by Oladotun Fadeyiye

There is absolutely no doubt that the environment you and I live in, often has direct impact on our lives either negatively or positively. And since this is true, improving our environment must be a collective effort.

As we all know, reports on incessant environmental hazards such as flooding, acid rain, drought, desert encroachment, excessively heat and prolonged dusty weather triggered by the devastating effects of climate change particularly in Nigeria and Africa as a Continent have been increasingly alarming in the last few decades.

Since the impact of Climate change is here and real and already being felt globally, all you and I can do is to mitigate these effects on our lives by simply changing our lifestyles and overall attitude to our immediate environment.

We also need to be conscious of the fact that some of these effects of climate change, according to the researchers and environment experts are human-induced. They are triggered by day-to-day human activities mostly by Carbon (CO2) Emissions such as substituting generating sets to power our homes, exhaust  from our automobiles, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and industrial waste, open defecations due to lack of proper toilets, deforestations and indiscriminate cutting of trees among others.

Therefore, to avert more of these environmental hazards in the future, below are few ways you and I can improve on our environment:

• Every citizen must be an environmental Activist: Each citizen must get involved in protecting the environment by changing their lifestyles and sensitizing the general public on the danger inherent in the Carbon emissions and other unsafe lifestyles that are detrimental to clean environment.
• Afforestation: We must encourage ourselves to plant more trees, lush lawns and well-trimmed flowers in the public places. These trees have been said to be “Carbon trappers” they trap those carbon that are being released into the open air and provide us with clean and safe oxygen. Above all, we must ensure the replacement of every tree that are being cut down in the forest.
• Proper Sanitation and Hygiene: We must endeavour to achieve basic sanitation at all times and desist from open defecation. Public toilet must also be provided by either the Locals or Local governments to prevent open defecation.
• Avoid improper Waste Disposal: Indiscriminate dumping of refuse and industrial waste can wreck irreversible havoc on our environment which could also lead epidemic and loss of lives.
• Clean Energy policy: Introduction of Clean Energy policy such as Renewable Energy on the part of policy and decision makers would go a long way at improving on our environment. This would reduce the carbon footprint in Nigeria.
• Proper Drainage system: Proper drainage system is also important towards improving our environment. This would avert incessant flooding.