Lead fight against climate change, Obasanjo charges Nigerian youths
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has charged Nigerian youths to lead the the fight against climate change. Obasanjo made the call in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Monday, during the Presidential Youth Retreat (0.4) organised by the Youth Development Centre, an arm of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL). The former President urged Nigerian youths to contribute to the growth of the green economy to create an environmentally sustainable future. He advocated adoption of renewable energy, tree planting, use of electric cars, use of organic manure, and others to reduce the challenge of climate change. At the retreat tagged, Contribution To Green Economy', Obasanjo blamed human activities for climate change, which he said is responsible for flooding, extreme droughts, pollution, deforestation and others. Climate change is a reality, though some still believe it is a myth or not real, but we have seen it in flood, drought, the extreme weather conditions among others, Obasanjo stated. According to him, scientists have helped the world to understand how man has abused the balance of all that God created, including the forest, the hills, valleys, animals. He maintained that human beings are now the victims of the imbalance they caused. He listed some of the consequences to include, rising sea levels, flooding, drought and food insecurity, among others. The Balogun of Owu hinted that the use of fossil fuels is one of the greatest sources of carbon dioxide emissions which contribute greatly to climate change, calling on people to embrace renewable energy such as wind, solar power and electric cars to reduce fume emissions. We also talk about planting more trees that help to absorb carbon dioxide, the more trees we plant the less of the carbon dioxide that we have. The same thing goes for proper handling of waste generated, waste recycling especially. These are the areas as youth you must take leadership, these are the areas you can make your contribution to the green economy and help reduce drastically the challenge of climate change, he added.