Environment
Tribunal Acknowledges losses in Rare species Across the globe …urges for government Action
The international Right Tribunal has expressed concerned over the continuous loss of rare species across the world.
This was part of a declaration at the just concluded COP30 in Brazil to mark the close of its 6th international tribunal
. Governments and everyday people have been charged to acknowledge that nature has rights just as humans do, and that ecosystems deserve to exist, thrive, and bounce back.
The Tribunal noted that the loss of species is occurring at an alarming rate and that it is time to stop exploiting nature and start protecting it.
The Tribunal urged nations to write laws that protect rivers, forests, oceans, and to end ecocide, recognise and support Indigenous communities, who have always been the best caretakers of the land.
According to the declaration “We are all part of the Earth, an indivisible and living community of interrelated and interdependent beings with a common destiny but with different existential conditions and rights.
“The multiple crises we are experiencing are rooted in the economic, political, legal and social systems established by the industrial and growth-oriented cultures that dominate the world today, including capitalism, along with patriarchy, sexism, racism, and anthropocentrism.”
It was noted that the choice by the Brazilian government to host COP30 serves as a symbol of the importance of the Amazon. They denounced the current and future impacts of the expansion of the extractivist frontier, deforestation, fossil fuels and large-scale mining. It was urged that the Amazon, with its ecosystems, animal, plant species, and rich biodiversity, natural medicines and its vital and reproductive cycles, should be considered as a subject of rights together with the Indigenous Peoples, and other communities that inhabit it.
The co-president and judge of the tribunal, Nnimmo Bassey, while delivering the verdict, noted that the defence of the rights of Nature is the right way to carry out real climate action and that there is no climate justice without the rights of Nature.
The tribunal stressed the need to phase out fossil fuels and quickly move to renewable energy as a way that protects both communities and ecosystems from false solutions that merely benefit financial speculators and compound climate injustices. The Tribunal also urged the United Nations to adopt the pledge as a blueprint for international environmental law.
A copy of the declaration obtained by The Tide revealed that,Judges at the Tribunal included Ana Alfinito of Brazil, Nnimmo Bassey ( Nigeria), Enrique Viale (Argentina), Shannon Biggs (USA), Casey Camp Horinek (Ponca Nation, USA), Tom Goldtooth (USA), Princes Esmeralda (Belgium), Cormac Cullinan (South Africa), Patricia Gualings (Ecuador), Francesco Martone (Italy) Tzeporah Berman (USA), Ashish Katharine (India), Osprey Orielle Lake (USA), Pooven Moodley (South Africa) and Felicio Pontes (Brazil)
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The Lagos State Government on Saturday refuted an online media report claiming that the state had resumed the monthly environmental sanitation exercise.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said no categorical statement had been made regarding the commencement date of the exercise.
Wahab explained that what he told newsmen after a project inspection tour last Sunday was that engagements with relevant stakeholders were still ongoing.
He said the state government had planned to begin with a sensitisation programme last week, but was constrained by logistics issues.
“The truth is, we were meant to start with a sensitisation programme last week, but we had a logistics issue. We need to find a day that is acceptable to all stakeholders,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the exercise might return very soon, adding that the official date would be communicated by the Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The commissioner urged law-abiding residents to continue their lawful activities without hindrance, assuring them that adequate notice would be given before the exercise was reintroduced.
The monthly environmental sanitation, previously held on the last Saturday of every month between 7.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m., was suspended in November 2016 following a legal pronouncement restricting movement during the exercise.
However, renewed waste management challenges, including clogged drainage channels and indiscriminate refuse disposal, have sparked calls from residents for its reinstatement.
The Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, says sweeping reforms and infrastructure upgrades have significantly improved waste collection efficiency across the state.
Gbadegesin disclosed this to newdmen last week in Lagos state.
He said LAWMA expanded night cleaning operations and increased street sweeping coverage to 1,000 routes statewide.
He disclosed that 16,000 street sweepers were currently engaged across Lagos, supported by improved logistics and operational systems.
He said LAWMA acquired new equipment three years ago to complement Private Sector Participants (PSP) compactors and rehabilitated old trucks to strengthen fleet capacity.
He added that additional compactor trucks were expected in the coming months.
“Heavy-duty equipment is now deployed to clear legacy illegal dumpsites across communities,” he said.
Gbadegesin said LAWMA strengthened human capacity by expanding its advocacy department and deepening collaboration with Community Development Associations (CDAs) and local councils.
He revealed that each local government now operates a waste management task force, supported by LAWMA integration desks.
On waste-to-wealth initiatives, he disclosed that the Lagos State House of Assembly had ratified a concession agreement with ZoomLion to construct transfer loading stations and material recovery facilities.
The facilities, he said, would enable closure of the Olusosun and Solous landfills and process 4,000 tonnes of waste daily.
He said organic waste, which constitutes about 50 per cent of Lagos waste, would be converted into compost, while plastics would be recycled into waste bins.
Gbadegesin also disclosed plans for a 1,500-tonnes-per-day waste-to-energy plant in partnership with a Dutch firm, Harvest Waste.
He said the project was expected to generate 60 megawatts of electricity to support emerging industrial zones.
He further highlighted a pilot biogas plant at the Epe Food Market, which processes 500kg of organic waste daily to generate electricity for market operations.
He called for stronger media collaboration to enhance public awareness and behavioral change.
“Waste management is not just about equipment; it is about human behaviour, enforcement and strong regulatory systems,” he said.
He urged residents to utilise LAWMA’s toll-free lines and digital platforms to report service gaps instead of resorting to illegal dumping.
The Federal Ministry of Environment last Thursday convened key stakeholders in Abuja to validate a landmark policy brief aimed at tackling marine litter to advance Nigeria’s transition to a circular economy.
Mrs Falmata Bukar-Kolo, the Deputy Director, Solid Waste Management and Technology Division in the ministry, warned that plastic pollution poses serious risks to aquatic ecosystems and public health.
She stated that microplastics have already entered the food chain through fish consumption, while clogged waterways, soil contamination, and greenhouse gas emissions from burning plastics are worsening the environmental crisis.
Bukar-Kolo said that plastics, though widely used, are non-biodegradable and persist in the environment for years.
She called for improved waste management systems, stronger enforcement of environmental regulations, and behavioural change amongst citizens and businesses.
Mr Clem Ugorji, Regional Coordinator of PROTEGO, emphasised on the urgency of action, saying Nigeria’s marine litter crisis carries environmental, economic, and reputational costs.
He expressed optimism that the 2025 to 2040 roadmap endorsed at the workshop would shift the country from prolonged dialogue to concrete implementation.
The event was organised in collaboration with PROTEGO (Prevention of Marine Litter in the Gulf of Guinea).
Discussions centred on a draft policy input paper titled “Policies, Institutional Set-up and Financing of Marine Litter Prevention in Nigeria,”.
These seeks to present insightful analysis and a set of recommendations to address the structural and financing gaps that have long hindered effective waste management, particularly plastic leakage from inland communities and waterways into the Atlantic Ocean.
The PROTEGO initiative is supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection and led by adelphi, with implementation in Nigeria by WASTE Africa and the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC).
The policy brief is a key delivery for one of the programme’s four impact areas – building capacities of public stakeholders.
