JOHN PASSMORE ON MAN’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR NATURE: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEFORESTATION IN NIGERIA

In current day Nigeria, the environmental problems are teething and little or nothing is being done to curb these problems. This work is on John Passmore’s Man’s Responsibility for Nature: Implications for deforestation in Nigeria. According to this study, deforestation is defined as the long-term drop of tree cover below the minimal 10 percent criterion. The work also exposes the views of Passmore, which is that man should see himself as a steward of nature and, therefore, should not adopt a despotic attitude in relation to nature but rather be a gardener of nature. The problem that this work addresses is that of human relations with the environment, which is said to be despotic. Thus, the work looks at the problem of deforestation, its causes, and its effects in Nigeria. The work employed the method of critical analysis to get a better understanding of the issue of deforestation in Nigeria and the implications of Passmore’s view on man’s responsibility for nature on the issue of deforestation in Nigeria. Consequently, the work recommends, amongst others, that Nigerians adopt Passmore’s view of man-nature relationship, where man is nothing but a steward and should take care of nature just as God takes care of man.