Experts stress need to foster sustainable development post Covid-19 era

Environment experts gathered recently to brainstorm on the need for strategic approach to sustainable development in Covid-19 era and beyond. HELEN OJI reports. 

The 14th National Council on Environment (NCE) had their meeting with high-level decision makers in government, experts, partners and critical stakeholders from different organisations, recently gathered at NAF Conference Centre, Kado Abuja with the theme, “Managing Emerging Environmental Challenges: Need for Strategic Approach to Sustainable Development in COVID-19 Era and Beyond”.

This is geared towards the pursuit of collective efforts at addressing environmental challenges and safeguarding human health against stresses such as land degradation, flood and erosion, desertification, loss of biodiversity, climate change and urban pollution, with the attendant devastating consequences.

The environment sector is almost at cross roads in the national developmental trajectory and owing to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its unimaginable attendant effects on all spheres of human endeavours and activities of which environment sector is no exception.

Stakeholders

The representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Mr. Oluyomi Banjo, said the source of COVID-19 is even environmental and because it is from the wild life and those days environmental issues are secondary.

He stated that UNIDO will continue to support environment issues and now is on the front burner of every sector in the country.

Banjo commended the Ministry of Environment on the National Policy on Plastic Waste Management.

Also speaking the representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) National Co-ordinator Public Health and Environment, Mr. Edwin, said actions should be taken to integrate in every aspect of environment, climate change action, water sanitation action, clean Nigeria action, action on floods, action to prevent disasters that are practical and measurable that has local content.

“All we need to solve the environment issues is already in Nigeria and it is a privilege that the resources are available.”

The Chairman, House Committee on Environment, Senator Johnson Oghuma, said that the House was aware of the challenges the ministry was facing, especially under the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oghuma said that the committee was also aware of the vital role the ministry was playing in ensuring that the environment was safe and healthy, adding that the committee would always support the ministry to ensure that its mandates were achieved.

Environment provides human existence

According to the Minister of State for Environment, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor, said 

the environment provides  the  life  support  system  for  human  existence and survival by  supplying  needs  for  air,  water,  food,  place  of  abode,  raw  materials and that human existence relies on nature and nature is life. 

She added that the interplay of unsustainable human activities and natural phenomena constantly lead to changes in environmental constituents and capabilities, which often than not, precipitate challenges with complex and multi-dimensional effects.

“The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the interrelationship between the environment and human health, as well as the need to strengthen essential environmental health services, knowledge and national capacities, all of which are fundamental to achieving universal health coverage,” she explained 

Ikeazor said it also serves as a veritable reminder of the need for countries to include protection of our biodiversity as part of interventions to effectively manage outbreaks of emerging infectious pathogens that cause sporadic outbreaks, epidemics, or pandemics in human populations.

“For if we do not secure environmental health we cannot guarantee human health so the One Health approach is of utmost importance.”

She further stated that strategies are environmental sanitation, risk assessment mapping, risk management, environmental monitoring, mitigation of climate change, promulgation and implementation of environmental policies, the use of alternative sources of power, as well as environmental impact assessment.  

“The significance of this Council meeting in building foundational capacity of Nigeria’s environmental management administration for informed decision-making, as well as efficient and cost-effective implementation of environmental policies cannot be over emphasised.” 

She said: “It will foster cross fertilization of ideas on best practices and policies that will enable the nation concertedly address her wide range of environmental issues, through resourceful deliberations, networked knowledge management and information exchange, as well as produce outcomes that other African countries could learn from.” 

Sustain socio-economic, environment recovery 

In his keynote address, the Minister of Environment, DR. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, stressed that the theme of the council meeting reflect the reality of the dreaded COVID-19, its consequences the compelling need to devise feasible strategy to manage and sustain our socio-economic and environmental recovery.

He said the environment is prominent amongst the sectors that are most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in terms of dwindling resources for financing the ambitious programmes and projects in the sector.

Abubakar added that the challenge further amplified the sector’s concern with respect to rapid loss of biodiversity, desert encroachment, deforestation, flooding, erosion, pollution and other issues which, if not urgently checked, could put the citizenry in jeopardy.

“The 2021 Global Risk Report recently published by the Economic Forum, affirmed that issues that border on environment, such as climate change and loss of biodiversity are among the top long term risks the world would likely face in the next 10 years. This report is expected to serve as a clarion call to innovatively take a transformative action that is commensurate with the magnitude and complexities of this emerging situation in the world, especially as it relates to the ecosystem,” he said.

Achievements 

The minister noted that the priority projects and programmes of the ministry are being pursued with vigour. These include, Accelerate implementation of the Ogoni clean-up; Accelerate implementation of the Great Green Wall Programme; Promote and set targets for tree planting towards meeting Mr President’s declared commitment to planting 25million trees in 2025; and Prioritize and enforce; the implementation of the Gas Flare prevention of waste and pollution Regulations, 2018;  

The extended producer responsibility framework; Implementation of a comprehensive programme on the domestic use of liquefied petroleum gas; Work with the National Assembly to promote the passage of relevant legislation on recycling waste and restrictions on the use of plastics and wood-fuel. Nguru wetland programmes, Establishment of National Forest Trust Fund, Programme on approach for electronic sector, Ecotourism programme in National Park Services and various other programmes and projects that are on-going simultaneously. Not only are these achievements facilitated by the partnering states which is a good omen for the nation’s participation in the COP 26 coming up later in the year, but are also expected to strengthen our NDCs towards preparation for the conference.

He re-emphasised the need for dispassionate discussion on the memorandum, in order to maintain clear focus towards combating our numerous ecosystem challenges with a view to maximally optimise the developmental potentials of the sector, particularly now and in the post COVID-19 era.

Leave a Reply