A report on environmental reporting

A


REPORT ON ENVIRONMENTAL HARZARD IN NIGERIA

INTRODUCTION

Environment


is the surroundings of human beings; a place that they live and work


comfortably. It is one of the key determinants of optimal health or well-being


of individuals. Environment is the inclusion of the living and non-living


things that one has to interact with and which can influence one’s state of


health. Therefore, land, sea, plants, animals (including man) and other


creatures, both living and non-living that one has to interact with and which


can influence one’s state of health. Therefore, land, sea, plants, animals


(including man) and other creatures, both living and non-living things around


us constitute our environment. The environment is an all-embracing concept that


is made up of physical, biological and social components. The physical components


include the air, housing, weather, water, refuse, sewage, soil, etc. Other


physical factors of the environment include chemicals, heat, noise from


automobiles and industrial engines, and light. The biological components


include plants, pests and animals. while the social components consist of human


organizations, cultures, customs and human interaction. According to Nwana


(2001), the environment as an ecological or a socio-economic factor is very


crucial for life and survival, and by implication, health. Thus, the direct


influence and role of the ecological agents of disease are concrete. However,


the influence of the socio-economic environment is more subtle. The history of


mankind reveals that health and survival are intrinsically dependent upon the


relationship with the environmental factors so that they do not constitute


hazard to health.

Mitchell


(2009) reported that the earth’s natural resources are interdependent and


balanced. However, through human activities, this balance and harmony tend to be


upset. Population explosion, lack of concern for the environment, urbanization,


poor land use and management, municipal and industrial wastes etc, have


resulted in overgrazing, over-fishing, over-hunting, deforestation, bad


agricultural practices, all of which have combined to deplete the earth’s


resources, degrade the environment and cause loss of biodiversity. In all


these, the rural communities are the most hit. Ayichiin 2005 noted that about


two-third of the population still live in an estimated 97,000 rural communities


in Nigeria (Ayichi, 2005). UNICEF (1990) postulated that the lives of the


inhabitants of the rural communities are characterized by poverty, misery,


morbidity and underdevelopment. As such, they are prone to the factors that


pose serious threat to the environmental health of the people.

The factors include:

•  Deforestation

•  Agricultural


activities

•  Industry and


technology.

But this report is


structured on the Deforestation as an environmental Hazard in Nigeria

DEFORESTATION:


Deforestation


in this context means the abysmal removal of trees in the forests (Modebelu,


2012). The forests are the “lungs of the planet” and has the capability of


renewing two-third of oxygen on earth, grassland, savanna and cultivated land.


The forest trees form part of the protective umbrella of the environment. Among


others, the need for forest trees includes the improvement of soil fertility,


reduction of soil erosion and prevention of desert encroachment. It is very


devastating that the Nigerian population has ignored what trees and their uses


are. According to Kulkani (2011), the total area of forests in the world is


about 4, 700 million hectares (about 32 percent of the total land area), but


the consequences of deforestation are becoming more and more serious and very


devastating. This is in line Kulkani observation that the world forests are


disappearing at the rate of 15 million hectares each year. Most of these loss


occur in the humid parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Modebelu (2012)


stated that deforestation has the following effects on the environment:

1. It causes a loss


in biological diversity, which is important for the functioning of nature and


its cycle.

2. The improvement of


cultivation of plants and animal species, the development of new medicines and


the study of the diversity of biological life cycles comes to an irrevocable


end when there are no longer sufficient natural forest areas.

3. It leads to global


warming through the green-house effect. It is one of the functions of the trees


(green plants to trap the atmospheric Carbon (IV) Oxide (CO2) during


photosynthesis. As a result, the green-house has only the presence of small


amount of Carbon (IV) Oxide, Methane (CH4) and other green-house


gases in the atmosphere. These gases are responsible for the warming of the


atmosphere while oxygen causes cooling of the atmosphere. Therefore, the total


and/or partial absence of forests increase the green-house-gases to about 50


percent, resulting from the burning of coal, firing of the cannon, oil and


natural gases from the release of Chlorofluoro Carbons (CFCs) gases used in


refrigeration and in the manufacturing of foams and plastics. These activities


and their impacts are to a great extent responsible to major adverse changes in


the climatic pattern of different regions as solar radiation from the soil is


severely reduced.

4. It gradually


destroys Ozonelayer. Chlorofluoro Carbons (CFCs) are part of green-house gases


that have been identified as the major culprit in the depletion of the Ozone layer


which protects the earth from the direct effects of the sum rays. The Ozone


layer has large quantity of oxygen therein, but through deforestation, the


quantity of oxygen released to the atmosphere is highly reduced. It results in


the accumulation of more direct and severe scourging of the sun-rays.

5. Absence of forests


leads to desert encroachment, a phenomenon known as desertification. This in


turn, increases the rate of drought.

6. It leads to a


rapid increase in earth’s erosion through the action of both water and wind.

7. It leads to the


accelerated increase in the disappearance of wild-life which man uses for game.

mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Deforestation is a serious problem in


Nigeria, which currently has one of the highest rates of forest loss (3.3


percent) in the world. Since 1990, the country has lost some 6.1 million


hectares or 35.7 percent of its forest cover. Worse, Nigeria's most biodiverse


ecosystems—its old-growth forests—are disappearing at an even faster rate.


Between 1990 and 2005, the country lost a staggering 79 percent of these


forests and since 2000 Nigeria has been losing an average of 11 percent of its


primary forests per year—double the rate of the 1990s. These figures give


Nigeria the dubious distinction of having the highest deforestation rate of natural


forest on the planet.

mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Nigeria's new and more accountable


government is concerned about rising deforestation and environmental


degradation—which costs the country over $6 billion a year. Nevertheless, it


has failed to curb illegal logging and other forms of degradation, and only 6


percent of the country is nominally protected on paper. Timber concessions have


been granted in national parks, and oil-palm plantations are replacing natural


forest. Past governments have tried to stem forest loss through a ban on log


exports, promoting of agroforestry and community-based conservation schemes,


increasing energy and fuel efficiency, and encouraging plantations and


reforestation programs to achieve a target of 25 percent forest cover. But the


impact appears to be limited given Nigeria's astounding deforestation rate.

mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">As its forests fall, Nigeria has seen


wildlife populations plummet from poaching and habitat loss, increasing


desertification and soil erosion. There has also been a drop in the


productivity of coastal and inland fisheries, and mounting social unrest in


parts of the country. It appears that Nigeria's swift economic development has


exacted a high toll on its people and environment.

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mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Despite its environmental degradation,


Nigeria has striking biodiversity. Home to gorillas, chimpanzees, baboons, and


elephants, the country has 899 species of birds, 274 mammals, 154 reptiles, 53


amphibians, and 4,715 species of higher plants.

mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">A New Idea to Save Tropical Forests


Takes Flight

mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">(06/29/2009) Every year, tens of


millions of acres of tropical forests are destroyed. This is the most


destabilizing human land-use phenomenon on Earth. Tropical forests store more


aboveground carbon than any other biome. They harbor more species than all other


ecosystems combined. Tropical forests modulate global water, air, and nutrient


cycles. They influence planetary energy flows and global weather patterns.


Tropical forests provide livelihoods for many of the world’S poorest and


marginalized people. Drugs for cancer, malaria, glaucoma, and leukemia are


derived from rainforest compounds. Despite all these immense values, tropical


forests are vanishing faster than any other natural system. No other threat to


human welfare has been so clearly documented and simultaneously left unchecked.


Since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit (when more than 100 heads of State gathered to


pledge a green future) 500 million acres of tropical forests have been cut or


burned. For decades, tropical deforestation has been the No. 1 cause of species


extinctions and the No. 2 cause of human greenhouse gas emissions, after the


burning of fossil fuels. For decades, a few conservation heroes tried their


best to plug holes in the dikes, but by and large the most diverse forests on


Earth were in serious decline.

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CONCLUSION

mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">This study assessed the extent to which


environmental health hazards influenced the development of rural communities.


Its focus was on Deforestation as an environmental hazard that can undermine


rural community development. It was discovered that the influence of


environmental hazards are very devastating to the environment. This was shown


clearly on the influences of deforestation on the environment. The study showed


that there cannot be any sustainable community development with the high rate


of biodiversity losses, global warming, depletion of the Ozone layer, desert


encroachment, soil erosion menace, destruction of soil structure, toxicity of


plants and animals resulting from use of fertilizers and pesticides; and incessant


air, water and land pollution. The implication therefore, is that adequate


measure should be meted out to address the teething environmental problems.

mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">RECOMMENDATIONS

mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">The recommendations based on the


findings amongst others are that:

Ø

mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">It is important for government to


understand the real need for a healthy environment and its impact on the


nation’s health bills. A healthy environment would definitely enable a healthy


citizenry. Yet, up till now, the government has only paid lip service to the


enforcement of environmental regulations and this neglect has led to the


prevalence of avoidable diseases and illnesses.

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