From fishermen catching more plastics than fishes in the sea, plastics finding their way into men’s semen and the belly of fishes, plastics in water bodies, gutters and on the streets of cities, urban and even rural areas, the menace of plastics pollution has become a major threat to the global environment.
In view of the urgency of the dangers and threat of what has become a worldwide menace, the Pan African Vision for the Environment (PAVE), and its partners- Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria); Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI); Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) and Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF), organized a capacity building training for journalists and civil society groups to create awareness on the need to educate members of the public with a view to curbing plastic wastes, which have practically invaded every sphere of nature.
Speaking at the workshop titled: Understanding the UN Plastic Treaty Process in Nigeria: A Key Activity Towards Preparations for INC-5 of the Plastic Treaty, President of PAVE, Anthony Akpan, stressed the urgent need to curb the global plastics scourge, insisting that journalists should understand the UN Treaty process to enable them to effectively report and educate members of the public on plastic pollution.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the two-day media capacity building workshop held on November 28 and November 29, 2024 in Lagos, the participants recommended the need for reference-able disaggregated data on the quantity of plastic products being manufactured, used and imported into the country.
During the workshop supported by the Global Greengrants Fund (GGF), Global Alliance for Incineration Alternatives (GAIA) and Break Free
From Plastics (BFFP), the participants resolved that there was the urgent need for civil society to fill the identified gaps in the proposed National Policy on plastic waste management before its adoption by the Federal Executive Council.
“There is an urgent need for standard operating procedures, guidelines for the plastic recycling and management sector. We support the adoption of the Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Sustainable Use of Plastics in Agriculture at the upcoming Committee on Agriculture of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a policy blueprint for the use of plastics in agriculture.
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“The effectiveness of the management of plastics in Nigeria requires an inclusive approach, which should entail the collaboration of different stakeholders at grassroots level including community, religious and political leaders. The government, civil society and corporate bodies should take the lead to sensitize the general public on the public health implications of plastic waste. We enforce that Science, when conducted with integrity and free from external pressures, offers the most reliable insights into the complex challenge of plastic pollution.
“We acknowledge the importance of environmental education in school curricula to increase awareness in future generations and demand a just transition for vulnerable communities with special attention to waste pickers and workers in cooperative settings,” the communiqué stated.
The recommendations also include that the GAIA Nigeria identified various areas of intervention through which the action plan, including policy and regulation, advocacy and engagement, environmental justice and financial resources are being developed.
“All stakeholders resolved to ban single-use plastics immediately through a phased approach, while exploration and promotion of sustainable alternatives to plastics and the use of rubber should be encouraged.
“There should be capacity building engagements, especially training for stakeholders on the plastics pollution issue, with priority on the media and sustained awareness creation on the impacts of single use plastics including use of traditional rulers and town criers in rural communities,” it added.
