Environmental Sustainability

Sustainability or sustainable development, focuses on balancing the fine line between competing needs of society technologically and economically on one hand, and the need to preserve, conserve, protect and properly manage the environment for the present and future generations. It is imperative that we take the protection of our environment seriously to ensure that the present and future
generations can live very healthy lives on a healthy planet. A lot of people may not know, but the concept of sustainable management is not totally alien to our African culture. There has been in existence a customary observation of principles and practice of conservation transmitted from
generation to generation in form of traditional beliefs, practices, lifestyles and land-tenure systems practiced culturally. The biodiversity of plants and animals have been preserved and protected by those who lived before us, for instance by the classification of land into thick and lower forests and grooves. Due to the traditional religious beliefs of the people, the thick forests are not cultivated rather they constitute a reservoir of medicinal plants and herbs. In some cases certain animals are considered locally as “sacred” or “taboos” and since the people hardly destroy these animals, the safety of biodiversity is ensured in that area.

Customary practices of bush fallowing and crop rotation also help conserve and properly manage natural resources beneath the soil. Today society faces many environmental challenges which threaten environmental sustainability for example municipal waste disposal and management, various kinds of pollution, climate change, deforestation and many others. These issues have been given international recognition and consequently there have been treaties, resolutions and conventions promulgated by the international community but hardly have we done much about it in Nigeria. Even
though Nigeria has ratified most of these international instruments, proper and diligent implementation has not been achieved yet. According to www.unenvironment.org, in 2015, the international community adopted a set of 17 goals as part of a new global agenda on sustainable development and the environment underlies each of these goals from Life on land( Goal 15), to
Climate action(Goal 13), Affordable and clean energy(Goal 7), clean water and sanitation(Goal 6), Life below water(Goal 14) among others.

How can young people contribute to a sustainable environment? The following below are simple ways, firstly by supporting campaigns for a cleaner environment. Another way is by educating children in the neighborhood on waste and other harmful environmental pollutants.
Again you could plant trees, volunteer for environment-related activities like clean ups, awareness walks etc.
Lastly, multinational companies can also help with this through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

A healthy and sustainable environment is achievable, if we all work towards it. Cheers!
Happy World Environment Day 2018

Article written by:
 Lauretta C. Onwuegbuzie