Popular climate change and environmental expert, Elochukwu Ezenekwe, has said that Anambra State in Nigeria’s Southeast region is the worst hit by climate change in Africa.
The expert also tasked the state governor, Chukwuma Soludo on the need to take urgent steps toward addressing the climate change crisis in the state before it swallows everybody.
Ezenekwe, who is the head of the Climate Change Education and Action Program (CLEAP) of the Peace Advocacy and Sustainable Development Outreach (PASDO), stated this during an educative session organised by the organisation at the state Government House, Awka.
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The programme which was put together by the Peace Advocacy and Sustainable Development Outreach was intended to galvanise climate action by educating stakeholders and actors at the community, local, state, national and international levels.
Speaking during the event, Ezenekwe stated that Anambra had suffered the worst damage from climate change impacts, particularly gully erosion in Nigeria and entire sub-Saharan Africa.
“Climate change hits us in Africa through various extreme weather and climate-related events that include drought, flooding and gully erosion,” he said. “Drought and desertification are the least destructive and easiest to manage”.
He explained that while flooding is more destructive but usually allows for the recovery of houses and properties when the waters recede, the damage by gully erosion is comprehensive and total.
“Be it classrooms, community health centres, houses, crops, farmlands, roads, electricity infrastructure, livelihoods and all, everything collapses into the very deep gullies and nothing is recovered,” he said.
He said that the state government must take proactive steps In order to earn income from the carbon credit and emissions trading opportunities which are presented by the large-scale tree planting programme as well as the massive evacuation and treatment of wastes being undertaken by the current administration.
Story was adapted from Punch.
