Don seeks action plan on environmental issues

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Emmanuel Oladipo, who teaches at the Department of Geography, University of Lagos made this assertion at roundtable meeting on ‘Sustaining nature, addressing climate change and protecting the environment’ in Abuja recently.

A university lecturer, Professor Emmanuel Oladipo has emphasised the need for a framework to address broad issues relating to the environment, especially global climate change.

Oladipo, who teaches at the Department of Geography, University of Lagos made this assertion at roundtable meeting on ‘Sustaining nature, addressing climate change and protecting the environment’ in Abuja recently.

The event organized by the Human Rights Advancement, Development and Advocacy Centre (HURIDAC) with technical support from Conservation
International (CI) was staged in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment.

He said issues relating to the environment must be looked at from social, economic and political angles to avoid problems, adding that climate change is a major threat to the Sustainable Development Goals of improving quality of human life and conserving the earth’s vitality and diversity.

Earlier, HURIDAC Executive Director, Ayodele Ameen argued that environmental issues are human rights related, necessitating efforts to bring solution to endemic societal problems.

Citing recent devastating landslide and flooding that hit Sierra Leone claiming almost 500 lives; he called for efforts to address issues that pertain to the environment.

He said: ‘’the mudslide in Sierra-Leone is environmental issue and has become a human rights issue. If you try not to treat nature well, nature will fight back with grave consequences. Environmental issues are important and we need to put them at the core of what we do. Nature doesn’t need us, we need nature,” he added.

Senior Vice-President, Conservation International, Michael O’Brien Onyeka asserted that sustaining nature is critical, “We at Conservation International believes that it is in the core enlightened interest of stakeholders in Nigeria to pursue a sustainable development pathway.”