World Earth Day: HOMEF Calls for End to Plastic Wastes to Save Mother Earth.
Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), an ecology-focused Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has called for a drastic reduction in the use of plastics to save planet Earth from suffocation.
The Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, Dr Nnimmo Bassey in a statement issued to mark 2024 World Earth Day pointed out the need to urgently take actions against plastic waste in order to save the planet.
Bassey called for urgent action to ban the production and usage of single-use plastics stressing that there is need for everyone to be involved in efforts to kick out plastics.
The Executive Director whose call stemmed from the 2024 International Mother Earth Day’s theme ‘Planet Vs Plastic’ charged all to build a liveable future for humans, other beings, and natural systems.
He said the recent addiction to single-use plastics suffocates the planet especially as they can take hundreds of years to decompose, clog water bodies, and cause harmful impacts as a result of their chemical composition.
Bassey who described the world as a plastic civilisation due to a vested interest in hydrocarbons and ease of application insisted that now is a critical time to choose between planet and plastic.
He explained that good sense would tell people to choose the planet, the Mother Earth that sustains all lives while poor sense driven by profit will urge humans to choose plastics because of the ease they bring, despite the harmful impacts on health, climate, and overall health of the planet.
The Executive Director said that research shows that 380 million tonnes of plastic are now produced every year, while only nine percent of plastic ever produced has been recycled.
Bassey noted that Campaigns around the world calling for a 60 per cent reduction in plastic by 2040 are commendable and worthy of support.
He added “As we mark World Earth Day 2024, the alarm must be sounded that it is time to uproot plastics from their fossil base or be ready to be turned into plastic humans living plastic lives and heading to an infernal plastic future. At HOMEF, we are all for the planet, people, and all life forms”.
“At Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), we believe in the intrinsic Rights of Mother Earth and the rights of humans and other beings to be respected and to live in dignity.
It is time to build up courage and to preserve and protect our health, and our livelihoods by embracing alternatives that are sustainable, healthy, and safe for the planet and we must stop all forms of destructive extractive activities in Nigeria, Africa, and the World.
“The Planet vs Plastics campaign is a call to arms, a demand that we act now to end the scourge of plastics and safeguard the health of every living being on our planet,” We are submerged in a sea of plastic wastes, from our creeks to the ocean. It’s time we did better!”