By Abbas Nazil
Environmental experts have urged Nigerian youths to adopt environmentally friendly practices, plant trees and avoid activities that worsen climate change, warning that collective action is essential to reducing its growing impact.
The call was made on Saturday during a one-day climate change awareness programme organised for students of Word of Faith School, Ekenwa Road, Benin City, Edo State, as Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemorate this year’s International Day of Climate Action.
The programme, themed “Every Action Matters: Taking Individual Responsibility for Mitigating Climate Change Impact,” aimed to educate young people about the causes and consequences of climate change and encourage them to become advocates for environmental sustainability.
Founder of Nigeria News Source, Chuks Oluigbo, said climate change was a global challenge requiring both individual responsibility and collective efforts to address its effects.
Oluigbo explained that the programme was designed to introduce students to climate action early in life, stressing that environmental responsibility should not be left to older generations.
He noted that the effects of climate change, which previously appeared distant to many people, were increasingly becoming evident, making it necessary to equip younger generations with the knowledge and habits needed to protect the environment.
According to him, engaging students at an early age could help extend environmental awareness beyond schools to their homes and communities, as young people could influence their parents, friends and peers.
He encouraged the students to embrace practices that support a green economy and reduce human activities responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.
The guest lecturer, Dr Festus Amasikomwan Atewe, of the Department of Geography and Disaster Risk Management at the University of Benin, also called on the students to take practical steps towards mitigating climate change.
Atewe explained the causes and effects of climate change and urged the students to participate in tree-planting activities, describing trees as valuable natural assets that help protect the environment.
He emphasised that human actions have environmental consequences, warning that the effects of activities that damage nature could become evident immediately or in the future.
The lecturer also advised young people to avoid activities involving the burning of fossil fuels, particularly where cleaner alternatives were available.
He urged them to become environmental protectors rather than contribute to the destruction of natural resources.
Other measures highlighted during the programme included reducing deforestation, promoting afforestation, supporting forest regeneration and protecting existing vegetation from destruction.
These measures, the experts indicated, could contribute to climate change mitigation by preserving trees and other vegetation that play important roles in maintaining environmental balance.
The programme also sought to encourage students to translate climate awareness into everyday actions at school and at home, reinforcing the importance of individual responsibility in addressing environmental challenges.
In her remarks, the school administrator, Mrs Peace Akan Sebastian, commended the organisers for bringing climate change education to the students.
Sebastian assured that the school and its students would participate in activities aimed at promoting environmental sustainability and mitigating the effects of climate change.
The event underscored the importance of environmental education among young people, with organisers urging students to adopt sustainable habits and share their knowledge with others to help build a greener future.
