2nd May, 2023
By Fabian Ekeruche/07031677844
Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, a climate change and development expert, has identified seven ways to invest in the planet for sustainability and to reduce biodiversity loss.
Okereke listed the areas in an online interview on Tuesday to commemorate World Earth Day, which was celebrated on April 22.
It was instructive, he said, in rethinking the earth and how to care for it.
He stated that the first way to invest in the earth is for governments and corporations to invest in technologies that will aid in the planet’s survival.
According to him, technologies such as solar, wind, and geothermal, as well as investments in railways, bicycle parts, wind, and solar, could help save the planet.
“The reason we have a climate catastrophe is that we have been reliant on highly polluting energy sources such as oil and gas for a very long time to get our energy.”
“In order to save the earth, we need to begin to replace, and supplement these high carbon-emitting fuels with clean energies and governments and private sectors need to continue to invest massively in this regard.
“It is a shame that despite all the talk about climate change globally, the oil and gas industry continues to receive far greater subsidies than the renewable energy industries,” Okereke said.
The don advocated the need to change the narrative around fossil fuels and ensure that renewable energy and clean energy received better help in terms of subsidies and investment in order to save the Earth.
“Nigeria is a case in point. You are aware of all the discussions and debates that we are having about oil subsidies, and fuel subsidies in Nigeria the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) was signed into law and it has many good aspects.
“But there is nothing in the PIB that says anything about using whatever money that we save, or we make from petroleum in order to scale up our investment in renewable energy.
“This is a disaster. This is a sign that we are not thinking about the long-term future. This is a sign that we are still steeped in the oil and gas era and not thinking about a clean planet,” Okereke said.
He said that the second way to save the earth was to invest in nature conservation. Nigeria, for instance, was losing huge amounts of its forest cover on a yearly basis.
“Some reports say that Nigeria has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world. This is one of the ways to kill the planet. So we need to invest in nature conservation.
“We need to plant millions of trees and we need to begin to do that sooner rather than later. Government of Nigeria has promised that it will plant 25 million trees by 2030; we need to follow this kind of bold declaration with massive action on the ground,” Okereke said.
He said that investment in nature conservation and in the restoration of degraded ecosystems was one of the best attitudes to saving the planet.
He noted that places like Brass, Nembe areas in the Niger Delta, have huge areas of degraded wetlands that require restoration through natural base conservation activities.
He said that world leaders agreed recently that they want to ensure 30 per cent of conservation by 2030.
He urged the Nigerian government to key into this effort to re-green the country and the world through vast efforts at nature conservation.
Okereke said that the third area to invest in the planet is to invest in low-carbon housing.
He said that the residential sector emits a huge amount of carbon, adding that cement production is also one of the most carbon-intensive manufacturing processes.
“Nigeria needs to invest in low-cost energy and low-cost carbon houses. I have suggested that we need to build about 5 million low-carbon houses in Nigeria in the next five years.
“Anyway, Nigeria has a huge deficit in terms of the stock of housing and we can both solve this problem of housing deficit while also tackling climate change,” said the expert.
The don said that investing in the design of cities in the country was another option for saving the earth.
He wondered why is it that across Africa and including Nigeria, we build cities that do not provide for people to cycle and walk.
“Everywhere you go people are using their cars. We have good weather all around the year and yet we are copying the Americans in the way that we design our cities.
“This is a disaster. This allows people to need to use more cars to drive around and it also causes obesity. So we need to invest in better smart cities. So that people can travel around with their bicycles and walk and it also helps to build a stronger sense of community,” Okereke said.
He claimed that in addition to making investments in the reduction of air pollution, the planet needed to be saved.
According to him, better city planning and low-carbon housing are necessary investments in the fight against air pollution.
In the case of Nigeria, he claimed that spending money on higher-quality automobiles was necessary, as was putting an end to petrol flare-ups in the Niger Delta.
Besides, Okereke said that investing in the earth would also require a huge investment in education.
“We need to educate the youth and our children on the importance of conservation, environmental conservation and climate action so that the future leaders of tomorrow will also be able to take action to help to save the planet,” he said.
NAN