Deforestation

 

Last week, I wrote about the root causes of global warming and climate change, which are mainly migration, urbanization and overpopulation. The second major root cause is deforestation.

Deforestation is the indiscriminate removal of vegetation and forest cover from the earth’s surface. As more and more trees and plants are cut down for building and construction purposes, the atmosphere and environment suffers greatly. Trees and plants give out oxygen while they inhale or take in carbon dioxide. Human beings on the other hand, breathe out carbon dioxide and inhale oxygen. 

So, you see,  there is an interaction between plants and humans. What they exhale is what we inhale,  while what they exhale is what we inhale. Therefore, the need to have adequate vegetation cover in the form of grass, shrubs, flowers and trees in our immediate environment can’t be a overemphasized. The presence of green plants contributes immensely to public and individual health.

Secondly, conserving vegetation cover helps to absorb the excess green gases especially carbon which are released into and are trapped in the atmosphere. When these green gases are trapped, the earth’s surface temperatures increase. And if this occurs regularly over a long period of time, the average temperature in that region or area increases. 

Subsequently, regions across the world that experience green gas emissions from the various fossil fuel energy resource systems which are being used, if as a result of urbanization, vegetation and forest cover have been removed, then the surface temperatures increase and this leads to global warming. 

Over a long period of time, this has been the trend in highly urbanized towns and cities. The removal of plants and trees from the environment has caused a rise in global warming and now there are serious changes in weather patterns especially on the African continent.

As I write this, the wet season has already commenced which is not normal. Normally, the wet or rainy season starts mid to late April. Sometimes, even in May, the rains haven’t begun in earnest. But the rains have begun to pour since last week, in early March! 

This should tell us something. Global warming has taken a toll on the environment as a whole and icebergs are melting. When icebergs melt because of a warmer  atmosphere, on the other side of the planet, especially here in Africa, the tropical regions are experiencing increased rainfall which could lead to acute flooding and erosion. Then, in sub Saharan Africa, there is drought and famine in most cases. 

Although, countries along the sub Saharan regions have taken the initiative to jumpstart the project termed: The Green Wall by planting trees in areas around the region hit by desertification , still much has to be done to  ensure that citizens of this planet earth,  stop the use of fossil fuels to solve  their energy problems. We need to make serious investments in greener energy alternatives. Solar and wind energy systems can be invested in  properly, harnessed and used instead. 

Afforestation  is the  re- planting of trees, plants and generally forest and vegetation cover. We can’t continue to devour our tropical, temperate and coniferous forests all in the name of building and construction. Architects and building engineers must find ways to adopt greener measures in their design and building strategies.  And in Africa, the incessant felling of timber and rubber trees for economic and commercial reasons  must be stopped if we want to save our planet. 

Plant a tree today!