Why Humans must be Committed to Protect Nature’s Cycle – HOMEF Speaks
By Imó Etim
The Ecological Think Tank, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), has charged humans to see it as an obligation not to disrupt nature’s cycle rather give back to nature by protecting what nature has blessed humans with.
Nnimmo Bassey, the Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation ( HOMEF), made the call on Thursday, May 25, 2022, during an online session tagged “Conversations with Nature” which featured Michelle Pressend from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
He pointed out that humans through their activities have exploited nature in a way that makes it hard for nature to replenish itself, and with a growing extractive mindset, people tend to believe that nature has provided a lot for their continuous consumption without making conservative efforts towards protecting what nature has offered.
Bassey said this has resulted in outbreaks and pandemic as a way of nature fighting back.
He noted “Humans through their activities have exploited nature and her gifts in ways that make it hard for her to replenish itself, forcing her to fight back.
“The mostly self-serving actions of humans have yielded pollution, biodiversity loss, wildfires, and climate change. The current predatory relationship with Nature has led to tragic pandemics, the very latest being experienced in 2020.“
HOMEF’s Director also noted that although the term ‘human beings’ existed due to the existence of other beings like animals, insects, among others, humans have in a way neglected the existence of these beings and the role they play in making the environment safe and friendly for living.
He noted that COVID-19 period availed humans the opportunity to get to notice other beings existing in the society and playing unnoticeable good roles in the environment.
Nnimmo Bassey added that there was a huge task on the multilateral and policymakers to see that policies were in place to protect nature even beyond scientific approaches which were mostly money-motivated, stressing that the locals still have a lot to do to protect nature.
Michelle Pressend, a renowned socio-cultural and climate justice advocate from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, in her ‘Conversation with Nature’, pointed out the need for a more organic environment, and a reduction on cement buildings, stressing the need to connect with mother earth.
Pressend explained that communities in South Africa that depended on their own cultivation of food experienced food sufficiency during the COVID-19 pandemic as against those in the urban areas who depended mostly on processed food for their survival.
The Climate Justice Advocate stressed the need for people to fall back to the land to cultivate their own food and to utilize nature’s gift to mankind.
She noted that there should be a slowing down in the tecnofix approach to helping solve problems of nature, cemented buildings, and how solar panels are being spread for solar energy and wind turbines that are taking advantage of the availability of them.
Pressend added that such an extractive mindset needed to be undone if humans care to save themselves from nature fighting back.
The professor also added that although many today are land owners, land could not be produced by anyone, hence it was nature that made it available to us humans and nature has the right to exist as humans also exists.
She called on people to learn from the indigenous people how to adapt, treat, and exist with nature.