Lagos — Times like these, when countries the world over are trying to survive the increasing turbulence of a global financial storm, are certainly not the best times to talk about global warming. Many countries have slipped into recession hallmarked by business closures, heavy job cuts, dwindling household incomes and the warning that things would even get worse.

In Nigeria, where the shocks from the crisis are now being felt, it could mean more hardships for a population, 70 per cent of which lives below the poverty line; a population which is already burdened by non-functional infrastructure and high unemployment.

Although Nigeria may not have paid it enough attention, a bigger global problem existed before the on-going economic meltdown. Unfortunately, long after nations have swam out stormy economic waters, the problem of global warming would still be there. It may even have been worsened by desperate attempts to survive the economic crisis.

That has been the concern of the leadership of the European Union as they apply various therapies to their economies. Recently, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Former US Vice-President Al Gore cautioned political leaders about the temptation to forget the environment.

In an opinion piece to media houses around the world, they noted: "Economic stimulus is the order of the day. This is as it must be, as governments around the world struggle to jump-start the global economy. But even as leaders address the immediate need to stimulate the economy, so too must they act jointly to ensure that the new de facto economic model being developed is sustainable for the planet and our future on it.

"What we need is both stimulus and long-term investments that accomplish two objectives simultaneously with one global economic policy response - a policy that addresses our urgent and immediate economic and social needs and that launches a new green global economy. In short, we need to make "growing green" our mantra."

That is coming at a time an Australian scientist Graeme Pearman has warned that the world is warming faster than predicted by the United Nations.

In Nigeria, a strong correlation is yet to be established between global warming and ravaging environmental problems such as coastal erosion in the South, menacing erosion in the South-East and desertification in the North. In some remote areas such phenomenon is even primitively adduced to the anger of the gods.

Many communities in the South-East have been obliterated by erosion and in many places the erosion gullies seem to chase migrating communities. There are over 1,000 severe erosion sites in the South- East in need of urgent attention, 540 of them in Anambra State alone. One of the most impacted communities is the Nanka community in the Orumba North local government area of Anambra State, which is believed to to have been under the scourge since the 1920s.

In the North, the march of the Sahara Desert through the states is almost visible. The desert is moving southwards at the rate of 600 metres per anum, while deforestation has been at the rate of 350,000 per anum.

Along the long Atlantic coast line of Nigeria, communities are on permanent retreat to escape coastal erosion. Added to this is the Niger Delta problem.

It therefore came as a relief to environmentalists when the Federal Ministry of Environment admitted last year that the country is vulnerable to the effects of climate change and even faces grimmer future due to the phenomenon.

The then Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Halimat Tayo Alao, said "Nigeria is more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because of its size and population among others".

It takes a lot of maturity and foresight for political leaders to spare resources for environmental problems which impact are not immediately felt at seats of government in Abuja and the states. The Speaker of the House of Representatives 'Dimeji Bankole, lamented recently that Nigeria had proposed a paltry sum of $1.5million for climate change in the 2009 Appropriation Bill.

We are also not impressed by the use of the ecological funds to states, which some governors divert. Neither are we impressed by the role of local governments in all these. As we lament the current economic downturn and search for solutions, we should not forget the need to cultivate a culture of sustainable development.