Nigéria:
The population in Nigeria is more
than 170 million people. It is Africa’s most populated country, and one of the
most populated countries in the world. The area goes through periods of floods
and droughts (Adeoye et al, 2011), and suffers with other issues, such as soil
degradation, water and air pollution, and oil spills. The forests are
fundamental to provide food and shelter for this massive population, as well as
keeping the area less prone to floods and keeping food security by having fertile
soils.
The floods and droughts suffered in the country can be worsened by the deforestation, as trees are responsible for the filtration of the water to the underground, completing the cycle of the water. When there are no trees left to do this process, the floods can happen more often and in a higher intensity. The water and air pollution that the country suffers, which affects the health of people, being a direct threat to human security, can be worsened by the lack of trees, as trees are responsible for naturally capturing the CO2 from the air and releasing it back as Oxygen in the atmosphere. When these trees can no longer do this job, the situation tends to get worse.
The floods and droughts suffered in the country can be worsened by the deforestation, as trees are responsible for the filtration of the water to the underground, completing the cycle of the water. When there are no trees left to do this process, the floods can happen more often and in a higher intensity. The water and air pollution that the country suffers, which affects the health of people, being a direct threat to human security, can be worsened by the lack of trees, as trees are responsible for naturally capturing the CO2 from the air and releasing it back as Oxygen in the atmosphere. When these trees can no longer do this job, the situation tends to get worse.
Image available at http://www.nigeriaembassyusa.org
Half of Nigeria land used to be
covered by trees. Nigeria lost 36% of its forest in the last two decades. The
worse of the consequences of Nigerian deforestation is desertification, leading
to water scarcity in several areas (Surface, 2009). Water scarcity can lead to conflict over resources in some cases, but it can also be an alarming factor even when there is no conflict. Water is necessary not only for humans but also for agriculture, affecting human security not only directly but also as a factor of food security. The graph below shows the drivers of deforestation in Tropical Africa from 1990 to 2000. Agriculture is a big responsible for these numbers, and it continues to worsen as population numbers rise and more food is demanded to supply all the people.
From
2000 to 2005, Nigeria had the highest desertification rate in the world. The
desertification leads to water scarcity and soil to be unfertile, and the
depletion of trees is leading to an increase in the carbon dioxide of the
atmosphere, contributing to global warming. Deforestation counts for 87% of
carbon dioxide emissions in the country (Adeoye et al, 2011). This can be a direct threat to human security as food is a very important factor of human security, and when this factor is threatened there is a possible consequence of decrease in food production, combined with an increase in the demand by population growth can create many threats that need to be addressed. The video below shows how people in the area suffered with the desertification in the area and the consequences that it brought to the people.
According
to Onyenekenwa (2011), the increase of population comes together
with environmental problems, accelerating the deforestation, loss of habitat,
species and biodiversity, as well as degenerating wetlands. The connections
between environmental problems are connected to deforestation, but the
solutions are connected as well, as forests can be not only solution for a
fertile land but also lower carbon dioxide levels.
Image: University of Chicago
Work
Cited:
Odjugo, Peter A. "General Overview of Climate Change
Impacts in Nigeria." Journal of Human Ecology 29.1 (2010): 47-55. EBSCO
Maggie Surface (Lead Author);Lakhdar Boukerrou
(Topic Editor) "Nigeria country profile". In: Encyclopedia of Earth.
Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information
Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published
in the Encyclopedia of Earth July 30, 2009; Last revised Date July 30, 2009;
Retrieved April 12, 2013
Adeoye, Nathaniel Olugbade, and Bola Ayeni. "Assessment
Of Deforestation, Biodiversity Loss And The Associated Factors: Case Study Of
Ijesa-Ekiti Region Of Southwestern Nigeria." Geojournal 76.3 (2011):
229-243. Environment Complete. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
Onyenekenwa Cyprian Eneh , 2011. Managing Nigeria’s Environment:
The Unresolved Issues. Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 4:
250-263
No comments:
Post a Comment