Environmental Sustainability and Health

M angroves are salt-tolerant shrub or tree that grows mainly on coastal inter tidal wetlands and  estuaries.  Mangroves are one of the world’s dominant coastal ecosystems. Nigeria has the largest mangrove forest in Africa, which spread across the southern part of the country, from Badagry in the southwestern part of Nigeria to Calabar. Major parts of the mangroves in Nigeria are found in the Niger Delta region of the country, mainly in Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa states. The word mangrove not only refers to the plant but also, the ecosystem were these plants thrive is referred to as mangrove ecosystem. There are over seventy different species of mangrove all over the world, in Nigeria three major types of mangrove are mainly found in the country which are commonly referred to as Red, White and Black mangrove. Although other species of mangrove are available in the country, the red white an black mangrove are more prevalent with the red mangrove dominating major parts of Nigeria's man

Love Canal Love Canal is a neighborhood within Niagara Falls, New York. It is the site of a pollution disaster that extensively affected the health of hundreds of its residents, necessitating a Superfund cleanup operation. Originally intended in the 1890s as a planned model community, Love Canal grew and then slowly declined before being bought out in the 1940s by the Hooker Company, which dumped industrial waste in the never completed canal. In the late 1970s, Love Canal received national attention for the public health problem originating from the disposal of 22,000 barrels of toxic waste. Numerous families were displaced from their houses, which had been contaminated with chemicals and toxic waste. Many of the families suffered several health issues with common problems of high red blood cell counts and indications of leukemia. The entire neighborhood has since been demolished and a Superfund cleanup was only wrapped up in 2004.

How much do you know about our nature? There are several things that could empower your knowledge about the nature and environment. Earth’s surface is covered with 70.9% water, 29.1% land. Only about 3% of total earth water is drinkable, the other 97% water is salt water

In arriving at the decision contained in its latest report on Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution, the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that a study of water pollution in Onitsha, found high levels of arsenic, mercury, lead, copper and iron in its water. It also found more than 100 petrol stations in the city selling low-quality fuel, with attendant fuel spills and many rubbish dumps in the state. It noted that the city’s metal industries, private hospitals, workshops and residents were heavy polluters, emitting chemical, hospital and household waste and sewage. An environmentalist, Chike Okoronkwo, agreed that Onitsha could be experiencing the problem “because most industries there run on generating plants, which generate a great deal of carbon monoxide. There is also so much congestion in the city, with even household waste littering everywhere. The worst is the fact that residents have no idea of how to dispose and manage the refuse they generate.”

World Food Day is a day of action against hunger. On October 16, people around the world come together to declare their commitment to eradicate hunger in our lifetime. Because when it comes to hunger, the only acceptable number in the world is zero. World Food Day celebrates the creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on October 16, 1945 in Quebec, Canada. First established in 1979, World Food Day has since then been observed in almost every country by millions of people.

There are millions of people all over the world who don’t have access to water, or, if they have access, that water is unable to be used. About 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water and 3% of it is actually fresh water that is fit for human consumption. Around two-thirds of that is tucked in frozen glaciers and unavailable for our use. According to World wildlife fund, some 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water, and a total of 2.7 billion find water scarce for at least one month of the year. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is predicting that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity. Clean drinking water is scarce and there are millions of people across this globe that spends their entire day searching for it. Yet, people who have access to safe, clean drinking water take it for granted and don’t use it wisely.