Once upon a point in time, the earth was an artist’s dream paradise and a scientist’s object of mystery.  Blue  diamond seas and oceans, picturesque mountains and hills, evergreen forests and lush vegetations, complete with variously magnificent living creatures adorned its scape. These captivating  and exhilarating scenarios combined to make up it pristine and  unadulterated beauty. Many a people  would  wonder if this is not a fairly  tale  told by an itinerant raconteur to make both ends meet or a bright eyed senile being to assuage the probing minds of gifted children. However, this is not  a  tale of magical  realism, this is crucial fact that stares and surrounds us still as ‘evidenced’ in the varnishing  remains of its  innocence. Each year, we are drawn to negatively captivating and seriously disheartening’, headlines like ‘ozone hole expanding’, ‘Toxic waste business booming’, ‘Forests disappearing’.

This may seem like cheap publicities the science world is trying to garner for itself or better yet another scientific exemplum meant to conscientize the human race about the need to preserve the aesthetic state of our planet.      
On the contrary, this is much more than meets our myopic eyes. The situation is worsening every fleeting day. Yes! The earth is deteriorating by amortization, we are fast liquidating  instalmentally. The misconstrued  and lackadaisical thoughts of the earth’s inhabitants need to be sternly addressed and possibly eradicated if our planet is to be saved. One cardinal  question  which should be on our lips is: if destroy our endowed and only home, where would we hide our irredeem  able nakedness?. Though we may claim not to wish for the destruction of our only home, nevertheless, our conducts towards  it speak otherwise. Some environmentally illiterate  people may be tempted to ask why all the noise about the earth’s condition?. What is really wrong with the earth? I’m not seeing anything’. Cynical and   nonchalant questions  like these  is the reason it is imperative of us to rise and act in accord. Below are the examples that would enable us to fully comprehend the grave situation that we are.
CHEMICAL: Since the field of chemistry got a boost in the 18th century with the discovery of such chemical substances as   chlorine, oxygen, hydrogen and carbondioxiode, more chemicals have been discovered over the year and their Wanton usage  is posing a profound threat to the earth’s survival. It had been reported that for the past 100 years or so, more than a 100,000  chemicals  have come into existence. Moreso, they are found to be carcinogenic or in non-scientific terms: possessing the ability to cause  diseases. After the end of Hilter’s war about 120,000 tons of toxic chemical materials mostly phosgene and mustard gas was sealed and dumped at the depth of the ocean. Recently, scientist are warning of its potentials to leak. People in developed countries are spending billions of dollars on health cost, cancer and absenteeism as a consequence of chemically polluted air.

TOXIC WASTES: Nowadays, toxic wastes have become a hyper- lucrative source of income for some unconscientious and unscrupulous beings. We all know the allure of money could be very tempting and considered  normal, however, this must be controlled when it produces negative effects on humans,  primates and other livings; after all, it is humans who determine the value of money. It’s a well-known fact that dumping  of toxic wastes on land and at sea has caused thousands untold harm to millions around the globe and also has the potentiality of doing more harm to billions especially the already traumatized people of the third world whose countries  are used as a dumping ground for these dangerous wastes. As a fact of destructive nature of these toxic wastes, many people, the majority who are children around the would are found to have neuroblastoma: a form of cancer as a result of radioactive dumpage.

FORESTS:  Rapid deforestation is causing alarm to nature lovers and others who are concerned about the loss of medicinal and  life saving value these trees provide. Many whose interests are at stake have argued that these felled trees are being used for the advancement of mankind. This dissension is very far from the truth. The individuals and corporate bodies, who are agitating for this dangerous phenomena have failed to realize that many of these trees are cut off for personal purposes and corporate profits. Notwithstanding, deforestation is could be likened to a rabid dog  that must be stopped before it commits more havoc. Quoting an article  in Awake magazine title ‘How sick is our planet?  Loss of trees result in a reduction  in the earth’s capacity to absorb carbondioxide and this is said to be major cause of global warming’. It is a proven knowledge that certain life-saving drugs are made of the bark and leaves of medicinal trees. Today these life-saving trees are gradually becoming extinct. With this development, what future lies for the human race if this phenomena continues? Environmental journals the world over report the dangers  posed by rapid deforestation in South East Asia, Africa and the very rich in medicinal value, Amazon forest  in South America. The most painful aspect is the continual destruction of this forests despite conscious worldwide  effort being stirred to the issue. Authorities are quoted to be expounding the disappearance of tropical forests if the  trend continues in a few years to come.

OCEANS: In several essays and   journals published on environment, the need to  prevent the over fishing of the oceans have been pin-pointed. The United Nations Environment programme says in the  its reports that seventy percent of marine fisheries are so exploited that reproduction cannot  or can just keep up million around the world as they depend on the sea as their source of food. About 20 to 40 million tons of sea ‘life’ are caught along with target fish but are not needed. It is  depressing to note that  these ‘sea life  do not always return to  the sea in a healthy condition. Another question we should  be asking ourselves is ‘is there any need for us to be wasteful in the midst of austerity?. If the answer is no which  I expect should be then why are we involved?

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: The emergence of so many industries have transported mankind to the status of the gods with the attendant successes and problems. It is saddening  to note, that more often than not, man’s inventories always deliver both ways, the good and the bad; and even the ugly… The fumes from industries is causing so much damage on the world population. Disease such as heart failure, asphyxia and asthma have been closely associated with the waste products of these industries. Carl Benz and Daimler came out with the world first motor cars  to alleviate the problems of land transportation in the world. No more the tossing horse except for ceremonial parades and  hurray to the land machines. Today the problems are rapidly outweighing the benefits. Air pollution and global   warming have been linked recently with energy saving  machines. The gases that spew out of industries and cars are said to cause the greenhouse effect. The United States  Environment  Protection Agency has  been saying that the  20th century warmest years all occurred  in the last sixteen years of the century;  also scientists speculate the warmer temperatures are expected to cause move havoc.  Snows are melting, icebergs are disappearing the seas are rising leading to cities, towns and villages in countries like Mozambique Germany, Bangladesh being constantly plagued with flood problems. In 1999, severe storms destroyed 270million trees, and claimed ninety lives in France! What a colossal damage to the environment. It is confounding to note that  despite living  on, surrounded by water, billion  around the globe do not have access to safe drinking  water. Magazines like time have reported that 3.4. million people die each year from water related diseases and outdoor  pollution harms more 1.1 billion people; it included. All these maladies the   earth  are besieged with are not caused solely  by those things but with the  contribution and  exploitation by humans  who are supposed  by right  of existence to make the earth a safe abode for all of us to dwell in.  What then can be proffered as the solutions to these problems threatening to wipe out  our very existence and to  restore the very ill earth back to good health.? We have  seen  the problems plaguing the earth; it would be treasonable to end this  piece without presenting some useful, practical tips on how to help solve the problem. Solutions not based on any religious, cultural, economic affiliations but on agreeable formulas to any government, corporate body, organisation and  individual could adopt improve the situation. In 1997, nations came together in Japan to debate on how best environmental problems could be tackled. An agreement  was reached. It was known as the Kyoto protocol. However as humans are wont to behave, the agreement was neglected based on dissension, among the nations. That notwithstanding, the governments of the various countries of the world ought to have gathered again, identify the problems as global problems which require national solutions instead of a global  remedy.  Nation that  cannot  afford  to take care of the financial obligations such  moves would bring could by supported by such  giant financial institutions like the  World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, United Nations Agencies, the richer  countries and nations whose multi-national  oil &  gas chemical companies are situated and operating  in the affected states. This should be done  in  way which will not breached the sovereignty of the states  and the  companies involved. Secondly, government should begin an enlightenment  campaign for its  citizenry. This they can achieve by sponsoring   massive and colourful advertisements in the print and electronic media, introduction of environmental issues as a subject and a course in all the levels of formal education, organization of environmental essay and literary completions from the nadir to the zenith of both the education and public sectors, presentation of both substantial local, national, and  international awards to deserving individuals, corporate  bodies and organisations who have  contributed productively and positively on  issues relating to the environment, conferment  of national and  international honours should also be encouraged.
       Thirdly, suggesting better ways  of dumping individual wastes and unwanted products without endangering the lives of man and other living things in the environment  scientist must  be greatly supported by which ever means available to do researches  on how best to tackle environmental hazards. Fourthly, before the introduction of a new technology, the negative effects must be seriously examined and its capacity to destroy the environment minimized. Fifthly, the act of recycling should be greatly viewed as a dignified way of life and those practicing it  must be treated with reverence.
Pen-ultimately, massive aforestation campaign must be embarked upon. The constitutions should be amended to make provisions for the project, laws should be enacted. The felling of trees for commercial and individual purpose should be controlled by governmental bodies. Offenders if caught should  be sentenced to prison terms. The same also applies to the  trawlers and liners plying the high seas and the oceans. Finally, one may be forced to criticize all the paradigms suggested in this writing as going the extra mile for nothing. We are left with no choice. This is our only  home. If we destroy it  for those things we consider as being of utmost importance, every others thing will be  of no significance. All human activities and indeed every other activity takes place here. We all know that where there is no venue, there can be no activity. That is why it is mandatory of us to join hands and restore the good old earth, our earth back to its exalted position as the golden globe of the universe, Back   to our place as the  favoured custodians that dwell on the golden planet.
Ani  Ekpenyong Akak,
17 William George Street,
Calabar,
Cross River, State
Nigeria.