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A heat wave or....?


As I write this, I am literally dripping in sweat. Why? You may ask.. it’s  the dry season here in Nigeria and subsequently most parts of Western, Eastern and Northern Africa. Nevertheless and despite the fact that we do experience a lot of heat at this time of the year, this is not normal. 

Temperatures have hiked feverishly and can be measured at between 37 to 45 degrees and this shows that the sun is high up in the sky and literally burning hot. Well, as I have been saying for a while now, we with our own hands have brought on this demise by own making.

First of all, there are major factors which have contributed to this,  and we all know what they are: #air pollution, indiscriminate  removal of vegetation cover as a result of urbanization; and gas flaring, the result of oil drilling and refining.

Air pollution as a result of the release of carbon dioxide and
 lead oxide emissions into the atmosphere from old and over used vehicles is one major factor. Secondly, bush burning, release of harmful gases from generating plants to sustain electricity supply is another major factor. 

Then we have the indiscriminate removal of vegetation cover. This in itself is a huge problem. When there are no plants or #trees to absorb carbon dioxide  released by humans and other man made activities for photosynthesis, then these green gases are  released into, and trapped in the atmosphere. This in turn causes a rise in  the earth’s surface temperatures which gives rise to global warming.

Finally, #gas flaring which I think in my opinion is the greatest demise of the #environment. We need to come to terms with the fact that our so called quest for energy by drilling and refining fossil fuels is destroying and gradually killing our environment. 

I will continue to appeal that we begin to embark on the journey of using greener energy alternatives. Why can’t we just stop flaring gas? This gas can be converted into premium environmental friendly fuel, diesel and naphtha products. We can also stop removing vegetation cover indiscriminately. 

Areas or regions which still have lots of trees and plants are cooler in temperatures and healthier to live in too. Also, the problem of air pollution cannot be overemphasized. Old vehicles should be banned and electricity supply can be constant to avoid the incessant use of generating plants which pollute the atmosphere. Employing the use of solar/radiant energy on a larger scale will also go a long way in helping to reduce air pollution.

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