Opinion: Let's pool resources to protect environment

Every other fifth day of June since 1974, we celebrate the World Environment Day. This comes only days after US President Donald Trump pulled the United States of America out of the Paris Accord on climate change.

 The Paris Accord is a United Nations framework for dealing with greenhouse emissions that have largely contributed to global warming.

Global warming is responsible for erratic weather patterns that have, over time, impacted negatively on agricultural production. Rain-fed agriculture is no longer reliable yet our Government has done little, if any, to give impetus to irrigation-driven agricultural production to ensure food security.

While the need to conserve our environment, especially the forests, for posterity cannot be gainsaid, our activities have greatly contributed to environmental pollution through greenhouse emissions. The lack of proper plastic disposal is a major threat to the environment. In addition to industrial effluence from unregulated factories, plastic bags that have found their way into rivers, lakes and ocean choke marine life.

Among other measures, the ban on plastic bags that takes effect on August 28 is welcome for, as a country, we need to do more to minimise the effects of climate change. Reclaiming what we have negligently lost must become a priority as the Government acts to arrest deforestation, halt plastic bags production and ensure safety in industrial discharges as well as limiting greenhouse emissions.