Exploitation of earth’s resources has brought about a shift from moderate to extreme climate conditions and people need to seek opportunities to engage in activities that will enhance the quality and longevity of the environment to avert an imminent danger.

The Director General of Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Mr. Adeniyi Karunwi, who said this on the heels of the commemoration of Earth Day 2016, also added that mankind will face serious consequences if unsustainable extraction activities should continue on the planet, even as he said “already, the consequences of a depraved planet are with us.”

Speaking through a press statement in Lagos, Karunwi said the theme of this year’s Earth Day, "Trees for the Earth," could not have come at a better time than now as people globally now know the role trees play in remediating the microclimate and mitigating climate change as well as value addition to property and other health benefits.

To this end, he affirmed the NCF’s commitment to creating a healthier and sustainable planet as the Foundation supports activities geared toward restoring and rehabilitating degraded forestlands such as one the Earth Day’s goal of planting at least 12 million trees on or before the 50th anniversary of the event that that was launched on April 22, 1970.

According to him, “in NCF, we share in the vision of creating a healthier and sustainable planet and we are therefore on course to restoring and rehabilitating the marginal and degraded forestlands across our national landscape to the once lush vegetation cover.”

Karunwi, therefore, said the commemoration was an avenue for everyone to exercise love for the planet through planting of trees.

April 22 of every year is dedicated to the observance of Earth Day with the aim of channeling useful energy towards environmental conservation.