JOURNALISM CLINIC: a Healthy Environment for Long Life and Development.

Environmental issues, from the extraction of resources to its utilization and the impact it has on the environment, is of chief importance for man's consideration and concern. The very earth, the environment, man's home which supports and sustains his existence, is under a threat.

The unceasing desire to develop which reflects in the activities man engages in such as mining, logging, food production (farming and fishing) among others, and the frequent use of hazardous means to extract, fell and cultivate most of these scarce resources is alarming, life-threatening and completely unprofitable. Why must man be destroying the environment, knowing very well it's irreplaceable?

The study of the Ghanaian community then is a prime focus. The media often reports on illegal environmental practices (though at a lower frequency as compared to reported  issues on politics, sports and entertainment) by some mining companies with its related issues of cyanide spillage into community water bodies, the vast destruction of human settlements, improper maintenance of dump sites, unfilled pits; and with farming and fishing, the use of chemicals to either increase vegetation and or to kill the fishes for harvesting.

The indiscriminate felling of forest trees for furnishing and other purposes, looking at the economic gains and not the harm caused to the environment, is in itself a form of underdevelopment.

Concerns about the unusual climate alterations is frequently raised by some Health and Environmental Agencies. However, many people forget that their actions and interactions with the environment is the contributory factor to climate change. For now, one must not dare to trust the healthiness of food and drink they consume nor the air they're breathing in. All of them, possibly, could be contaminated.

Journalism Clinic was therefore an initiative taken by MEDEC & CEPIL (Centre For Public Interest Law) to explain to students and media practitioners about the impact of man's activities on the environment and the need for student journalists to develop the zeal and specialization in Environmental Reporting.

The two bodies intimated that there are no binding environmental standards or perhaps a weaker regulatory institutions to supervise and administer sanctions on the adverse operations of some extractive companies in the country. It also advised that the care for the environment is not the sole responsibility of the government or other stakeholders but the rather the obligation of both the country's representatives and citizens.

On the contrary, pay a visit to some areas in the country and you'll realize the ailing attitude of many Ghanaians: always expecting government's support and funding on even pertinent development issues, although they the community folks can muster resources to revamp their societies. Is it therefore necessary and prudent for citizens to sit idle and watch their environment waste away which in either the short or long run have complications on their own health? Absolutely not.

Will the blame game also solve the problem? No, but rather a collective duty to conserve and sustain our environment through the use of appropriate methods in extracting resources from the earth, forests and water bodies. Then and only then will man's longevity on the earth be assured.

Ghanaian leaders often travel to foreign nations. They observe the beauty of environments in these nations. As to whether they ask questions relating to policies and strategies adopted by the leaders of such States in respect to environmental protection and sustainability, would be very doubtful.

Interdependence between countries is crucial and very rewarding. Our leaders must ask more developmental questions, learn from pragmatic policies put in place and stop the "much borrowing with strings attached to it", which do not evenly reflect in the living conditions of the MANY CITIZENS.

The time for Radical Change is Now. Lackadaisical attitudes must be eschewed. The total liberation from mental slavery must be preached. The right course should be pursued at all times despite the need for compromises or when in tight circumstances.

When these and many others are not enforce, then we'll laugh at the wrong side of our mouths. Worse of it all, our previous retrogressive actions and attitudes on the environment, will only speed the eminence of a world doom, The APOCALYPSE!.