World Environment Day: See biodiversity meaning and wetin go happun if we no make time for Nature

To observe and spread di message of di 2020 World Environment Day even with di coronavirus pandemic, dem dey encourage pipo to stay for home, raise awareness and keep up with di ogbonge events wey dey take place around di world.

Di World biggest day to celebrate di environment every year na on 5 June. Since 1974, dem don dey use am as way to raise awareness and action to protect our environment.

United Nations Environment Programme theme for di observance dis year, na "E don reach time for Nature." Di plan of dis theme na to ginger humans to act togeda for Nature by keeping it green.

All ova di world, campaigners for di environment and activists dey host plenti webinars, zoom meetings and dey use hash tag #ForNature on social media, to drive home di message of dis year theme.

For Nigeria oil rich Niger Delta region wia environmental pollution na big concern to millions of pipo, One group of experts, celebrities and activists gada online to launch one idea wey di plan na to create a world wia everyone dey live and work in a way wey go reduce climate change and promote greener environment.

Di Niger Delta region (wey include nine Nigerian states; Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers) na di centre for di different kind of oil and gas activities (for example, oil exploration, processing, waste generation and disposal etc) wey come lead to different forms of pollution- air, water, soil, noise, light, thermal and radioactive pollution.

Experts don warn say dis dey affect di health of di environments and di pipo wey dey stay inside. Di region get 206,139,589 populationswey dey live dia, according to Worldometer.

"If we no make time for Nature, women dem na im go suffer di most," dis na wetin Victoria Wobo Nyeche - di pesin wey bring di idea of di Greenway of Life Initiative.

For Sub Saharan African, women na mostly di fletchers of water and di providers of fire wood. Na dem be di ones wey dey cook di meals and worry about make children no go to bed with hungry stomach. If pipo Neglect nature dem dey neglect our source of food energy and balance. She add.

Wetin dey at stake for nature?

Wen di coronavirus pandemic struck and bring di world to standstill for March 2020, nature smile. From Mumbai, to Milan, Paris to Port Harcourt canals, rivers don dey cleaner, di trees and grasses don dey greener, thanks to say too much activity no dey happun like dat around di world.

But dis dey about to change as lockdowns authorities dey gradually ease down lockdown around di world.

Combination of corporate and individual operational attitudes na im dey responsible for disasters like; loss of Biodiversity, Climate Change, Flooding, Erosion, Draughts, Diseases (Lassa Fever, Ebola, Covid-19 etc), Bush fires, Black Soot, etc, all dis tins dey threaten to bring down Mother Earth, and pipo wey dey inside.

Dis na reminder from ogbonge environmentalist, Andah Wai-Ogusu to all those wey join di zoom meeting to mark di 2020 World Environment Day as dem launch di Greenway of Life Initiative on Friday.

"First we dey hope say dem add our voices to di awareness campaign for climation action, pipo go learn dat culture of sustainable environment lifestyle, wey we dey call di green way of live." Victoria Nyeche tell BBC.

And dat di Niger Delta environment go dey better for it, because we believe say if our environment dey better, di quality of life go surely dey better, she add.

"Nature na gift wey dem need to nurture, If dem nurture am, e go create balance. For instance di butterfly and di earthworm dey important for pollination and soil fertility. Dem be creatures wey dey expose to danger yet dem be very important species.

Wen we make time for Nature we make time for sustainable exploitation of nature, we make time for balance and harmony. We make time for women."

Di way man dey disturb di ecological balance through dia activities sotey e go come dey hard for di earth to renew itself, Very soon all dis fit starve us di ecological serviceswey di earth dey provide wey include food, water, air and so on. Dis tins na im make di earth dey comfortable for humans to stay, Wai-Ogosu tok.

"Plenti-plenti ways and scales of activities wey we, humans, fit take to quickly reduce pollution. Recycling, conserving energy, reducing di emissions from cars by using public transport or carpooling ( joining odas for car). na tins we suppose to dey look into".

Nature na di natural Earth and di things wey dey inside, Water, trees, forests, birds and animals na part of nature, according to experts. But nature dey always face threat of destruction from dia environment - di different populations of life species wey dey for Earth. Di food we eat, di air wey wey dey breathe and water wey we dey drink come from nature.

For UN Ambassador and Nollywood Actress Monalisa Chinda Coker wey be one of di champion of dis new initiative; Going Green na di way, We need to support nature, We need good environment wey go fit sustain our life naturally.. Make we promote and project, and protect our environment."

Afta Nyeche don selflessly champion di planting of ova 4,000 trees and educate citizens on environmental issues inside Port Harcourt city, Nyeche believe say as a team, dey fit do more.

Timeline of World Environment Day since 2006

Di purpose of di World Environment Day dey give voice to environmental issues and dey make pipo active agents of fair and sustainable development; e dey raise di awareness concerning di importance of community inside environmental action; e dey promote partnerships to make sure say safe, thriving future dey for nations and populations".

WED 2006 theme na "Deserts and Desertification" and Algeria host celebrations for Algiers.

WED 2007 theme na "Melting Ice? - A Hot Topic", na Tromsø host am for Norway.

Di 2008 edition slogan na "Kick di Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy", and na Wellington, New Zealand host am.

For 2009, di theme na "Your Planet Needs You-Unite to Combat Climate Change", Mexico na im host am. Di kontri launch dia commitment to fight against climate change, including through di employment of carbon credits. In fact, dem take part for UNEP "Billion Tree Campaign".

2010 an all about biodiversity and na Rwanda host am.

For 2011, UNEP dedicate WED to di safeguarding of our planet lungs. Forests cover 31 per cent of land and primary forests cover 36 per cent of di world forested areas.

For 2012, Rio de Janeiro na im host di celebrations under di slogan "Green Economy: Does it Include You?"

Di theme for WED 2013 na di footprint of food, under di slogan "Think, Eat, Save". Di UN remind us say one third of all food produce fail to make am from farm to table, dis one mean say dem waste 1.3 billion tonnes of food, wey worth 1,000 billion dollars. Dis amount go dey enough to feed di 870 million pipo wey dey suffer from hunger around di world, and also reduce CO2 emissions well-well.

Dem dedicate 2014 to di sea, under di theme "Raise your Voice not di Sea Level!" in order to raise awareness about di problems wey island nations dey face because of sea levels wey dey rise.

For 2015, WED Milan, Italy na im host am under di theme "Seven Billion Pipo. One Planet. Consume with Care". Dat year, WED na di most popular subject for Twitter for more than 20 kontries.

"Zero tolerance for di illegal trade in wildlife" na di theme of di 2016 edition, wey Angola host.

2017 edition, dem do am under di slogan "Connecting Pipo with Nature" to highlight di ogbonge role we dey play to protect di planet, wey dey close to us and wey dey depend on. Di official celebrations take place for Canada.

India na im host di 2018 edition, and di purpose na to "Beat Plastic Pollution", For 2019 WED want to focus dia efforts to "Beat Air Pollution", one issue wey China chose. China dey seriously affected by dis environmental problem.

Greenway of Life Initiative

Di use of behavioral change na wetin di Greenway of Life Initiative plan to adopt: Media Based Environmental awareness campaign, School Based Environmental Activities, Community Based Environmental activities ( Green Communities), Industry based Environmental activities (Green Economy), Plastic recycling Campaigns/Advocacy, Tree Planting Events, Climate Change and Global warming seminars, Environmental Documentary Screening for schools and communities, Environmental Research programs, Markets, Beach and Community Clean Up projects, and Mainstreaming gender in Climate change.