By Christopher Wiah
Margibi County: The celebration was held under the Global theme ‘Solutions to plastic pollution’ with Liberia heading “Beat Plastic Pollution” as her national theme.
World environment day was crafted at the United Nations General assembly by resolution adopted in 1972 which declared the 5th day of June each year to be celebrated as world environment day by all member states which Liberia is signatory to.
Partnership is key in achieving major goals like finding solutions to plastic pollution in Liberia. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and its SGP partners, USAID, Sweden Sverige, Conservation International (CI) Breakthrough Action, UNDP’s supported partners joined ranks with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have a successful execution of the event bringing together participants from various counties to celebrate the environment
Countries from around the world have started to experience the harshness of our environment with plastic and other waste being seen as some of the major threats we have to face. In solving some of these major issues, awareness and education about the negative side effects of plastic waste are some of the reasons for celebrating environmental day helping to minimized plastic waste over the next 20 years in Liberia. Plastic usage is high amongst third world countries like Liberia with over thousands of tons spread out in the streets and waters of Liberia.
Liberia over the last 20 years have loose major marine species due to the plastic pollution around Liberia.
Partnership is key in achieving major goals like finding solutions to plastic pollution in Liberia. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), USAID, Sweden Sverige, Conservation International (CI) Breakthrough Action, UNDP’s supported partners joined ranks with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have a successful execution of the event bringing together participants from various counties to celebrate the environment
Hon. Vincent Willie of district #4 in Grand Bassa County and the Chairman on the Houses Standing Committee on the Environmental natural resource management began his speech by appreciating the EPA and partners for taking the environment into consideration and finding remedy to minimizing plastic pollution especially with the celebration in his county for the second time over the last five years.
Despite we are a third world country using plastic as our major rap bags, water management and other forms of plastic use, there’s more we can do in solving some of these challenges. If nations around the world have not realized the negative impacts of climate change and waste pollution, this is now time to divert our attention to resolving plastic solution, he added.
Hon. Willie who has over the years being so passionate about plastic waste pollution, expressed his willingness to inform his fellow legislators about the importance of the topic and promised to work in line with other members of the legislature to see how best they all can rally to support the efforts of national and international partners effort’s to beat plastic pollution.
“Today, as we all leave from here, let’s think about the solution of plastic waste around Liberia and serve as ambassadors in the fight against plastic pollution for a healthy environment”
For this part,Hon. Randall M. Dobayou II the deputy executive director at EPA initiated the conversation by educating participants about the dinger of plastic pollution and how we all can join hands in the fight against plastic pollution.
Statistics have shown the life spam of a plastic when disposed in to the ground stays over 5-600 years before it is decomposed making it non-environmentally friendly.
“We all here today can safely say, our yields are becoming low as compare to the past 20-30 years when plastic was not as popular like today, this alone calls for concern and we all need to see how best we can fight this menace before all our good soils are polluted and our beautiful marines species are gone. We need to take this serious”
The awareness today spicing up with environmental debate amongst universities and other institutions should serve as a guide and reflection on how we can beat plastic pollution, he added.
The EPA though its deputy executive director highlighted the significant gains Liberia has made in fight plastic waste and other pollution through the assistance of the government of Liberia and friendly international partners
One recommendation about how we can fight plastic waste is toting a single plastic to a trash can or solutions on how we can recycle for multiple usage
Other local and international partners followed the proclamation of the president which was read by student Emmanuel Brayant of the 11th grade class of the Kpanay town Public School.
Their separate remarks were centered on the observance of world environment day which provides the opportunities to institutions and individual citizens to focus worldwide attention on the importance of the environment and to empower people and institutions to become more active agents of sustainable and equitable development.
They all narrative the celebration of the day calls for transformative changes to policies and other choices to enable cleaner, greener, and sustainable living conditions in harmony with nature and our possibilities for shifting to greener lifestyle and avoid plastic pollution.
“We all join the president and international community by calling on all people residing in the territorial confines of Liberia to cooperate with the EPA in executing the appreciate programs in finding the solution to plastic pollution”
The CEPRESS International University and the University of Liberia engaged into a debate on who’s responsible for the continual plastic pollution in Liberia.
The debate was intended to educate citizens about the importance of saving our environment and finding ways to solve plastic solution.
The debate ended with laughter and in the importance of World Environment Day
Different culture dance groups engage in performing how we can save our environment by minimizing plastic wastes
Institutions and individuals who attended the event got the education and promised to serve as ambassador of plastic waste solutions
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