Environmentalist Wants Review Of Deforestation, Climate Change Policy

A law to stop deforestation is needed, according to environmentalist Muhammad Dakpanchi, to battle the effects of climate change.

In an interview in Abuja, Dakpanchi, the founder of Sustainable Environment Vanguard (SEV), stated that adopting a policy on deforestation will instil a sense of responsibility in people.

According to him, numerous human actions, including the cutting down of trees and the construction of buildings and other structures, have a significant impact on climate change.

He added that as people are always the ones who suffer the most from the consequences of climate change, the government must focus on their causes.

“We notice that there is no adequate monitoring on felling of trees, most community people see others who engage in tree cutting but when they offer money, they allow it.

“There should be proper law to punish indiscriminate felling of trees, if you create a proper law, people will know that what they are doing is a crime.

“The National Assembly have that responsibility,’’ Dakpanchi said.

He continued by saying that by international standards, cutting down one tree should entail replacing it with three more and that Nigeria should adopt this custom.

The environmentalist added that since so many people are heedlessly engaging in activities that contribute to climate change, awareness on a greater scale should be fostered.

He claims that considerable community engagement is required since it will be challenging to convince rural residents to cease cutting down these trees because they perceive them as a source of revenue.

“Government can intervene by encouraging economic tree plantings; people can be rewarded for planting certain kinds of trees, in such way, the government will benefit from the idea.

“Trees like shea butter and cashew have been cut down and they have serious benefits.

“If the government can key in and provide seedlings of these economic trees, ask people to plant and get money out of it, it will be a better way for them to do the right thing,’’ he said.

SEV is a nonprofit that advocates for planting trees in communities to create a more environmentally friendly and sustainable environment.

They also urge people to plant more trees to fight climate change and deforestation.