“Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth” – Henry David Thoreau
By Emmanuel Ado
Mankind has been very irresponsible in the way it has abused and has continued to abuse the environment. There are no indications the abuse will abate anytime soon. Though Henry David Thoreau believes that we should be celebrating that mankind hasn’t been able to lay waste the sky, like he has raped and laid waste the earth, but the truth is that sooner than later mankind will unleash same terror on space going by the strident efforts to conquer Space.
Considering our multiple sins against creation and Mother Earth, Pope Francis is absolutely right that mankind should seek for forgiveness. And for the Pope the first step in this process is “to humbly acknowledge the harm we are doing to the earth through pollution, the scandalous destruction of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity, and the specter of climate change—which seems nearer and more dangerous with each passing year.” The second critical step is to amend our ways, because all life – including that of the fishes of the rivers, the lion in the wild and that of man himself depends on clean air, clean water, a stable and reliable climate.
That Mankind is guilty as charged is not the problem. The problem or better still the tragedy is that mankind doesn’t seem worried by the overwhelming evidence that climate change is the greatest threat Mother Earth has ever been confronted with and that it is caused by none other person than man – you, me and by Coke -Cola, Pepsi and other Multi Nationals motivated more by a healthy balance sheet, than any other considerations. The refusal to take urgent steps to address the crisis moving forward is the real tragedy. And to compound matters we have a President of United States that is determined to roll back the gains recorded as he continues in his self-denial about the crisis.
“We must not be indifferent or resigned to the loss of biodiversity and destruction of ecosystems, often caused by our irresponsible and selfish behavior. Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence … We have no such right” cried an alarmed Pope Francis, who has emerged as a strong moral conscience in a world of unbridled wants.
In the midst of the indifference or the do nothing stance of the federal and several other governments Kaduna State deserves commendation for recognizing the twin problems, that desertification and plastic litter pose to the environment and the practical steps it has put in place to address the problems of “our common home”, like Pope Francis describes the earth. Concrete evidence abounds that each year more than 12 million hectares of land are transformed into new man – made deserts in the Northern States of Nigeria with serious implications for the country. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), recently confirmed the latest figure, which affects frontline States like Kaduna more; but ultimately the entire country – through migration etc.
The policy thrust of the war against desertification by the Kaduna State Government is instituting a “Culture of Prevention” of desertification, which in reality is much more cost effective compared to rehabilitation that requires a drastic change in the attitudes of the people. The two flagship programmes are the “Keep Kaduna Green Project” that targets the planting of 3 million trees in three years and the 535 kilometers Shelter-belt Project that entails the planting of economic trees ,like palm, scot pines, shea-butter, cashew, jatropha along its northern boarders with Katsina, Zamfara and Kano States.
Not only will these two projects check desertification, they also have the additional objectives of creating jobs and beautifying the environment. Addressing desertification is also necessary in the war to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, especially in the north, that is already poor by all indexes. Definitely there will be further decline if desertification is not tackled.
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has embarked upon a “Plastic Mop Up” campaign. The objective is to call attention to the menace of our “dear” coke plastic and to lead the way in effective disposal of these ticking time bombs. The recklessness of man is evident from the millions of tonnes of plastic waste that end up in River Kaduna, with adverse effect on the birds, aquatic life, the fishes that get tangled in plastic bags or the goats that die from eating plastic debris. Plastic does not biologically decompose (non- degradable) and this accounts for the rather huge quantity of plastic waste that has turned into an environmental nightmare.
Statistics indicate that more than 90% of the wastes found on the sea are plastic. The sudden increase in cases of cancer in Nigeria, amongst all age groups, has been linked to the abuse of Mother Earth, unfortunately people are not making the connection, between this and our practices. The consumption by man of animal or fish that have themselves consumed larger pieces of plastic that had over time broken down into tiny particles called micro plastic, forming a sort of plastic soup is the culprit. These particles soak up chemical additives and endocrine disruptors, and when eaten by the fishes or animals, eventually enter the food chain, and end up on our plates, with catastrophic consequences.
The plastic menace is a large-scale problem that needs a global response, especially as Nigeria is a recipient of all sorts of technology. If for instance Coca-Cola stops bottling with plastic in the United States, then Kaduna State and indeed Nigeria will experience some respite. But until that happens, Kaduna State must fashion a response, like it has done to mitigate the disaster because modern life without plastic seems unthinkable or unimaginable. Plastics play such an increasingly important role in all aspects of the life of a modern man – from the manufacture of all sorts of items, like coke bottle to medical devices.
It is estimated that each year more than one trillion plastic bags are used worldwide with most ending up in rivers and drains. Due to rising demand, the global plastic consumption is expected to reach more than 600 million tons by 2015. God save Kaduna State and indeed Nigeria from “plasticalization” – over run of our towns by plastics.
The strategy of Kaduna State addressing the plastic nightmare is first and foremost tackling the disposal, because plastic is much more difficult to recycle, compared to materials like glass or paper. Plastics are not compatible with one another, because they are made up of more than one kind of polymer, which also melts at different temperatures.
The second part of the strategy is the recycling and reuse of waste plastic, as a sustainable method of disposal. The key targets are Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE), which have proven to have high recyclability and there are well-established markets for recycled PET and HDPE, because of their many uses – jerry cans, plastic chairs etc.
But even with these efforts the Government is only scratching at the problem that seems to get worse by day as plastic consumption continues to grow at a very tremendous rate. So, the most important task is sorting them out by composition, like the Ministry is advocating, because plastics can’t be treated as one single material. For instance, recycling of PVC is a big problem, due to the high chlorine content and the high levels of hazardous additives added to the polymer to achieve the desired material quality. As a result, PVC requires separation from other plastics before being mechanically recycled. So do so many other plastics, which are very popular due to its low cost, light weight and durability.
Unfortunately, many of the actors – the producers are not under the direct control of the Kaduna State government, but stepping up waste collection, and recycling which it has committed itself to, is the sure way to go. The incentives and the awareness campaign to get the buy in of Kaduna State people is commendable. The huge challenge- for instance will be getting people understand that plastic waste should be collected separately to make recycling easier. This is going to take efforts. But it is the first crucial approach to plastic recycling. Once sorted by material or by composition, it will be much easier to find the right choice on what to do with each type.
Nothing is cast in stone about best possible way forward in addressing the use of plastic and managing plastic waste in Kaduna State, but government must continue the conversations with the people. Hopefully with time people will begin to see the evils of littering and their contribution to the pollution that is suffocating mankind. People must learn to properly dispose of their trash, not just plastic. Waste of all sorts is a problem plaguing Kaduna State. Moving forward what the State needs to do in concrete terms might include establishing Sanitation Courts in the event persuasion doesn’t work.
Amina Dyeris Sijuwade ,the Commissioner of Environment and Kabir Mato, the Commissioner of Agriculture- the two frontline Ministries in the war against desertification and environmental waste deserve more support from Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who has shown a clear understanding of the gravity of the situation, and the urgent attention that the two issues deserve. So, key in tackling the challenges are aggressive policies that will stop the wanton destruction of trees, poor agricultural practices and a robust afforestation programme.
Same for the waste management programme, where the initiatives are encompassing in nature – prevention, rather than rehabilitation, etc. Kaduna State has imbibed Pope Francis consistent line that what is needed in the war to retake our environment is a “concerted and collective response.”
