Understanding environmental protection requires vivid explanation of the key terms of discussion- environment and protection. The term environment is derived from the French word environer which means to encircle or surround. The Mariam webster English dictionary defines it as circumstances, objects and conditions in the surroundings which may have impact in the development or survival of an organism(s).
It can be deduced from the forgoing that an environment includes also the social, political, cultural, economic, physical as well as all forms of interaction between an entity and its surroundings which includes both biotic, abiotic tangible and intangibles. It is however worthy of note that all these interactions affect the existence of an entity either positively or negatively on the other hand, protection simply refers to the act or measures taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces (Wikipedia). A thing in this content refers physical objects like organisms, vegetation, systems or intangible things like civil and political right.
Hence, environmental protection is simply a conscious effort to guard our environment against damages caused by external forces which is aimed at conserving its resources, repair already occurred damages as well as reverse negative environmental trends.
Why protect the environment in the first place? The famed industrial revolution of the late 18th to early 19th century came with its attendant environmental consequences. Most horrible ecological crises resulted from the urban industrial revolution as well as speeding exploitation of natural resources. A combination of the concepts of industrialization, urbanization and globalization has resulted to the influx of people into the cities across the globe. This phenomenon has led to the increase in the population of the destination regions which in turn resulted to overpopulation and pressure on available resources such as land, air, utilities and services in the destination region. These pressures manifests in the form of pollution, congestion, environmental degradation, global warming, desertification as well as high cost of urban governance. Globally, man-made pollutants from combustion, construction, mining, agriculture and warfare are increasing significantly.
Consequently, environmental pollution has adverse effects on humans. Poor air quality kills organisms as well as human. While respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, throat inflammation, chest pain and congestion are attributed to air pollution; water pollution causes approximately 14,000 deaths per day according WHO report in June, 2019. As noise pollution causes hearing loss, high blood pressure, stress and sleep disorder, oil spills cause skin irritation, rashes and the destruction of aquatic lives.
As population increases due to urbanization, demand for housing increases as well. This in turn means demand for employment and space. These means that more forests are likely to be cleared to build residential houses, schools, hospitals, roads as well as commercial and administration buildings. Hence, deforestation and desert encroachment as it applies. It should also be noted that as human activities increase, per capita waste generation increases as well.
Amazingly, a world bank report in June 2018 titled “A Global Snap Shot Of Solid Waste Management To 2050” puts the global solid waste generation at 2.01 billion Tonnes Per Annum with not less than 33%of this figure not managed in an environmentally safe manner. This figure is expected to increase to about 3.40 billion Tonnes by 2050.
On average, an individual generates about 0.74kg of waste per day. While daily per capita waste generation is projected to increase by 19% in the global North by 2050, the global south is expected to increase by approximately 40% 0r more. It might also interest you to know that per capita waste generation is expected to be more than triple by year 2050 in the sub-Saharan region of Africa, double in North America, middle east and south Asia. Wastes are currently open-dumped in these regions which has adverse effect on the environment, human health and national prosperity. Thus, urgent action is needed.
Finally, environmental protection is the responsibility of every individual, organization and government. Though the extent of damage to the environment remains debatable, the fact is that our environment needs urgent help.
Several environmental movements have evolved since the 1960s and is still counting to create awareness and educate the masses on the need for environmental protection. Many countries have established agencies such as the federal environmental protection agency (FEMA) in Nigeria to monitor, control and manage the environment.
International agencies like the United Nation Environmental Protection (UNEP), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Intergovernmental Panel on Climatic Changes (IPCC) as well as the Kyoto agreement among others are some of the efforts towards environmental protection globally. Also not left out is the conscious efforts by non-governmental organization such as Fight Against Desert Encroachment, Health of Mother Earth Foundation in Nigeria and their likes across the world.
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