By Parents for Future Nigeria
Be The Change we all Want
We the Parents for Future Nigeria (PFFN) write to you fellow Nigerian parents on this day, April, 2022 in support of the International Mother Earth Day. This is coming soon after the Global Strike which had the theme #PeopleNotProfit (People Not Profit).
INVEST IN OUR PLANET is the theme of this year’s Earthday commemoration. Parents for Future Nigeria is joining the Global Parents for Future to commemorate the day with our own specific asks and offerings as it concerns us in Nigeria, in Africa, the Global South and the world.
The PFF movement focuses on making the climate movement intergenerational, by connecting and supporting the young people who are taking the lead in speaking up and carrying out climate actions, parents and grandparents.
We are striving to be good parents and working with love to bequeath a sustainable planet to the children we love and to the next generation. We are grassroots, decentralized and volunteer-led national and local groups of parents who work together based on shared values of love, hope rooted in action, kindness and respect, inclusivity and independence.
Our vision “is to create a world where all generations thrive on a healthy planet, in harmony with each other and with nature, because decisions are grounded in resilience, justice and love.” Following from this vision, our mission is to promote intergenerational activism to build climate justice. We unite our diverse voices to achieve the urgent political and societal changes needed to ensure all children will live on a habitable planet. We educate, empower and encourage more adults to take action on climate engaging in creative climate strikes and campaigns and action.
This is the charge that we as Nigerian parents have taken up and are resolved to achieve in Nigeria and a way to Invest in Our Planet. We are therefore writing this letter to you to please join us in this mission individually, collectively and with us.
Beyond the climate actions like strikes and campaigns, and other commemorations like the Earthday today April 22nd, World Environment Day 5th June etc, we resolved on the obvious need to work together and consciously bring about a change of attitude in the way we relate to the environment as it pertains to municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal, single-use plastics and fashion wastes. We need to treat the environment with care and love, so that it will continue to be there for us and for our children.
Given the overwhelming waste disposal and management problem in Nigeria, Africa, the global south and the world in general and the intrinsic link between some of these wastes like plastics with the growing threat of Fossil fuels, we are concerned that if the global community is able to achieve the 1.5 degrees and global sustainable development goals, Nigeria will be left behind in so many aspects of our lives and waste management is one of them.
As parents we have resolved that we should talk to our friends and family about the dangers of careless treatment of the environment which have adverse effects on our common home planet Earth. As we have no Planet B. Since as parents we are at all strata of society, from leadership positions in government and corporations, to the everyday parents.
We have specific areas we believe we can all take immediate and practical actions on. They include coming together in communities, municipalities, cities, states and regions under Parents for Future Nigeria to work together on the following points: The Nigerian situation is unique given that we have no social amenities as government is not effectively taking care of such basic needs which is what they are supposed to do, citizens find it difficult to key into such actions that will better our lives. This should not be an excuse if we look at how our ancestors were able to live with nature in harmony.
Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW)
- We should ensure that we reduce waste and not throw wastes arbitrarily. Wastes are of different types.
There are degradable and non-degradable wastes. Degradable wastes are collected in separate bags and are usually good for gardening and farming purposes. Non-degradable wastes comprise recyclable and reusable wastes, which are also collected separately. We should also shun throwing wastes at car parks and through the windows of a moving car. Imagine children in a public transport watching adults (parents) throwing pure water sachets and plastic cans through the car windows. That is a bad example to the next generation.
- We should ensure proper disposal of wastes: We all know that waste is a resource is only when solid waste is disposed of, at designated waste collection points and collected by the respective waste management departments of the state and municipal governments. Parents in government and positions of influence should ensure transparency and professionalism in delivering on their duties to the populace as this is one point where we can all help the immediate and physical environment and ensure a livable future and planet for our children. There is no Planet Earth B and we may not all be able to move to space.
- Burning of wastes: Burning wastes contributes to climate change, air pollution and biodiversity loss. Our air quality index (AQI) is always poor and the negative impact to health is well enumerated by the WHO. There is no other way that cultural change happens except by picking up positive attitudes and shedding negative ones. In most of the developed world, burning of wastes at the household level is a thing of the past. For all the problems that the developed countries create with regard to climate change, burning of wastes by homes and individuals is not one of them.
Plastics
- We should use less and less plastics as they are harmful to our health, that of other species and the planet. Being a bye-product from fossil fuels, the full lifecycle of plastics has very worrying material-life manifestations that should make us as caring parents stop the ‘marriage’ we already have with plastics. For Example, before plastics became a household thing, our people had other more sustainable and environment-friendly way of wrapping foods and other items. They used (some still use) banana leaves to wrap and cook things like moi-moi and okpa, ofada rice etc. Today almost everybody uses polythene bags, because we feel it is easier to use. However, they cause enormous damage to the environment, marine life and to human health due to their adverse chemical content. Also we used to store water in clay pots in a cool place. Even if we may not be able to wholly return to those days of excellent environmental practice, we should draw inspiration from them to always consciously put the planet and our health and that of the future generation into consideration in our daily actions.
Trees
- Cutting trees that we did not plant is a worrisome attitude that our generation have embraced to provide energy and this is harming the environment and all of us. The physical manifestation of high degrees in temperature is an obvious pointer to this. The wanton destruction of forests and cutting trees for charcoal, and communal conflicts etc is a situation that needs immediate attention.
We are also working to embed these features in our children’s education so as to make if a part of popular culture.
We have outlined these and will follow up. If you are interested in joining the movement, please send us an email through: pffn.climatechange@gmail.com.
