Climate Change: Group seeks building of bicycle pathways on Nigerian roads

The Society of Family Physicians Of Nigeria, (SOFPON), Kwara State Chapter, has canvassed the building of bicycle pathways on Nigerian roads to reduce climatic risks associated with poisonous gas emissions.

In a communiqué issued in Ilorin and jointly signed by the local SOFPON Chairman, who is also the Head of Accident and Emergency Unit of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Dr S. B. Ogunjemilua and the Secretary, Dr E.O. Adunmo, the medical body said the use of bicycles as a means of transportation would reduce the amount of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

The communiqué was a fallout of its Annual Scientific Conference, held in the state capital.

The SOFPON while deliberating on the topic, “Healthy Planet: Healthy People”, believes that the survival of the human race depends on the healthy planet, urging man to make the air, soil, and water, clean to enhance climate stability.

It added: “Unfavorable climate change will be responsible for about 250,000 deaths by the year 2050. It will require about 2-4 billion dollars per year to cater for ill health due to climate change. Besides, air pollution at age 12 could lead to three-four times likelihood of depression by 18 years.
“ Meanwhile, 4.4 per cent of green house gases are contributed by the healthcare sector just as human activities impact negatively on our planet resulting in climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions and rising temperature.”

The association identified other undesirable effects of human activities on the planet to include; promoting disease carrying vectors, loss of productive agro-echosystems and emergence of photochemical oxidants.

To curb the destruction and destabilization of the echo system, the SOFPON urged the government to reduce the number of cars on the road by endorsing trekking, use of public transportation system and setting up of an effective railway transport system across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.

The body used the event to celebrate some of its foremost members such as Dr. S. Oloruntoba, Dr. K. M. Alabi, Dr. W. I. Olanrewaju, Dr. Abayomi, among others.