Ekiti State government says it will plant two million trees in 2024 for carbon sink to enhance the state’s environmental sustainability.
According to The PUNCH, the commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs Tosin Aluko-Ajisafe, made this known when she spoke in a lecture titled “Environmental impact of climate change: Causes, effects and adaptation” at the first plenary session of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Ekiti State Chapter, held at St. Philip’s Anglican Church in Aramoko-Ekiti.
Aluko-Ajisafe, who said climate change has adverse effects on the environment and humans, assured that the state government would be unrelenting in efforts to mitigate such.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Director of Nature Conservation and Climate Change, Mr Babatunde Akinola, noted that Ekiti State was vulnerable to climate change, like other states in the country, so it was taking steps to mitigate it.
She said, “Although climate change may not kill people directly, it imposes major threats such as extreme heat stress/waves, drought, floods, wildfires, reduction in food supplies, water scarcity, loss of jobs and abnormal environmental conditions.”
The commissioner stressed the importance of vulnerability assessments, implementing flood alert and defence systems and the construction of dams and waterways.
“The ministry has targeted 2 million trees for planting in 2024. The ministry through the State Environmental Protection Agency has embarked on desiltation and dredging of carnal across the state to forestall flooding.
“Waste disposal bins have been put in strategic locations in Ado Ekiti to ensure proper waste collection in addition to regular fumigation of waste dump sites in the state capital.”
