Experts at the Nigeria Conservation Foundation have warned the Federal and State governments to curb the destruction of the country’s forests to tackle the negative effects of climate change.
The experts also appealed to the government to as a matter of urgency, provide citizens with alternative means of cooking to reduce their over-dependence on firewood.
Speaking at a Stakeholders’ Forest dialoguein Illorin, the Kwara State capital, the experts who were drawn from the NCF, NESREAL and non-governmental organisations as well as the Kwara State Ministry of Environment, highlighted the gains of using the forest in a sustainable manner, while also canvassing it as a panacea for combating negative effects of climate change globally.
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The experts, who are working on forest conservation and climate change said that the country currently ranks between 5th and 7th country in the world with the worst case of deforestation.
In his address, Climate Change Lead, Solomon Adefolu said that the impact of deforestation was already being felt in Pategi, one of the local governments in the state as the temperature in the area was now constantly at 41 Degrees Celsius, which is way too high.
“It is so because there are no longer trees to cool the atmosphere; this will certainly tell on the health of people in that area,” Adefolu said, adding that climate change occurs when trees are cut down for various reasons like building, farming and charcoal production.
Story was adapted from Punch.
