The planet Earth is sick. This realization over the last decade has gotten its inhabitants to create further awareness about the state of its health. Policies and programs have been developed at the National and International level to work towards restoring the earth to its optimum capacity. While restoration efforts continue, there has been increased emphasis on sustainability in recent times.
The earliest, well-recognized, academic definition of sustainability focused on “development” and was put forth in 1987 by the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations: “Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” In other words, Sustainability means “meeting our own needs at the moment without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. This definition highlights a very important feature of sustainability- Future generations. Sustainability is about a longer time frame. By many measures, contemporary society fails to meet this criterion. The question though, is why sustainability?
The truth though is no single nation can stabilize the earth’s climate, protect the ozone layer, lead the afforestation and topsoil regeneration, or reverse the effect of melting ice caps. International commitment and collaboration would be necessary to make this happen. However, countries around the world must take it upon themselves to drive the sustainability of their country. A sustainable country involves putting in place policies that will enhance this. However, policies are not enough. Sustainability requires effort from everyone involved.
In 2015, The United Nations introduced The Sustainable Development Goals. This was adopted by 195 countries around the world including Nigeria. It may be easy to use each of the SDG goals as a metric to determine how sustainable a country is. The truth though is most countries do not have a good rating as it relates to how well the SDG goals have been implemented. Nigeria inclusive has been lagging in executing the SDGs.
While this article is about a sustainable Nigeria, for the country to be described as sustainable all 17 SDG goals do not necessarily have to be met. The SDG goals though are interwoven and success in one could translate to success in another. It would be easy to simply write about how implementing each of these SDG goals would mean a Sustainable Nigeria. That is not the approach of this article.
However, four of the SDG goals are apt indicators of how a sustainable Nigeria would look like. As stated earlier, these goals are connected such that succeeding in one could mean succeeding in another even if it is not a primary focus.
Let us now delve into the ‘bare minimum’ Nigeria needs to be described as Sustainable.
Clean Water and Sanitation
Water is life – This is an incontestable truth anywhere on the surface of our green planet. However, a 2022 report by the World Bank has shown that approximately 70 million Nigerians had no access to basic drinking water services and 114 million were without basic sanitation facilities in 2021.
The report titled; ‘Global Water Security & Sanitation Partnership’ showed that access to piped water declined from 36 per cent in 1990 to 11 per cent in 2021.
Accessibility to safe water and sanitation is a strong determinant of a healthy and productive life, as well as environmental sustainability and human advancement. The rural communities of Nigeria are the most affected. No doubt having access to perfect and safe water, as well as adequate sanitation and sensitization of proper hygiene, could lessen the sickness and mortality brought about by preventable infections and can prompt better health, diminish poverty, and increase welfare.
The absence of water additionally influences cultivating and agriculture, causing food insecurity. How? A terrible harvest season could cause less income from the market, which, in turn, could cause less buying power. Families are consequently food insecure, proportioning their profit and their food. Without any doubt, access to clean water affects economic sustainability.
A sustainable Nigeria calls upon us to make policies that will make water accessible to more Nigerians. These policies have to be followed with strict implementation policies.
A sustainable Nigeria is therefore one where its citizens have access to clean water.
Affordable and clean energy
Access to affordable and clean modern energy services is an enormous challenge facing the African continent. Nigeria is not an exception. The Council for Renewable Energy of Nigeria estimates that power outages brought about a loss of 126 billion naira (US$ 984.38 million) annually. Apart from the huge income loss, it has also resulted in health hazards due to the exposure to carbon emissions caused by the constant use of ‘backyard generators’ in different households and business enterprises. Without any doubt, for the planet to stay healthy, every country including Nigeria needs to implement alternative energy sources.
Since Nigeria is blessed with abundant renewable energy resources such as hydroelectric, solar, wind, tidal, and biomass, there is a need to harness these resources and chart a new energy future for Nigeria. Does Nigeria have enough of these clean resources to power the country uninterruptedly? Several research works give an emphatic ‘Yes!’. This would reduce local air pollution and help the country tackle greenhouse gas emissions. In this regard, the government has a responsibility to make renewable energy available and affordable to all.
The truth is beyond environmental sustainability, Nigeria’s economic growth crucially depends on the long-term availability of energy from sources that are affordable, accessible, and environmentally friendly. Affordable and clean energy thus is important to both environmentally and economically sustainable Nigeria. Even more important, than access to this clean energy is the fact that it should be available in the long term so we can have future generations also having the same access. Affordable and clean energy is thus a major ingredient in sustainable Nigeria.
Stop Biodiversity Loss
Biodiversity loss is a global problem. Nigeria is not an exception. Human actions which are not always for the best have contributed greatly to biodiversity loss. Disappearance of species and fertile soil is not a problem we want future generations to experience. Not only does biodiversity loss affect sustainable development, but it also affects other areas such as citizens’ health, social justice, and even the economy. As regards Sustainability, stopping the loss of biodiversity can halt climate change as it reduces the carbon load in the atmosphere, eliminates poverty in Nigeria as well as improves food security. A sustainable Nigeria therefore must prevent further degeneration of habitats. Now is the time to invest in active plantations, and create new farmlands and spaces for people. Behaviours that support biodiversity restoration should be incentivized by the government. A sustainable Nigeria is one where effort is made to protect our biodiversity, especially for those who will be tenants of this part of the planet in centuries to come.
Pollution Control
Like many other countries, Industrialization, Urbanization, and Globalization are the greatest contributors to Pollution in Nigeria over the decades. Pollution has done so much harm to the planet and putting policies as well as implementing them is a very good first step towards having a sustainable Nigeria. Pollution is a very broad area as there are key issues such as the burning of fossil fuel, and waste management which are stand-alone issues. While many would argue that Pollution prevention is even more effective towards realizing sustainability, so much has gone wrong with our day-to-day and industrial processes in Nigeria. Organizations need to fully optimize their Research and Development teams to see ways to reduce pollution and wastage. There has to be a conscious and deliberate effort to find new opportunities, especially in our industries to reduce waste, use fewer resources, and find more efficient and less toxic solutions. The truth is Nigeria can not talk about sustainability without Pollution control. It is a core ingredient.
In conclusion, a sustainable Nigeria would be characterized by policies and actions that ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all citizens, the widespread adoption of affordable and clean energy sources to drive economic growth and environmental preservation, efforts to halt biodiversity loss to protect ecosystems and ensure food security, and stringent pollution control measures to mitigate the harmful effects of industrialization and urbanization.
To achieve sustainability, Nigeria must prioritize the implementation of these key elements, not only for the well-being of its current population but also to secure a prosperous and healthy future for generations to come. Sustainability in Nigeria requires a holistic approach that addresses environmental, social, and economic challenges, making it imperative for the government, organizations, and individuals to work collaboratively towards a greener and more sustainable future.
- Author: Vindication Busayo Joseph