About half the land in Nigeria used to be populated by trees. Today, however, Nigeria has lost up to 96 percent of its forest due to deforestation.
This is both alarming and catastrophic. As of 2005, Nigeria has the highest rate of deforestation in the world according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Between 2000 and 2005 the country lost 55.7 per cent of its primary forests, and the rate of forest change increased by 31.2 per cent to 3.12 per cent per annum.
The forests have been cleared for logging, timber export, subsistence agriculture and notably the collection of wood for fuel which remains problematic in western Africa. The country’s rainforests are fast shrinking. And if action is not taken, we will continue to experience increase in temperature due to global warming.
The fact is that our planet is becoming warmer every day, which is known as global warming. Global warming is one of the greatest problems in the world today. Global warming is a phenomenon of climate change characterized by a general increase in average temperatures of the Earth, which modifies the weather balances and ecosystems for a long time.
Global warming is directly linked to the increase of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, worsening the greenhouse effect. Humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth’s temperature by burning fossil fuels, cutting down rainforests and farming livestock.
For this reason, the STEAM students of Caleb British International School, Lagos Nigeria have created 3D recycled project to drive Tree planting initiatives and advocacy titled: Restoring our Forests (Afforestation and Reforestation).
The project highlights the benefits of planting trees which is geared towards instilling the culture of maintaining the ecosystem and sustaining the rainforest. Without the plants, the climate may become dryer and growing food could become impossible for many.
Rainforests play a practical role in keeping our planet healthy by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing the oxygen that we depend on for our survival. The absorption of this CO2 also helps to stabilize the Earth’s climate.
As trees grow, they help stop climate change by removing excessive carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and soil, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.
This project was executed with about 90 percent recycled materials. Recycling is an important means of dealing with waste and another response to reducing global warming. The goal of this project is to champion the culture of planting trees in order to restore our forests, preserve biodiversity, prevent climate change and reduce global warming.
This project is related to SDG 13: Climate Action; SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; SDG 15: Life on Land.
