THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2020

WRITTEN BY CHRIS AGBALUGO – PRESIDENT, LIPS MCS LTD

 There is no denying the fact that mans activities over time have not been friendly to the environment, even with the existence of environmental laws in the form of treaties, statutes, regulations, common and customary laws which try to curb the effects of human activity on the natural environment. Environmental law certainly has an international element as many treaties governing everything from pollution to sustainable farming are the result of multi-national agreements.

However, the reality is that the negative effects of man’s activities can be seen all around us. Mountains have been turned to valleys, freshwater turned to sewage, play grounds turned to dump sites, trees turned to firewood and the result is also quite glaring as lives are being lost to sicknesses, air pollution, lack of potable water, hunger and famine. No doubt mans needs albeit wants are insatiable and whole swaths of land have been translated by cash, technology and human brawn, into a commercial hub of minerals, oil and power in order to satisfy it. In most parts of the country oil majors, miners, manufacturers are drawing wealth from beneath the earth but enjoying them in lavish life style, while those who own it only sniff it, see it, cringe at its environmental carnage, diseases and privations.

Sadly, the business model of most companies in the world today does not include environmental impact assessment, all that matters is profit and loss, giving nothing but waste back to their host communities. If the advocates of migration due to desertification and climate change want to make a better case, they should realize that what they need to do is make a simple call for an environmental policy change with regards to waste and pollution to push back the desert by encouraging activities which will ensure planting of trees and green technologies. A visit to the epicenter of the insurgency shows clearly that the grass lands are receding more and more while innocent lives that should have assisted with regards to planting of trees and other crops are being wasted. In same vein the flash points of most farmer header conflicts are also places with hitherto greener pastures but which ironically have remained fallow as a result of insecurity. In contrast, places like Dubai are built on desert lands but look like western suburbs with electricity, pipe-borne water, good roads, modern infrastructure and other luxuries, while places in the north east of Nigeria and some other parts of the world still look like villages in the middle ages, racked to a rump from exploitation and deprivation and this has lead to youth unemployment and the rise in banditry, kidnap and rape.

As global trends continue to shift towards electric cars, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, space exploration, energy efficiency, green energy, deployment of new technologies, climate change strategies, clean and affordable energy, measurable environmental impact, food and water security. We must begin to look more circumspectly and proactively at issues that affect the environment and set targets on the afore mentioned especially in the area of environmental impact assessment, waste disposal and renewable energy especially in this era of Covid-19.

Particularly, as the digital revolution unfolds, we must stay ahead with regards to not only their benefits but the environmental impact that may accompany it. Over the past few months the issue of the 5G which stands for fifth generation technology has generated unprecedented controversy. 5G is said to be a fifth generation technology and looks quite promising when considering the high-speed, superior reliability and negligible latency it is expected to bring. 5G is expected to expand the mobile ecosystem into new realms, impact every industry making safer transportation, remote health care, precision agriculture, digitized logistics and more a reality.

Through a landmark 5G economic study, it was found that 5G’s full economic effect will likely be realized across the globe by 2035, supporting a wide range of industries potentially enabling up to $13.2 trillion worth of goods and services eventually, ushering the 4^th industrial revolution. However, little or nothing is recorded about the environmental impact of this novel technology. 

We must spare head compliance with the duties as contained in our extant laws by supplementing law enforcement authorities, to detect and discouraged environmentally degrading activities derived from serious pollutions and help to effectively prevent waste.

More so, as we are celebrating the world environment day 2020 we must purposely work towards establishing a general framework for the fight against waste and pollution. To Succeed in this fight we must all become partners and this partnership must include the corporate world and the government.

Achieving this dream is an objective of LIPs which stands for Legally Inclined Professionals directed towards influencing government policies and providing solutions towards green house emissions like gas flaring, deforestation, water pollution and waste. Other organizations and groups already blazing the trail include REN21, Renewable energy agency, Renewable Energy and Energy and Efficiency Partnership, International Energy Forum and International Partnership For Energy Efficiency Corporation. LIPs aims to provide awareness and advice on issues that affects the environment, consequently, LIPs is organizing a web conference (https://tinyurl.com/lipsconference2020) to celebrate the world environment day 2020 so join the Movement Against Waste and Pollution #mawp today and STOP WASTING WATER, STOP WASTING FOOD, STOP POLLUTING THE ENVIROMENT AND MOST IMPORTANTLY STOP WASTING LIVES.