By Kayode Emola
Since the beginning of creation, the earth’s climate has fluctuated, with seasons of cold and seasons of heat. This has been the case for billions of years until eventually reaching climatic conditions able to support our human species.
Over the last 200 years, our planet started to warm at a faster rate than the previous 10,000 years, due to increased exploration of coal and hydrocarbon applications. Climate scientists have predicted that atmospheric temperatures will rise to more than 2° Celsius if urgent action is not taken to stem the increase. If this 2°C threshold is breached, then natural disasters such as wildfires, which are currently anomalies, will become the norm, resulting in loss of property, livelihoods and lives at devastating levels. Given the rapidly changing climate before our very eyes, we need consider how our behaviour is contributing to the situation, and what actions we can take to preserve Mother Earth.
It is indisputable that whatever has a beginning must surely have an end, and planet earth is no exception to this. However, the speed with which this disintegration occurs will depend on how we structure our lives.
Historically, little attention has been given to the way our climate is changing and the factors underlying it. We have blithely exploited the fossil fuels buried deep beneath the earth’s surface to facilitate our lifestyles of convenience. However, unless we change our attitudes towards these substances, and sooner rather than later, we will be the architects of our own doom.
Several nations’ governments have proposed various targets for building clean energy infrastructures and drastically cutting our dependence on fossil fuels. However, these targets are not only unrealistic, but their deadlines are also too distant in the future. In 2021, climatologists in Oxford predicted that the UK’s summer temperatures will exceed 35oC within the next 10 years. In fact, it was less than a year later that the UK summer surpassed 40oC, bringing with it fire and brimstone.
Many places in the world have been used to living with the risk of coastal flooding and storm surges, and as a result, they implement various measures to limit the damage caused. However, many parts of Europe and America are now needing to develop means of mitigating the effects of a firestorm. The multiple wildfires that have this week ravaged Europe demonstrate the imperative of convoking all hands to the deck to fight and win this war against global warming.
Climate change must be treated as an emergency, with every country and individual striving together to redress this phenomenon, so that future generations will have a place to call home. There will not be a second chance to remedy the damage caused, so we must not live as if there will.
This week, for the first time in history, Britain’s temperatures passed the 40oC mark, bringing with it wildfires that destroyed properties across the country, but especially in London. People lost everything they had in mere moments, watching helplessly as their properties burned to the ground.
We may think this phenomenon is exclusive to Europe, and that Africa is not witnessing the same levels of devastation. Yet, with temperatures in Lagos reaching 38.9°C in April 2022, and those in Yola peaking at 46.4°C in April 2010, it becomes clear that we, too, need to start viewing climate change as the greatest challenge of the century.
Whilst Europe, America, and Asia plan to adapt their cities to implement greener technologies and electric vehicles, Nigeria, and indeed Africa as a whole is not even paying any attention to these challenges, let alone making plans to counteract them. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: Climate Change is a global phenomenon, and so requires all of us to play our part in tackling it head-on.
The Yoruba quest for independence uniquely positions us to play a part in averting the global climate change crisis. As we plan the building of our new nation, we can incorporate means of adapting our houses to run on solar, wind, hydro, and other forms of clean energy. Our estate developers can integrate adaptations for electric vehicles and charging stations into the plans for future houses. Yet we must also ensure that these developments leave adequate room for planting trees to help sequester CO2 from the atmosphere.
Future Yoruba governments must also commit a percentage of GDP to fund research into energy efficiencies, especially how to better utilise solar rays to power our industries and homes. The radiation from the sun alone, if utilised more efficiently, would be enough to power the entire planet. Considering our familiarity with tropical weather, Yoruba nation has the opportunity to be a global leader in this technology.
Other ways we can reduce our environmental impact include designing and implementing efficient ways to recycle our waste. Good waste management systems enable recyclable materials to be reused in production. In turn, this can reduce the use of unrecyclable materials, thereby preventing them ending up in the landfill.
Fundamentally, we must realise that the dangers caused by Climate Change will affect us all, therefore it needs to be tackled pragmatically and not politically. It is convenient for politicians to set targets of 20–30 years to deal with the issue, as they know full well that they won’t be here to be held to account if their targets are not met.
Instead, we need to each look at what we can do individually to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, from improving the energy efficiency of our homes to reducing investment of resources in things that are destroying our climate. If we begin to name and shame institutions engaged in environmentally harmful practices, we may begin to build societies that are contributing their share in ensuring that we leave behind a safe place for the next generation and beyond.
