Why climate change should change how we behave?

Image generated by Okechukwu using Ai

By Okechukwu Onuegbu

 

Everyday comes with its own special news all over the world. If you haven’t heard of flood disasters, you might have heard about devastating effects of gully erosions. Gas emissions, water scarcity, hurricane, storms, pollutions, humidity, scorching sun shine are also not helping matters across the globe. Indeed, there are more to this and others you should have heard of, felt or read about in your closet! Agricultural sector is very much affected just as humans, animals and plants.

 

Have you ever asked yourself why these climate change effects should alter your behaviour or change how you behave, reason or relate with the nature and people? Colin Carlson, a Georgetown University biologist recently postulated that global warming killed at least four million people globally since the year 2000. According to the WHO (2023), it is expected that climate change will claim up to 250,000 lives between 2030 and 2050. In other words, climate change is real!

 

Who are those likely to die over this? Yourself and I are liable; very prone to this with probability of up to 90% due to our sedentary lifestyles and exposures to already devastated environment. Our water has been contaminated exposing us to typhoid, cholera, dysentery, among other diseases. A visit to our streams, lakes, rivers, and even swimming pools will convince that we are not serious to ourselves when it comes to our basic health.

 

You should have observed how the ritualists, including the money seekers and fun seekers are polluting the water and surrounding environment with keen interests. From dumping foods and slaughtered animals, to defecating and lovemaking in swimming pools. Our environments are littered with debris, water channels blocked and polluted. You can also see the effects on our roads where accidents claim lives as a result of potholes, gully erosions and other ecological problems. Should I talk of rampant open defecation which the UNICEF (2022) said had claimed over 100,000 lives, mostly children aged 5 years and below in Nigeria?

 

Fossil fuel consumption and deforestation have also contributed significantly to climate change. We rely mostly on natural gas, oil, coal and others, forgetting renewable energy sources such as tidy energy, solar power, wind power, bioenergy and hydroelectric. But the good news (if you agree) is that many countries of the world have pledged commitment towards reducing carbon ( zero carbon or net zero). What is your own commitment towards reduction of carbon emissions by 2030?

 

The Impact of climate change is too heavy on us. We must rise up to the occasion and save ourselves from the effects. This demands increased public awareness campaigns from all the stakeholders. The stakeholders are you and I, the government and the governed, politicians, students, media, scientists, parents, children, industrialists, etc. There is a need for attitudinal change from all.

 

Kindly ask yourself; who will live in that house you are building on waterways when it is finally submerged by flooding or destroyed by other ecological problems? How would you feel if you are a tenant, shop owner or customer whose apartment, warehouse or shop has neither provision for water or convenience? Do you know what may become of you after inhaling the obnoxious pollutions you are causing? Why increase the volumes of your loudspeaker when you can do without it while discussing with your audience? Where will be your escape route when the flood or water you have successfully blocked it ways divert attention to your only source of road or shelter? Haven’t you realised that you are inviting diseases and death to your house through indiscriminate dumping of refuse, keeping of dirty water, bushes and others? What if the bush you are setting ablaze turn back to suffocate or destroy your only source of livelihood? By the way, how many bush meats or wood would you sale or consume to save your life from devastating effects of global warming?Why wait to be prosecuted by the government before you must take action to protect yourself even when you have never waited for anyone before eating your choice delicacy?

 

 Get up! Get ready to protect your environment today, and your life will be secured. Go for renewable energy! Dump your refuse wisely. Don’t build on waterways or waterlog area because you have money to refill them- seek alternative ways of settling the frictions between man and nature!