CEDI advocates for cleaner environment by promoting the use of energy efficient cookstoves and planting more trees
It is a known fact that cutting down trees results in desertification, erosion, flood etc, which reduces the ability of the land to support and sustain life. Desertification, erosion, flood etc also ensures that the land becomes less usable, lack vegetation, leads to migration etc. Desertification is one of the biggest and most serious environmental challenges of global proportions as it affects all regions of the world. The absence of trees in the environment is worrisome because trees are like lungs; what lungs add to the human body that is what trees are to the environment. There is a huge danger in cutting down trees without commensurate replanting effort, in the wake of climate change.
Desertification and climate change also occurs as a result of cutting down of trees (firewood/charcoal) for cooking. Nigerians suffer a “silent” energy crisis – poor access to clean cooking energy. Over 20 million households and about 122 million Nigerians depend primarily on wood as a source of fuel for cooking. This is despite the abundance of modern cooking energy sources including natural gas.
Cooking in an open fire releases harmful toxic (especially Particulate Matter and Carbon monoxide). According to a WHO report, the traditional use of firewood causes 95,000 deaths annually in Nigeria. After malaria and HIV/AIDS, this is Nigeria’s third highest killer of mostly women and children. It causes pneumonia in children, low birth weight babies, still birth, lung diseases etc. The traditional cooking method is expensive, burning up to 90% more wood than is necessary and costing poor families money that could be put to better use on education, health and nutrition.
CEDI in partnership with some other key stakeholders are at the forefront in advocating for cleaner environment by promoting the use of energy efficient cookstoves and planting more trees. To this end, Community Excellence and Development Initiative (CEDI) participated in the FCT Tree Planting Campaign organized by the Department of Environment, FCTA, through Satellite Towns Development Department which held at LEA Primary School, Phase 3, Kubwa, Abuja on August 20, 2019.
During the event, Charles Adelekun, Managing Director of CEDI gave a goodwill message where he called on more stakeholders to join the clarion call to save our environment by combating desertification and climate change through advancing the use of clean cooking solutions and planting more trees as trees serve as erosion control tool, wind-breaker and reduces natural disaster. He further emphasised that a clean cookstove means new opportunities for women, their families, and their communities. He concluded by reiterating “You are your environment and your environment is you”.
CEDI also exhibited some fuel efficient cookstoves at the event.