Man cannot be separated from the environment within which he lives. Anything that derails from the idea of good care for our environment leads to a bad turn in the cost of human living. Every environment is a neutral ground and it is attributed to the influence of man’s activities in it. SORO SOKE! The time is now as it has always been. We need to wake up to our environmental conditions and work towards better care of our environment. This is because the more we do not care for our environment, the more adverse effects it has on us who live within it. Pollution, food scarcity, loss of biodiversity, and health problems; are results that can arise from bad care of our environment.
In our country today there is a loud call for action. Most Nigerians complain about those in charge of institutions who have failed to carry out simple activities that maintain the environment. Steps beyond words are what our environment needs. This is because every problem faced in an environmental society is a result of the inaction of those who live in it. If a car is dirty, it is simply because the owner did not clean it. The environmental state of various parts of Nigeria is in deplorable conditions. Many citizens now do nothing but complain, losing hope in the idea that active involvement is required for growth and development. Can all our problems be solved in one day? I do not think four years is enough. Therefore, as youths, citizens of a state and more importantly social beings, the steps towards care for our environment can begin today and now.
The environment has been described in many ways. Many associate it with nature, landscape, and all other non-human beings that surround man. Tracing the word to its root ‘environs’, ‘environment’ simply means ‘surroundings’; Hence all other entities that surround an individual or entity are what is called an environment. This sort of definition does not do justice to the term. This is because any individual or system that exists does not exist in isolation. There is always some form of interaction between an entity and others that surround it. Therefore, the environment cannot be defined without the consideration of these interactions. With this, we can classify the environment “as a ‘space’ or a ‘field’ in which networks of relationships, interconnections and interactions between entities occur”.
Our environment is our home because we are all born into one. When we try to consider every part of the environment, including the people, the trees, the seas and the land around us, we find out that every aspect of the environment work together to ensure we live every day. We therefore only do a disservice to ourselves when we do not care for it.
The country needs those who would speak up now more than ever. And this is meant in the sense of a call to action. The earlier we realized that we were not born for ourselves the sooner we take steps towards the proper conservation of our environment. This is because the earth is what we all have in common and each of us have a role to play in our environment no matter what we may consider our position in the society. According to Robin Sharma, “leaving a legacy is not about impressing your friends or reaching the top. It is not about looking good but about doing good. It is about actualizing your humanity”. The environment is very vital to our wellbeing and so every element in it must be protected. We must strive to maintain environmental conservation. Environmental issues may present themselves as temporary or permanent conservation. Some environmental ills which lead to the deterioration of the atmosphere, water, and land, due to human activities and therefore, require a call for immediate action include; pollution, deforestation, poaching, wrong waste disposal systems, improper use of raw minerals, etc.
We have always longed for change in our country. The truth lies within “we are that change”. This goes even beyond environmental concerns. Our major concern of polity is majorly in a mess because overtime, we have failed to do the most basic things, failed to be good persons, failed to care. When leaders truly lead by serving and citizens on the other hand live by abiding by the laws of nature and the state, and more importantly when we as humans live with steps towards the care for our environment and society at large, the result is only growth. We therefore, become great inspirations to others by doing things right, and as Mahatma Gandhi once noted, “be the change that you wish to see most in your world; and once you do, your life will change”.
Okwuasaba can be reached via ebubeokwuasaba@gmail.com
