Some climate change advocates and members of the Rotary Club on Friday, December 20, 2024, in Osogbo embarked on a walk to create awareness on the effect of climate change on the environment.
The climate change awareness campaigners said there was serious need to raise awareness of how human actions and behaviours induce climate change.
The campaigners, who walked from Station Road to Alekuwodo in the Osun State capital, urged government to invest more in training youths to be waste-preneurs (waste managers) to solve climate change issues and thereby create employment.
Mr Ojooluwa Oluwatobiloba, Climate Justice Youth Ambassador (CJYA) in Nigeria and the convener of the Walk, said the awareness was crucial as most states in the South West have very low climate change awareness.
“Climate change is affecting every sector of life and that is why we are out.
“Our plan is to start a movement for climate change in all the states in the South West and we have started it in Oyo, now Osun, next month it will be Ekiti State, then to other states,” he said.
Ojooluwa said that the Climate Change Awareness Walk was aimed at raising young minds to take action concerning solving problems of climate issues in their communities.
He said human actions and behaviours were negatively affecting the climate.
Ojooluwa cited some of the actions to include blocking waterways with refuse, refuse burning and releasing toxic gases into the air, thereby depleting the ozone layer.
He said it was time people, non-governmental organisations and the government started taking action regarding climate issues.
“Having waste-preneurs will generate more jobs and reduce unemployment. This will also help to solve food insecurity and provide renewable energy,” he said
Dr Oladitan Olusakin, another climate change advocate from Opolo Global Innovation Limited, said the collaboration was to raise awareness of people in Osun to take action on climate change.
Olusakin said the people need to embrace recycling and tree planting in order to protect the eco-system and prevent climate change disasters like flooding and heat waves, among others.
Mrs Anne Austin, a climate change advocate and the Zonal Coordinator, Rotary International District 9126, Osun, said that improper disposal of waste was one of the factors causing climate change.
Austin said that negative human activities on the environment had led to depletion of the ozone layer, causing climate change.
She said that their advocacy was to get people more informed on proper management and disposal of wastes and avoid behaviours and actions that could endanger the environment and by extension the climate.
By Olajide Idowu
