CBN calls for collective steps to protect environment

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has called for a collective action to live in harmony with nature.

The apex bank, which said this in a statement on Monday, on the occasion of World Environment Day (WED), called for global action on the triple planetary crisis facing the world.

“Today is WED, we must respond to the call for transformative changes to policies and individual choices that would facilitate cleaner, greener, and sustainable living in harmony with nature.

“We must take individual and collective steps to protect our environment, and campaigns for collective, transformative action on a global scale to celebrate, protect and restore our planet.

“We must encourage everyone, everywhere, to live sustainably and take action on the ‘triple planetary crisis’ facing the world today, climate disruption, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.

“WED reminds us that the earth and its ecosystems provide human beings with life and sustenance, and thus, the healthier the ecosystems, the healthier the planet and people,” it said.

According to the CBN, this year’s celebration portrays the urgency to take measures to preserve biodiversity and keep the planet safe.

The WED, also called: Eco Day, is celebrated annually on June 5.

It is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment.

It was first held in 1972, and serves as a platform for raising awareness on environmental issues  such as marine pollution, human overpopulation, global warming, sustainable consumption and wildlife crime.

It is a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 150 countries annually.

Each year, the programme provides a theme and forum for businesses, non government organisations, communities, governments and celebrities to advocate environmental causes.

The theme for the 2022 celebration is “Only One Earth”.

This was also the slogan for the 1972 conference in Stockholm, where the annual global event was first instituted.