Group Commences Massive Environmental Protection Campaign Across Africa

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By ibrahima
The African Climate Reporters, an NGO, has commenced massive campaign through the social media and other media networks across Africa to raise more awareness on the importance of protecting the environment against all forms of challenges.

The Country Director, African Climate Reporters, Mr Nurudeen Bello, said in an interview with journalists on Wednesday in Kaduna.

He said that the focus of the campaign was on preventing land, air and water pollution to save humans and other living organisms.
Bello said that the campaign was made digital due to the need to observe COVID-19 protocols and the fact that the youth were most active on social media.

“The earth is facing more dangerous challenges as a result of human irrational activities that are capable of affecting human beings, animals, and all the living organisms surrounding the environment.

“Humans have introduced significant number of chemicals into the environment which are very harmful to marine animals and other living organisms.

“While some chemicals are designed to get rid of weeds and pests, a significant amount of chemicals are waste from industrial and agricultural processes.”

Bello explained that the campaign would raise awareness on the harmful effects of such chemicals, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, and threat of plastic waste among others.

He said that another target of the campaign was to get everyone involved in “reducing the garbage on the street, at home, market, schools, and other social gathering centres and to reduce the amount of Co2 in the atmosphere.”

The country director stressed that social media was an important area within climate change communication and that was why the organisation was using it to raise more awareness for the general public.

“People need to stop indiscriminate dumping of wastes in the streets, gutters, and their neighbourhood. As a people, we don’t have good waste disposal culture. This is very unpleasant and unhealthy.

“We must continue the campaign and that is why we sensitise thousands of African youths through the electronic media and social platforms on the importance of the Earth Day celebration.

“There is need for more volunteers across the region to join the campaign to raise more voices aimed at saving our environment and the earth that we are living in.”

According to him, a report in 2014 said an estimated 15 to 51 trillion microplastic particles were floating in the world’s oceans, weighing between 93,000 tonnes and 236,000 tonnes.

“The number has multiplied by now due to human irrational activities of dumping all kinds of trash into the river without knowing the consequences and effects on other living organisms.

“Our oceans and seas are dominated by plastic, not aquatic animals, hence the need to change our attitude of dumping all sort of trash into the gutters that usually end up in the river, thereby killing our aquatic mammals.”

Bello called on women, environmentalists, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society Organisations, traditional and religious leaders to join the campaign.

“African Union (AU) should support every African nation with ways of enhancing use of renewable energies, so as to save our forests against increased demand for firewood, timber and charcoal.”

Dr Piman Hoffman, Assistant Director, African Climate Reporters, urged the AU to encourage more recycling companies across the continent to reduce the volume of huge waste causing diseases and environmental degradation.

“This would help in tackling wastes causing various diseases and other environmental challenges in the society and it would help in turning waste to wealth in the society across the continent,” Hoffman said

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