SEAL FIVE
GEARING AND SUSTAINING DEVELOPMENT GOD’S WAY
“The basic needs of life are these: water, fire, iron and salt, flour, honey, and milk, wine, clothing and oil. All these are good for those who are devout, but they turn into evils for sinners”
- (Sirach 39:26-27)
Development and growth in most economies is known to be as a result of skilled citizenry coupling with available natural material resources to produce outputs that meet needs [demands]. Firstly, it is thought development should not only meet needs, it must be economical.
Secondly, it is also thought by scholars that development should add aesthetic value. Thirdly and lastly, development must be forward looking.
To ginger and sustain the process of growth and development, we advice nations should first debate and rank their needs for growth in every generation; they then may pursue these strategically. Some of the objectives or goals for prior consideration are as has been pinpointed generally in this book. Some others more are as follows:
Foremost and primarily, for development to be sustained smaller families are to be canvassed by governments and population management are to be encouraged. Smaller families enables wealth go round evenly plus its attendant well-being benefits. They also create a biodiversity of nature [i.e., while we canvass the protection and preservation of man and wildlife, we also canvass as well the protection and preservation of nature and vegetation to maintain an ecological balance].
It behooves also upon all governments and peoples to detest and curb environmental degradation in the earth through the exploitation of non-renewable mineral energy resources (i.e., coal, oil, and nuclear, etc.). Alternatively, bio-mass, solar, rain, wind, sea, etc., should be explored. Proactively avoiding global warming, ozone layer depletion and exposure of the environment to pollution should be prioritized. This otherwise cause the degradation of the environment and is anti-developmental.
We argue that the earth is our home and belongs to all humanity together. It is therefore a public good like the air we breathe in and out. Earth preservation and conservation then is everyone's right and responsibility to defend and to protect. The earth as our right therefore implies certain responsibilities, obligations and duties upon us. Because, first and as validly or rightly given, there is no right without responsibility, and no responsibility without obligation or duty. Secondly and as also rightly or validly given, the rights of one are limited by the rights of every other. We therefore conclude that those who destroy, deface, or tamper with the earth in whatever form impinge and infringe upon the collective rights of the whole humanity, and must rightly be checked! We suggest this by monetary means', as: tolls, levies and fines, etc.
As greenhouse gases, chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), and all such other industrial pollutants, are released into the air, the ozone layer depletes and the sun's effects intensify upon the earth; causing snow to melt and more volumes of water released into the seas and oceans. This results in greater volumes of rainfall and higher sea levels, causing flooding (which effects we see all over the world today). For us in the rainforest belts of Africa, we should consider exporting the excess waters to the deserts up north! - talking about the Sahel and the Sahara. This could be achieved, for instance in Nigeria, just as oil is transported in pipes from the south of our country to the north to be refined. This way we would be putting a check to desert encroachment and perennial droughts in the north and checkmating flooding in the south.
Also in another piece of advice to the emerging economies of Africa and Asia whose land and environmental resources are still virgin, we propose they pursue programs that engender “service-oriented” industrialization – like modernized agriculture and agro-businesses - to protect their atmospheres and those of the world from further pollution from heavy manufacturing processes. Especially for countries in the tropics, solar and hydro energy may be further researched and developed for export to grow and revitalize their economies.
Furthermore to this, the Good News Bible or the Living Bible (and such other versions), provide wisdom, knowledge and insight for progress and ingenuity to be further researched by man. For instance, in Genesis 30:37–43, Jacob founded the practice and application of genetic engineering to farming. The Book of Tobit 11:8 provides advice on how to restore poor eyesight or blindness. Malachi 3:10 provides insight into wealth and riches creation. Gospel music has proven spiritual cure in the Bible for mental illnesses like King Saul's (1Samuel 16:23). And James 5:14-16 & Revelation 22:2, among others, give counsel and guidance on healing for sick or ill persons. Many other such problems are already provided solutions to by God in the Holy Bible to be further researched and developed!
Land tenure systems are to be reformed by in-securing land to mortgagers, as hitherto. Our governments rather should solely be granting rental mortgages to all estate users for specific periods only. After which tenure, title reverts back to government to be re-bargained or repurchased as the case may be. Our argument in support of this again is that: land, like the Earth, is a public good. The implication of this is that, this resource should be centrally owned and sold for fairness and equal opportunity sake. Hence this calls for government overly proprietary right to estates.
Restiveness and militancy in the oil-producing south of Nigeria (or others) caused by oil spillages creating needs and imbalances in the earth, can be resolved by jettisoning such projects until development can meet present generations' needs without jeopardizing future generations' own needs. In their place, liquefied natural gas (LNG) instead should be prospected and piped to homes and industries. LNG is less catastrophic to prospect and equally as serving if properly engineered and researched. Remember again development must be economical, enhance the beauty of the environment, as well as be forward-looking to be sustainable.
To recap all this in one word, governments are advised to sacrifice development for environmental quality and protection. Salvage the environment from all kinds of desolation and pollution such as: oil spillages, global warming, desertification, ozone layer depletion, etc., which could impose costs on all irrespective. And finally, authorities are to seek alternatives to replicate exploitation of mineral fuel and other non-renewable resources.