A group, Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE), has appealed to the United Nations (UN) and governments to emplace genuine environmental policies in order to end conflicts and terrorism.
Its Vice Chairman Ambassador Ayo Olukanni, stated this at the third UN Environment Assembly (UNEA3) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Olukanni, a former Nigerian High Commissioner to Australia, highlighted a nexus between the environment, conflicts and terrorism and appealed for improved support to civil society groups active in the field of environment to achieve a pollution free planet.
He said the meeting was held against the background of revelations that nine out of 10 people breathe air that exceeds World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines for air quality, adding that more than 17,000 people will die prematurely because of it.
He also said there were revelations that the world dumps 4.8 to 12.7 million tones of plastics in the oceans, causing damage to ecosystems’ livelihood and human health.
Olukanni drew attention to contributions of NGOs to a greener world through advocacy, practical activities such as tree plantings and sustainable agricultural activities, using FADE’s desert agriculture projects as example.
According to him, the group plants economic trees to serve as raw materials for small and medium scale industries, advocating the consideration of NGOs as close partners in the quest to popularise policies and the use of technology for the advancement of sustainable production and consumption goals.