Global multi-faith alliance of grassroots religious organisation Green Faith International Network has urged the Lagos State to implement a climate action plan and protect the state’s coastline and livelihoods from unsustainable industrial sand dredging and mining.
Former judge Christiana Dosunmu asserted that humankind has abandoned its duty of taking care of the environment for far too long.
“We don’t think of the negative impact on the way we handle our environment and that is why we are having these impacts on the environment,” she said.
“The nature that we are supposed to take care of is now fighting back because man has destroyed the original plan of God.”
Ms Dosunmu also said that being aware of the importance of taking care of the environment will lead to a healthier population.
Lagos State Urban Forest and Animal Shelter Initiative (LUFASI) chairman Desmond Majekodunmi also reminded that the flooding problem Lagos faces — a symptom of climate change — is the current most urgent environmental challenge that the state must tackle right away.
Mr Majekodunmi said that religious leaders should look into their scriptures, in which they would find that God wanted human beings to take care of the environment. He warned that no single religion in the world allows the destruction of the environment as otherwise, its believers would have no place to live.
Media coordinator Muhammed Almahroof added that religious groups would no longer tolerate vague rhetoric by politicians and faith leaders regarding mitigating climate change.
