ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IN NIGERIA - THE ROLE OF MAN

Our present school system has not fully taken into consideration the need to build environmental education and consciousness into the school curriculum. It is a truism that technology (especially modern technology) has seriously harmed our local environment causing serious environmental degradation, global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, and serious human health problems. Despite all these environmental hazards, environmental awareness and consciousness among citizens of Nigeria is drastically low while government and corporate organizations have not done enough to ameliorate or put a stop to the menace of abuse of our environment by modern technology. Companies producing packaged water (“Pure Water”) and those producing poly ethylene terephthalate (PET) – based packing materials generate products that block our drains thus causing flooding. Again, outdated computers and other electronics, gas flaring and uncontrolled bush burning generate greenhouse gases that deplete ozone layer and cause global warming, climate change and hazardous weather conditions. This paper examines environmental degradation occasioned by human activities and makes recommendations to solve the identified problems. Some of the recommendations include the need for a strong environmental education and advocacy, environmental conservation, punishment of environment offenders, payment of environmetal levy by big companies and the setting up of Environmental Impact Assessment Agency by Government.