Executives Director, Community Advocates for Rural Development (CARD), Habiba Ajufoh, has cautioned rural dwellers against felling of trees, saying it has great health implications on both human beings and animals. 
  
Ajufoh gave the warning, yesterday, when her team was in Takwashinge Community, Dass Local Council of Bauchi State, to campaign against deforestation (which contributes to climate change), its causes and threats to human health and the environment. 
  
According to her, 20 women were empowered with clean energy businesses, receiving solar products to distribute within the community, thereby boosting livelihoods and contributing to climate change mitigation efforts.
  
The advocate urged Nigerians to explore alternative energy sources, rather than indulging in practices that jeopardise their health and the ecosystem. 
Highlighting the impact of deforestation, she emphasised the necessity for sustainable energy practices. Instead of relying on conventional methods like batteries or firewood, she advocated utilising solar products and briquettes from agricultural waste. 
  
“The repercussions of rampant tree cutting are profound. Trees serve as crucial carbon dioxide absorbers, essential for human health through oxygen production. By depleting these trees, we diminish our access to clean air, expelling harmful carbon dioxide into the environment,” Ajufoh explained. She added that deforestation causes soil degradation, erosion and heightened vulnerability to floods.
  
Ajufoh underscored the soil’s declining fertility due to discarded batteries, plastics and other toxic wastes, necessitating the use of costly fertilisers for agricultural productivity, which increases input. 
  
She stated: “While we acknowledge the indispensable use of firewood for cooking energy, our plea is for conscious reduction. We advocate a ‘plant two for one cut’ approach, encouraging the plantation of new trees alongside any felled. 
  
“Additionally, we are promoting the production and use of briquettes as a sustainable alternative to firewood.”