environmental
Study/Action Team (NEST). He speaks with DOYIN ADEOYE on climate change
issues, as well as other global environmental concerns.
Why should Nigerians be concerned about climate change?
It is not just about Nigerians, anybody who lives on planet earth should be concerned about climate change because it is a change that is affecting the whole planet. Climate change is a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and non-survival.
Taking Ibadan’s temperature for instance, by now, we should have had rainfall so that the high temperature would go down. All of this is happening because of climate change; the climate is not behaving as it is supposed to. The things that we have adapted to are changing and we have not been able to change fast enough to keep up with it. The consequence of that would be termination of existence in the environment and Nigeria is a part of the planet earth.
So Nigeria, like many other developing parts of the world should be very concerned about the changing climate. Our livelihood, the way we get our resources, depends almost 80 per cent on the environment, which includes the land on which we farm and the rainfall on which we depend on for farming. So if we don’t have an environment that allows agriculture, food insecurity will arise. Also we don’t have the technology yet to be able to react when the environment is changing beyond the natural form. And even if the technology is available, we don’t have the money and economic power.
So we are very vulnerable to climate change. Climate change is also causing the sea to rise, which is affecting our coastline. Taking the Nigerian coastline for instance, all our economic activities is from the coastline, so if the coastline is affected, that would affect our economic activities in a very bad way. So we must be very concerned and we should be doing something about it.
Many people still believe that global warming is not an imminent threat and would probably take a century or so before its real effect is felt. What is your take on this?
The threat is now; we are beginning to feel the impact. It is not a question of hundred years. The impacts are being felt now and they are increasing. So unless we do something about it, things will get worse and become more severe.
A survey recently revealed that 60 per cent of Nigerians will be affected by climate change. How would you react to that?
I’d say 100 per cent of Nigerians will be affected by climate change; everybody will be affected. If it is just about those that will be directly affected in terms of their livelihood, probably those who are into agriculture, maybe the 60 per cent report would have been right. But as it is, everyone depends on agriculture, so whatever happens to the environment affects everybody. So I’d say 100 per cent, and not just 60 per cent.
Provision of water to communities is one of NEST’s core values. How do you think Nigeria can tackle the issue of water scarcity?
First we must be aware that water is a valuable resource and therefore, conserving it as much as possible, using it in a more efficient way than the way we are using it now is essential.
People have to be aware of water conservation; they need to start collecting it where possible; storing and using it only when they need it. We can increase supply a bit by building dams and so on, but those are long term strategies and a bit more expensive, but in terms of our immediate day-to-day living, more efficient utilisation of water is essential.
What are the biggest challenges of grassroots environmental work?
In terms of the response of people at the grassroots, poverty is a major challenge. As a result of poverty, they have no alternative to what they are used to, so if damaging the environment would provide resources for their survival, they don’t have a choice. So that is the biggest problem for those at the grassroots.
And for those of us trying to create awareness to those at the grassroots, providing these required alternatives takes a lot of resources, which most times we are not able to do on a scale that will have effect on the people. We do small projects, but to do it on a larger scale, we need a massive intervention, starting from policy at government level.
Many cases, the technology, knowledge and manpower are available, but the implementation of this knowledge is the crux of the matter.
Talking about technology, do you think modern technology, population density and a healthy environment can coexist?
Population is an important factor in the environment, because the population depends on the resources of the environment. So, we can’t continue using the environment without regulating the population, as resources are not limitless.
However, traditionally, it is not attractive to do anything about population, so you don’t find that being a major policy for any government, and it is a very serious matter. We cannot continue using the environment without regulating the population that is using it.
In terms of technology, we don’t need rocket science to be able to start handling our environment in a sustainable way. It is not a really high level technology that is needed, it is a simple thing that can be done in a matter of management, being conscious of the environment and then managing it.
How do you think Nigeria can key into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those that have to do with the environment?
I believe that Nigeria, especially at the government level is aware of the entire programme, being a party to the agreement. But down the populace, apart from technical people, many people don’t know what the SDGs are all about. So that is the beginning point.
People have to be conscious now and the onus is on civil society organisations that have to increase the awareness amongst people and educate them on the programme, which is trying to get us to develop sustainably and make us understand the certain goals it intends to achieve. So that is the very first take.
Also the goals that have to do with the environhhment are about trying to use the environment sustainably, which is what NEST has been doing since it was founded.
So the focus is about intensifying the full course of using the environment sustainably.
It is not just about Nigerians, anybody who lives on planet earth should be concerned about climate change because it is a change that is affecting the whole planet. Climate change is a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and non-survival.
Taking Ibadan’s temperature for instance, by now, we should have had rainfall so that the high temperature would go down. All of this is happening because of climate change; the climate is not behaving as it is supposed to. The things that we have adapted to are changing and we have not been able to change fast enough to keep up with it. The consequence of that would be termination of existence in the environment and Nigeria is a part of the planet earth.
So Nigeria, like many other developing parts of the world should be very concerned about the changing climate. Our livelihood, the way we get our resources, depends almost 80 per cent on the environment, which includes the land on which we farm and the rainfall on which we depend on for farming. So if we don’t have an environment that allows agriculture, food insecurity will arise. Also we don’t have the technology yet to be able to react when the environment is changing beyond the natural form. And even if the technology is available, we don’t have the money and economic power.
So we are very vulnerable to climate change. Climate change is also causing the sea to rise, which is affecting our coastline. Taking the Nigerian coastline for instance, all our economic activities is from the coastline, so if the coastline is affected, that would affect our economic activities in a very bad way. So we must be very concerned and we should be doing something about it.
Many people still believe that global warming is not an imminent threat and would probably take a century or so before its real effect is felt. What is your take on this?
The threat is now; we are beginning to feel the impact. It is not a question of hundred years. The impacts are being felt now and they are increasing. So unless we do something about it, things will get worse and become more severe.
A survey recently revealed that 60 per cent of Nigerians will be affected by climate change. How would you react to that?
I’d say 100 per cent of Nigerians will be affected by climate change; everybody will be affected. If it is just about those that will be directly affected in terms of their livelihood, probably those who are into agriculture, maybe the 60 per cent report would have been right. But as it is, everyone depends on agriculture, so whatever happens to the environment affects everybody. So I’d say 100 per cent, and not just 60 per cent.
Provision of water to communities is one of NEST’s core values. How do you think Nigeria can tackle the issue of water scarcity?
First we must be aware that water is a valuable resource and therefore, conserving it as much as possible, using it in a more efficient way than the way we are using it now is essential.
People have to be aware of water conservation; they need to start collecting it where possible; storing and using it only when they need it. We can increase supply a bit by building dams and so on, but those are long term strategies and a bit more expensive, but in terms of our immediate day-to-day living, more efficient utilisation of water is essential.
What are the biggest challenges of grassroots environmental work?
In terms of the response of people at the grassroots, poverty is a major challenge. As a result of poverty, they have no alternative to what they are used to, so if damaging the environment would provide resources for their survival, they don’t have a choice. So that is the biggest problem for those at the grassroots.
And for those of us trying to create awareness to those at the grassroots, providing these required alternatives takes a lot of resources, which most times we are not able to do on a scale that will have effect on the people. We do small projects, but to do it on a larger scale, we need a massive intervention, starting from policy at government level.
Many cases, the technology, knowledge and manpower are available, but the implementation of this knowledge is the crux of the matter.
Talking about technology, do you think modern technology, population density and a healthy environment can coexist?
Population is an important factor in the environment, because the population depends on the resources of the environment. So, we can’t continue using the environment without regulating the population, as resources are not limitless.
However, traditionally, it is not attractive to do anything about population, so you don’t find that being a major policy for any government, and it is a very serious matter. We cannot continue using the environment without regulating the population that is using it.
In terms of technology, we don’t need rocket science to be able to start handling our environment in a sustainable way. It is not a really high level technology that is needed, it is a simple thing that can be done in a matter of management, being conscious of the environment and then managing it.
How do you think Nigeria can key into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those that have to do with the environment?
I believe that Nigeria, especially at the government level is aware of the entire programme, being a party to the agreement. But down the populace, apart from technical people, many people don’t know what the SDGs are all about. So that is the beginning point.
People have to be conscious now and the onus is on civil society organisations that have to increase the awareness amongst people and educate them on the programme, which is trying to get us to develop sustainably and make us understand the certain goals it intends to achieve. So that is the very first take.
Also the goals that have to do with the environhhment are about trying to use the environment sustainably, which is what NEST has been doing since it was founded.
So the focus is about intensifying the full course of using the environment sustainably.
No comments:
Post a Comment