WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2021 (SUBJECT ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION’ AND FOCUS ON RESETTING OUR RELATION WITH NATURE)

2020 was not a very cheerful year by many standards, the world as we knew it was held hostage by one virus and its attendant consequences that swept across the length and breadth of the existence of life; the share existence of mankind was threatened and was almost set to complete overhaul mode. Socially, the way people greet, meet, eat has changed, politically, government policies have been affected, economically, unemployment rates have increased. However, the major causes or consequences are still to be addressed. In view of the level of waste, pollution, suffering, killings, rape, hunger, disease, death et al, still looks quite ominous, especially as Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread, notwithstanding the new protocols of economic and social realities. By reason of the covid-19 pandemic the global demand for oil and gas has been declining, the shift from carbon fuels to renewables are accelerating. we are witnessing the era of vaccine diplomacy as the case may be, borders remain closed or partially opened and major global events have either been cancelled or postponed. In view of the above issues we are taking the initiative to organize an awareness, road walk, clean up and other programs to mark the celebration of the World Environment Day 2021, a day set apart by the United Nations to celebrate the environment. The UN has over the years observed the world environment day on every 5th of June to preserve the environment from pollution and climate change and Nigeria is not left out, having abundance of resources both human and natural which have been misused, leading to a huge amount of waste. In Nigeria the level of environmental pollution and degradation is alarming, having been made worse by the absence of modern scientific strategies to combat this menace. In addition, there appears to be a lack or absence of proactive measures towards preventing or mitigating these problems, such as policies, enlightenment, reliable data and access to same has always been the bane of our existence as a people in virtually every sector. We at LIPS are of the opinion that the creation of a reliable database on the environment will be a boost, based on the ability of people to, update it, access it and verify its source combined with intuitive analytics of the data which will enable the government and the private sector to make better decisions and finance projects that will lead to a paradigm shift from the old ways to the new ways of doing things. To this end LIPS proposes the creation of digital infrastructure that will ensure that data is properly collected and distributed hence, LIPs is seeking for well meaning individuals to come together and support this digital movement towards transforming the environment by building such infrastructure while creating the necessary awareness to ensure that the environmental impact of most activities are duly captured and assessed. LIPS has gone further to create partnerships that will enable businesses and individuals synergize and proffer solutions to numerous problems bedeviling the environment. These were some of the issues addressed in the previous world environment day virtual conference organized by legally inclined professionals (LIPs) held on the 5th June 2020. However, the topic for this year’s conference is ‘ecosystem restoration’ and focus on resetting our relation with nature’ the conference is a great way of creating awareness about the environment, at this conference we will be inviting some distinguished personalities to speak on pertinent issues inline with global realities. No doubt, the world is changing and environmental needs are changing, hence the need for people to look for better ways to adapt to newer and proactive ways of doing things. According to a UN report on origin of covid-19 and prevention ‘the same activities that drive climate change and biodiversity loss also drive pandemic risk through their impacts on the environment, changes in the way we use land, the expansion and intensification of agriculture, and unsustainable trade, production and consumption disrupt nature and increase contact between wild life, livestock, pathogens and people. To prevent such pandemics in future, certain measures must be taken and the government must better manage such situations in future because it is obvious that such measures like lockdowns have made more negative than positive impacts on the people and the economy, this is why this year’s conference will be important. The conference is focused on the need for all to come together and adopt a general approach towards ending pollution, waste and the ravage caused by covid 19. As doctors and other health professionals continue the fight at the front, we must do our bit in one form or the other to safeguard against future spread and to assist in the effort made by our medical professionals. As members of LIPS we must advocate for the environment and ensure the enforcement of existing laws, highlighting those areas where new strategies and policies must be developed. As various sectors of the economy continue to feel the heat of the pandemic, especially the aviation sectorand entertainment sector, leading to rising inflation and unemployment, it is our duty to proffer long term solutions to enable us cope with these problems. At the last virtual conference organized by LIPs the Erudite Professor of law Prof. C.I.N Emelie in her presentation posited “that environmental rights are now new generation Fundamental human rights, therefore, fundamental human right provisions like the right to life, the right to clean environment among others, which are provided for both in the National and International Instruments should be invoked…” Also at the last conference Dr Emmanuel U. Onyeabor a renowned environmental consultant raised a pertinent issue in his presentation when he averred that the social distancing protocol may not be very effective in stopping the spread of covid 19, reason being that the students scripts will serve as a contact point for the spread as students scripts cannot be properly sanitized, he further recommended that more lecture halls be built and more lecturers employed to ensure that the social distancing protocol is observed in schools. Also at the conference Dr Funmi Coker a renowned energy consultant, suggested that “Nigeria needs to encourage renewable energy, particularly in power generation, which is expected to have significant demand growth with the advent of electric vehicles (petroleum will inevitably decline in importance as a fuel). “ In our effort to provide solutions, we are working hard to provide a data base on waste and pollution which is aimed at ensuring that people stop wasting food, water and energy, which should invariably, reduce pollution in the environment. To this end we are pushing for “A BILL FOR AN ACT TO ELIMINATE WASTE AND POLLUTION IN NIGERIA” or strengthen existing laws towards providing for a data and a research center, reduce cost of services, decrease inflation, anticipate the impact of environmentally impactful activities, take away the environmental hazards in our community and transfer it back to the companies responsible in the form of penalties or tax. The law will take cognizance of the prevailing global practices with regards to waste and pollution, ensuring that proper planning is done before any business can be allowed to proceed. The bill would also capture the following: a) Digital transformation to curb waste b) Create an easy and affordable access to data c) Ensure reliability of data d) Provide preventive measures against waste e) Job creation in waste management f) Provide better options to sanitation g) Reduce the effect of pollution i) introduce proper fishing, farming and production techniques LIPS W2E COMPETITON In the light of the above LIPs is organizing a contest on the title "The most reliable and sustainable waste to energy project in Nigeria" The winner will be given LIPS equity affiliate fund (LEAF) of up to Two Hundred Thousand naira, along with a scholarship and free membership of LIPs. The application will commence from 5th of March and will close on the 5th of June 2021. Fill the application form at https://form.jotform.com/Mrwrite/lips-mcs-memebership-form. call 07063750731 for more info.