Rivers Joins World To Mark WED, Today

Rivers State will join the rest of the world, today to mark this year’s World Environment Day

The World Environment Day is celebrated on the fifth of June every year across the world to create awareness on climate change and other environmental issues.

The theme of this year’s celebration : “Seven Billion Dreams, one planet, consume with care”, is aimed at creating awareness on the need for people to be mindful of the environment in whatever they eat or consume.

In his message to the world on the celebration, the United Nations Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki Moon described the celebration as an opportunity for everyone to realize the responsibility to care for the earth and to be active agents of change.

“Although individuals decision may seem small in the face of global threats and trends, when billions of people join forces in common purposes, we can make a tremendous difference, he said.

Speaking to The Tide in Port Harcourt yesterday on the celebration, the Executive Director, Centre for Ecological and Community Development, Mr John Akinnuba, described this year’s celebration as unique as some of the issues in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target expires this year.

He said that the expiration of some of the issues will give rise to another development agenda known as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Akinnuba stressed the need for State governments in the Niger Delta to use the celebration to focus on areas with comparative advantage.

The environmentalist also said that the United Nations has also declared this year as International Year of the Soil, to emphasise the need for good soil management and conservation.

Similarly, a Lagos –based environmentalist, Mr Taiwo Adewale also stressed the need for people to think of the consequences of the choice they make to avoid affecting the environment negatively.

“It is high time we minimize the use of available resources we have presently, because if our forefathers did not use the resources sustainably, we wouldn’t have met any resources we are using today”, he said.

As at the time of this report, it was not clear if the Rivers State government is keying into the global programme for the year with any special activity or policy focus.