NEWS
Don Seeks Collaboration To Tackle Environmental Degradation
Prof Olukayode Bamgbose of the Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, has called for collective action in the fight for a healthier environment to significantly diminish the human footprint on earth.
Bamgbose, according to a statement on Thursday, made the call during the 84th inaugural lecture of the university held at the Professor Oluwafemi Balogun Ceremonial Building.
In his lecture titled “In the Footprints of the Environment: Every Contact Leaves a Trace on our Common Future”, Bamgbose emphasised the imperative of acknowledging and addressing the escalating environmental impact caused by human activities.
He recommended increased governmental funding for universities to sustain ongoing research on identifying and mitigating human impacts on the environment.
The statement partly read, “Bamgbose proposed utilising the existing geopolitical zones as laboratory complexes with state-of-the-art equipment to fulfill the mandate of monitoring and understanding these impacts comprehensively.
“He asserted that ignorance about the negative impacts of the destruction of the environment could be overcome through education, calling for a concerted effort to enlighten the populace on the importance of responsible environmental behavior.
“Prof. Bamgbose highlighted the economic implications, attributing the escalating cost of living to the high fuel prices, which in turn contribute to deforestation and increased environmental damage.
“He urged the government to prioritise improving the economy and delivering the positive dividends of democracy to citizens.
“The renowned expert in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry said the exponential rise in population, has led to the heightened energy, food, and material consumption, signifying a significant surge in human impact on the environment.
“Prof. Bamgbose stressed the critical need to preserve a healthy environment, stressing that this responsibility extends beyond personal interest to encompass future generations while advocating for a legacy of a clean, habitable, and safe environment for the global community”.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, noted that the lecture marked the second in the department’s history and the twelfth in the College of Environmental Resources Management.