by Raymond Inkabi
The effects of climate change can be curtailed, however, this depends on honest attitudinal change by us, economic growth and political will.
Sea levels are rising world wide for two sole reasons – water expands as it warms or gets heated by incoming solar energy, and also because the ice present at the poles is melting, adding to the volume of water already present in the seas. Those living in the western and eastern coast lands of Nigeria; like Lagos, Rivers, Delta, Ondo and Akwa Ibom have all seen the surge of climatic change in their communities. A look at an ever-increasing pool of an environmentally conscious populace, economists, business people, geographers, politicians, policymakers and the academia on the eminent threat that climate change poses to our planet daily, gives credence to the fact that the threat is very much real, and not some doomsday prophecy. However, in the light of so much commitment, speech and forecasts there lies little or no strong action. In Nigeria, the question of a climatic doom is brushed off with levity. Unfortunately, the argument is also tainted by ignorance and crass and mass illiteracy because just only a few know for sure what is happening to our planet, it’s climate, and its attendant consequences of which should be top priority to any government.
The eminent threat of climate change is not rocket science. Because previous changes in the world’s climate had been set off by variations either in the angle of the Earth’s rotation in its orbital path or in its distance from sun, which is the center of our solar system. But this time there is another factor involved: Man-made “green house gases”. This is brought about from the wanton use and burning of fossil fuels, which contain the CO2 consequently increasing its atmospheric levels. When the sun’s energy hits the Earth surface, most of of it re-radiates back into space. And carbon dioxide and around 30 other green-house gases, such as methane, help create a blanket that traps some of this heat receipt from the sun, thus warming our planet.
The debate involves scientists, geographers, economists, politicians and anyone who’s genuinely interested in the sustainability of our planet. It is charged by the common belief on one side that our lives as we know it is under threat, and by the conviction on the other, that if we do not act we all might yet experience an apoclimatic doom. We call upon leaders of government and industry players to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of building codes, land-use zonation and insurance. Because man-induced green house gases now threaten the stability of our coastal communities and livelihoods, endangering the current applaudable strides recorded in agriculture. Agriculture, itself is more vulnerable to climate change. Due to the fact of which it’s operations are highly based on climatic elements.
Climate change is complicated and uncertain. In Nigeria we have already felt some of the devastating effects like the 2012 floods. In which catastrophic rises in sea levels led to extremely severe weather events such as flooding and drought, decreased farm output and mass population migration in areas affected. For climate is a system of almost infinite complexity. If not controlled this systemic balance of nature could as well spiral out of our control. This uncertainty is central to the difficulty of tackling the problem. Since the costs of climate change is enormous, any benefits of trying to do something to avert it, should be clearly stated to avoid ambiguity.
The effects of climate change can be curtailed, however, this depends on honest attitudinal change by us, economic growth and political will. And if an answer is to be found, it lies in using a combination of economics and a broad range of technologies. The debate is over. We know the science. We see the threat. And we know the time for action is now.
The technological and economic aspects of climate change in Nigeria today, is thus, not quite challenging as many would imagine. However, the real difficulty is political – strong political will and targeted policies. Climatology, Meteorology, and Geography which were hitherto known as pacific studies, insulated by the futuristic nature of their inquiries even from the consciousness awakened by forecasts. They, now are being pressured to predict the future – our future, and issues raised have understandably become subject to public opinion, politics and arguments. On the global scale climate change, is one of the hardest policy problems the world has ever witnessed. Because it is global, it is every country’s interest to get every other nation to shoulder the task of mitigating against the threat. Yet, as the role swapping continue to play out, we cannot shove the responsibility of a sustainable nation and planet to the next generation. we all need to act.
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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.
