When we talk about our environment, there is a lingering question of how sustainable it is and whether the impact of our daily activities as individuals and industries positively or negatively affect the surrounding we live in and the universe as a whole. Recently, there have been continuous conversations on climate change as a result of these environmental activities and different levels of government are coming together to discuss this risks and how we all have a role to play in saving the world from this growing concern.
Lagos State accounts for over 60% of Nigeria’s commercial and industrial activities such as refining, construction, manufacturing, production, automation, utilities, oil & gas amongst others. All of these activities are on a clock work with visible effects on the environment comprising land, air, water and a long term influence on the global climate due to change in average weather patterns.
As a rapidly developing city with a steady increase in population size which is estimated to hit over 35million people by 2050 according to the United Nations, industrialisation have become an extension of our economy. This involves a lot of manufacturing and the large scale use of energy and the alteration of natural systems from their original state. Industrialisation in Lagos has involved many technological innovations, economic and social transformation.
However, because of the adverse shift in climate systems due to these heavy industrial activities, areas such as crop production, livestock production, fisheries, forests and rainfall patterns will be altered, resulting in changes in our current livelihood. There is also a threat of rise in water levels, flooding and storm surges, which will destroy farmlands as well as increase in temperature and humidity which can increase pests’ activities and an outbreak of diseases. The underlying fact is that our livelihood, as we know it, is posed to be altered and damaged causing severe harm to life and property.
What this means is that the impact of climate change is no longer as distant as people think it is and we must pay urgent attention to the activities in our immediate environment. There is a need for committed efforts from individuals and institutions, providing sustainable solutions, implementation and control to clean up our environment. At the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), we have a responsibility to protect and improve the environment, through regulations and clean development with emphasis on how we all own the environment.
Within the state, we focus on ensuring that activities across the different aspects of our environments are closely monitored to ensure compliance with the laws and regulations. Land and water pollution is constantly a growing issue and we ensure that guidelines in these areas are looked into on a frequent basis to ensure compliance. The impact of land pollution especially with indiscriminate waste disposal by residents is a daunting risk with blockage of the drainage systems which has contributed to adverse flooding in the state.
Incidences of air pollution relating to emissions into our atmosphere and the burning of fossil fuels is also a great concern. Research have actively linked the major causes of climate change and global warming to events relating to air pollution and we must be intentional about the use of more alternative sources in the area of manufacturing and production. As an Agency, we advocate for inclusion of more green energy sources by companies operating within the state. In response, some industries have adopted combined heat and power systems in their operations, which saves energy and cost to the company and the environment.
Ecology and conservation is also a very important aspect of environmental protection we pay close attention to because we believe, that there is a strong opportunity to build and repair the earth through ecology and conservation. Our surveillance and monitoring team runs an ongoing check on conservation centres within the state, sensitize communities on erosion and flooding, active advocacy programmes on wildlife conservation and coordination of tree planting exercises which plays a huge role in reducing and eliminating the harsh effects associated with deforestation.
Just recently, we advised residents to adequately prepare for an upsurge in heatwaves arising due to the change in season. From a domestic point of view, activities such as burning of refuse, poorly serviced generators and use of other ozone depleting materials in our homes, can also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. We have also began a major crackdown on generators that emit significant pollutants into the air and are collaborating with other agencies to ensure that vehicular emissions are within acceptable limits. From an industrial point of view, we have partnered with relevant international development agencies to inform, educate and empower local small and large scale industries with information on alternative materials and technology to ozone depleting substances and processes respectively.
In sustaining a green environment for Lagos state, and reducing the impact of climate change which not only affects us but the world in general, we must first of all imbibe the culture of taking care of our environment through our domestic activities and our larger scale industrial activities. We must begin to see climate change and global warming as an existing threat with severe consequences, if we do not play a part in saving the environment.
We must also actively engage the 6 R’s – refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle – in guiding our actions towards environmentally sustainable outcomes. If there is an opportunity to refuse materials and activities that affect our environment negatively, we should actively do so. More importantly, we must attempt to always rethink our activities and processes to ensure that our footprint on the environment is reduced as well as making sustained efforts to extend the life of materials by repurposing and recycling them for further use.
From a global perspective, we understand that tackling the issue of climate change is a collaborative effort with active participation from governments, industry, pressure groups and research institutions, on a long term path to reclaiming earth from impending chaos and winning the war against climate change.
The future of a world free from the effects of climate change is encouraging as we would have cleaner air to breathe and nature would be in recovery; there would be less noise, access to healthier foods and an increase in disposable income because we would buy less items as a result of reuse and recycling of products.
While we are active as a government in regulating and addressing issues associated with climate change through LASEPA, we all as individuals must understand that we own the environment and when we save the environment, we save ourselves.
Dr. Dolapo Fasawe
Dr. Fasawe is the General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).
