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Last Updated: Monday, November 1st, 2004 HOME | Previous Page Environmental pollution, threat to mankind By Benson Agwu Correspondent, Benin City   With the high degree of pollution, mankind faces a greater threat of environmental degradation now than in a nuclear war, Prof. Chinaka Linus Ndiokwere, a renowned chemist and University of Benin don has asserted. He made the assertion at this year’s University of Benin Inaugural Lecture, Serie 73 at the Akin Deko auditorium of the Ugbowo campus of the university at the weekend. Noting that mankind had benefited from Chemistry, Prof. Ndiokwere however stated that it is clear that millions of lives are at risk as a result of man’s neglect of the environment. He averred that the two most important gauges of ecological damage were agriculture and fishing, because, according to him, their productivity depended on a healthy environment while man’s life depended on a reliable food supply. The university don said according to the records of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), both the agriculture and fishing sectors were showing signs of deterioration. He identified the main factors responsible for what he called “a steady decline in fish production the world over” as over-fishing, pollution of surface waters by chemicals and destruction of spawning grounds, pointing out that pesticides and fertilisers were losing their effectiveness, and that water shortage and pollution also contributed to lean harvests. He named education as one of the most important instruments in the fight against environmental degradation, adding that it required a fundamental change in human society and the focus of business enterprise centred on national interest to address environmental issues. He also warned that if technology did not find a quick solution to the environmental crises, no one could proffer an alternative, “except perhaps to ask for divine intervention.”   Copyright� 2004. All Rights Reserved. Independent Newspapers Limited Block5, Plot 7D, Wempco Road, Ogba, P.M.B. 21777, Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria. www.independentng.com e-mail: [email protected] Designed By Powered By DNet.

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