"Connecting People to Nature", the theme for World Environment Day 2017, implores us to get outdoors and into nature, to appreciate its beauty and its importance, and to take forward the call to protect the Earth that we share.
True!
The clear confirmations that we are far from Nature stare at our faces as the pressure on our environment continues to increase; Habitat loss and degradation from agriculture and infrastructure development, over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution and loss of biodiversity, ozone depletion, outbreak of flood and deadly diseases, indiscriminate dumping of waste in rivers, and other societal crisis like (corruption and negligence) etc.
Indeed, we are disconnected from Nature!
What if I told you that our ideas of connecting to nature in Nigeria are different from those in Canada?
What if I told you that corruption is the major factor preventing us from connecting to nature?
What if I told you that 95% of Nigerian government officials lack basic understanding of this year’s world Environment Day theme?
What if I told you that 80% of Nigerian youths have given-up on life (nature itself) ?
What if I told you that, we have left this subject for political debates far too long?
Once again United Nations seeks to make the biggest global call and mobilization for action on World Environment Day,
Why must it always be a United Nations call?
Why can’t we call ourselves and do what is right?
What are we doing?
What are we not doing?
World Environment Day is a day for everyone everywhere. It is a day, yet it is everyday .It is a day set aside for action from people of different sections of the society to do something for the environment so that their collective efforts can have positive impact on the environment.
As we encourage people (old and young) to connect with nature by participating in public readings, open mics, street walks, social media campaigns and other 21st century approaches that seek to promote the environment; we should be reminded that the effort to connect with Nature is beyond chats, tweets, talks, holding conferences, signing agreements and doing one particular thing annually.
We must strive to become more environmentally conscious; we must put into practice everything we say conventionally and unconventionally, gradually, till it becomes a habit to connect with Nature. This will be realistic if we begin in commitment with ourselves.
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