Sir: The editorial of The Guardian of December 23, 2015 discussed the global climate summit in Paris. It stated: “It is arguable whether the African continent needs to be part of the global compact on climate. Those polluting the world are polluting the continent. Africa, therefore, ought not to be signatory to their protocols because it is not yet industrialised.

It ought to be the business of the grand polluters – China, United States, India, European Union and other industrialised countries who have exhausted over 50 per cent of the global coal reserve in industrial production – to show concern about their injurious activities. Africa contributes nothing significant to the global carbon footprint.

Some European countries are dumping nuclear waste in Africa.
“If Africa’s participation must be rationalised, this and other issues ought to have been raised by African leaders at the summit. Today, a compelling case for being at the summit is that Africa has about 80 per cent of the world arable land. By being part of the global pact to protect the climate, Africans can protect this world’s arable land if the world changes its attitude to climate protection. Africa is the continent with potential to feed the rest of the world.”

It is misleading to say that only the industrialised countries pollute the world. Such a statement may detract from the concerted effort desperately needed to address the problem of global pollution. One of the ugly activities that pollute our environment and threaten future life on our planet is deforestation. An estimated 18 million acres (7.3 million hectares) of forest, which is roughly the size of the country of Panama, are lost each year, according to the U.N.

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). It has been predicted that if current deforestation levels proceed, the world’s rainforests may be completely gone in as little as 100 years. Countries with significant deforestation include Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of Africa, according to GRID-Arendal, a United Nations Environment Programme collaborating center.

Deforestation is considered to be one of the contributing factors to global climate change. According to Michael Daley, associate professor of environmental science at Lasell College in Newton, Massachusetts, the major problem caused by deforestation is the impact on the global carbon cycle. Gas molecules that absorb thermal infrared radiation are called greenhouse gases. If greenhouse gases are in large enough quantity, they can force climate change, according to Daley. While oxygen (O2) is the second most abundant gas in our atmosphere, it does not absorb thermal infrared radiation, as greenhouse gases do.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most prevalent greenhouse gas. In 2012, CO2 accounted for about 82 per cent of all U.S. greenhouse gas, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Trees can help, though. About 300 billion tons of carbon, 40 times the annual greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, is stored in trees, according to Greenpeace.

Our country is embarrassingly involved in deforestation. “The environment of many Nigerian cities in the past was a thing of pride,” the editorial said. “Replacing trees that have been cut down is imperative. Getting carbon out of the atmosphere is something that trees do naturally.
• Nicholas Ogu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.