NANFeatures/Vol.11/No.67/2017 (May 5)
World Earth Day: Raising awareness on environmental concerns
A News Analysis by Jane-Frances Oraka, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Since its inaugural observance in 1970, the World Earth Day has gained global prominence, celebrated on every April 22 to raise people’s awareness on the need to preserve the environment.
To observe the 2017 edition of the day, Bishop Okoye Spiritan Secondary School, Port Harcourt, Rivers, organised a week-long awareness campaign recently.
The students carried their campaign theme — “Mercy to Earth’’ — to the Mater Misericordiae Catholic Church, Rumumasi, Port Harcourt with many placards suggesting ways to preserve the Earth from degradation.
A campaigner, Master Kamsiyochukwu Anozie, a senior secondary II student, called for the conservation of the natural resources and protection of the Earth from further degradation.
According to him, Africa has been blessed by God with abundant resources and we need to stand up and conserve the resources.
“Countries in Africa such Nigeria and Somalia are suffering today due to so many anthropogenic activities; we need to conserve and stand up against all injustices being meted on the Earth.
He observed that many countries were suffering from food scarcity and man, in his quest to know more, had tampered with the basic elements of nature.
Similarly, Master Olisa Ezeanuba, a student of the school, noted that although man’s inventions were great, care for the nature should be fundamental in that regard so that the environment would be protected.
“Mankind has gone so far in inventing that he forgets to consider nature in all he invents. Moral beauty and temperament should be considered by every human invention; nature was here first, so take care of it,’’ he said.
Supporting this view, Miss Kimberly Ekwebelem, a student, observed that Nigerians had somewhat unconsciously or consciously contributed to global warming.
During the observance, some secondary students also pointed out that air pollution was a huge environmental problem that human beings faced with the negative effect of air pollution occasioned by gas flaring and other environmental pollution.
Miss Ujunwa Onuegbu, one of the students, argued that the chief cause of the air pollution were hazardous industrial wastes that posed serious health problems.
“Beginning with gas flaring, imagine a situation whereby we inhale harmful gases instead of the normal oxygen that we humans are known to exchange with our environment.
“Another hazardous one is the carbon oxide emitted by industries and this is no longer strange to us in Port Harcourt,’’ Onuegbu said.
Sharing similar sentiments, Miss Ezinne Eweruzo, a student, said gas flaring had destroyed farmlands and polluted waters in the areas where there were exploration activities.
She called for adequate actions from appropriate authorities to regulate the activities of industries to make them environment-friendly.
Eweruzo noted that gas flaring, being the tremendous base of natural gas, could rather be processed into useful gas to benefit the environment and the humans.
However, Miss Oyan Laju, a student, observed that the culture of wastage must stop and the earth preservation should take highest priority.
“We can make a big difference in preserving the environment by watering our gardens, recycling and disposal of refuse properly, reducing and reusing of materials such as glass or plastic that cannot decay.
In her opinion, Miss Abulubu Natalie, a student, observed that global warming was a real damage to the world and had killed a lot of people through various diseases.
In the light of these views expressed by students,Rev. Fr. Christopher Amaubosi, the Principal, Bishop Okoye Spiritan Secondary School, called on the masses to take steps in caring for the environment to combat the global warming.
He said people should avoid any form of environmental pollution to make the earth safe for the living, noting that the school organised the campaign specifically against environmental pollution.
He said bringing the campaign to the doorstep of the people was what the school embarked upon in the one-week activity.
He also said the school did not only train the children in academics but bring to their notice global issues, especially as it concerned human life, plants, tree, animals and the entire world.
Amaubosi said that global warming was affecting the earth seriously and the world leaders should take reasonable steps to minimise the causative effects.
Rev. Sr. Yvonne Achieng, the matron of the school, also said the students in the school were creating awareness on the causes of the global warming.
Achieng, a Kenyan, said, people died because of some funny and weird diseases caused by unhealthy environmental activities.
She observed that if human beings understood the dangers of the earth’s degradation and its effects on human beings and plants, they would control their activities to create a more human-friendly earth for the coming generations.(NANFeaures)
**If used, please credit the writer as well as News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)