The weather in my country Nigeria is no longer predictable, when growing up, we could tell which months the rain would fall and when there would be a dry season. Here in Benin City, the weather is scorching hot and smiling at us. I can't help but imagine what the northerners are facing right now especially those who are there for their youth service or those who relocated. The scorching sun is so unpleasant to the body.
Early last month the weather was favorable for a week; it was cold, though I am not a fan of cold also I catch cold easily, I just love moderate temperatures. That one week of cold was my favorite, I had to put on extra clothes to stay warm and also force my nephews to wear their cardigans to school. But all of a sudden, the sun that came after the cold was on another level.
In January, when I started my University clearance, I was looking all fresh with no traces of acne whatsoever on my body. But now, I can't even identify myself anymore to the point my dad had to recommend that I take my bath up to 10x daily because of my sensitive skin. Taking a bath now doesn't even help the hot weather, just imagine sweating when bathing or immediately you are out of the bathroom. It's like triple the sweat you went to wash off😄😄.
I read a post about rain falling in some states in Nigeria. Here in Benin City, we haven't seen any rain yet, or is it that the Benin people are holding back the rain because of occasions? I would do anything to see rain that would bring cold not those little rain that makes the hot weather worse. The month of February is usually hot in my state. Experiences from past years haven't been worse like this, the heat is just too extreme to the point I have to drink water at night which I didn't do before.
The climate is indeed changing rapidly. Human activities in the biosphere like burning fossil fuels(coal, petroleum) in industries and factories today have led to excess carbon compounds and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere thereby causing excess rise in the temperature. Cutting down trees that are meant to trap carbon dioxide has also led to an increase in temperature.
In Nigeria, most trees have been cut down and the rate has increased over the years, even the so-called forest is no longer filled with trees anymore due to the illegal cutting of trees. I just pray it doesn't get to a time when we start crying for help and regret all our actions. Truth be told a lot of money has gone into reforestation ( planting of trees) from outside the country. There have been project on it, but the people or foresters fail at their jobs and instead, they feel relaxed and squander the money and the project dies down.
The hot weather can be managed in different ways:
For the short-term solution; staying hydrated should be the main goal for now, the body needs to replace the excess water it's giving out by sweating. Thin clothes should be worn instead of thick clothes, I am not a fan of wearing sleeveless clothes before leaving the house, but now I do so happily. Getting a rechargeable fan or hand fan can also help to cool the body. Non-rechargeable fans are of no use now due to the poor electricity supply in my country.
For long-term solutions activities of humans on the earth should be reduced. Seeds, seedlings, or sampling of trees should be planted back immediately after cutting a mature tree to reduce deforestation. Facilities that capture and store carbon should be used in fossil industries, renewable energy sources like solar should be utilized and also recycling waste. Most importantly, creating awareness among the public both children and adults, educating them about climate change and its impact on the environment and the Earth as a whole.
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