This pro-poor policy must be sustained
The announcement of the distribution of more than 50,000 free gas cylinders and stoves to some rural communities in parts of the country is welcome news.
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The Minister of Petroleum, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, who made the announcement, said the move formed part of the government’s policy to implement a national liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) accelerated promotion programme.
The Daily Graphic thinks the initiative is refreshing because of the decades of reliance on charcoal and firewood for food preparation and other energy needs which has depleted our national tree stock and degraded our environment.
Forest resources are carbon sinks, as they absorb the carbon in the atmosphere and thereby help reduce the impact of emissions on the environment.
The continued depletion of forest resources, without adequate measures for replacement, creates an environmental imbalance.
Firewood is collected from the natural forests without sustainable forest management practices such as replanting, coppicing or harvesting in a manner that will allow for continued regeneration.
As a result, large areas of forests are completely removed, leading to conditions that place the environment in peril.
There is, therefore, every good reason to celebrate the move to distribute gas cylinders and stoves to rural communities as a measure to curtail the over-reliance on trees for fuel.
The greenery that should have characterised our urban areas has been lost to modern architecture, with every inch of space being overtaken by brick and mortar.
Our forest lands are being overtaken by estate developers at an alarming rate. Trees are being cut down to make way for estates.
But in all these, we lose sight of the fact that our survival as humans is rooted in how much oxygen we have in the atmosphere.
But the trees which should provide us with that irreplaceable resource are being cut down indiscriminately. No wonder the degree of warming keeps increasing each day and we are all feeling the brunt.
The Daily Graphic wishes to advise that it is not enough distributing cylinders and stoves without the availability of gas to feed those gadgets.
Those gadgets may be supplied, but if after a short while the commodity which should ensure their utility is unavailable, then the effort would be in vain.
Also, the cost of gas for our rural dwellers should be such that it will not be a disincentive. That is to say, the cost analysis of using gas, in their estimation, should outweigh that of using charcoal or firewood.
Another issue worth considering is the safety precautions that should accompany the use of these gadgets.
Gas can be a dangerous enemy if not used properly and, therefore, the various stakeholders, while distributing the gadgets, must teach the people how to use them well in order to prevent needless accidents.
Our environment remains our most treasured asset that must be jealously guarded from wanton destruction and it is incumbent on all to ensure that our actions do not place it in peril and put bottlenecks in the way of sustainable development.
Above all, we must not lose sight of the scientific truth that “when the last tree dies, the last man dies”.