As Nigeria would be joining the rest of the international community on June 5 to mark the World Environment Day, 2022, environmental experts and activists have harped on the best possible ways to achieve a sustainable environment.
Speaking in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Saturday, the activists said Nigerians and the government could play leading roles in securing the planet.
The Executive Director, U-recycle Initiative Africa and National Geographic Young Explorer, Oluwaseyi Moejoh, said, “Everyone has the power to effect change and take action for the environment.”
The environmental activist outlined 10 ways Nigerians could take action to secure their environment.
“There is a need for Nigerians to reduce their plastic footprints; use reusable bags and water bottles, ditch unnecessary plastics like straws, reduce your use of plastic bags, etc.”, she said.
Moejoh encouraged people to also speak up on environmental injustices, saying, Nigerians should “demand better policies and action on environmental issues from their government and leaders.”
She advised Nigerians to think out of the box: create solutions and innovations to tackle environmental issues in their communities no action is too small to make a difference.
On his part, a professional environmentalist and founder of Plogging Nigeria Club, an organisation that promotes the culture of responsible waste handling by jogging and picking litter (plogging), Mayokun Iyaomolere, said, “The World Environment Day should be one of the most celebrated days on earth. I like to call it the ‘Green Christmas’. This is because of its importance in drawing the attention of everyone around the planet to environmental issues we’re experiencing; how we contribute to these issues and most importantly, solutions we can provide as individuals and institutions.”
According to the plogger, this year’s theme, ‘Only One Earth’, further reiterates the message we have always tried to pass across that there is no Planet B, hence, our need to cater and care for this one we live in as it is our source, and from it, we draw resources to keep us alive.
Also, the convener of Africa Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, Rev. David Ugolor, used the day to call on oil companies to clean up areas they were carrying out oil exploration activities.
He said, “Today presents an opportunity to call on multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta to commit themselves to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
“Their operations have contributed to environmental disaster in the region and they have to face the challenges by providing resources to sustain a broader agenda of remediation across the communities. The ongoing cleanup in Ogoniland is a disappointment and stakeholders, including the government, will adopt collective action to address the poor performance of the clean-up.”
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