The Lagos State government has disclosed the projects and action plans it is putting in place to restore, protect and manage environmental degradation that may potentially threaten environmental sustainability.
This is based on the information disclosed by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, at Ikoyi during the commemoration of the year 2022 Walk for Nature, according to a disclosure on the state’s website.
At the event the commissioner made a reassurance of the commitment of the State Government to actualizing Goals 11-17 of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), adding that the state has formulated policies aimed at the conservation of biodiversity.
What the commissioner is saying
The commissioner, through the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services Dr. Omobolaji Gaji, who represented him, established that the unsustainable human activities and over-exploitation of species and natural resources can cause loss of the World’s Biodiversity, Bello revealed that nearly a quarter of all species are presently at risk of getting extinct in the coming decades.
He said, “It is important to note that humans have only been around for 200,000 years of the 4.5 Billion years of the existence of planet Earth, yet we have had a significant negative effect on the Earth more than any other species”.
According to him, “in a 2018 report of the Worldwide Fund for Nature titled: ‘Our Living Planet Report’ it was revealed that wildlife and species population decreased by 60% globally between 1970 and 2014.”
Consequently, Bello urged people to make efforts towards nurturing and protecting the environment, stressing that this is not only the responsibility of the government, rather, it is the collective goal of everyone. He said, “there is a need for us, individually and collectively, to think creatively and innovatively on not just the need but how best to conserve the “Only One Earth” so we can advance to a more sustainable and just Earth, where everyone can flourish.”
He further noted that “the present administration would not relax on its plans to promote awareness on the adoption of a Green and Blue Economy as natural capital is used sustainably for a vibrant Lagos.”
The event which was aimed at sensitizing people on the need to support natural resources management efforts for environmental sustainability in the present and the future highlighted the major role residents are to play in protecting the environment, not only by preserving what is available now but also ensuring sustenance for generations yet unborn.
