The BRACED Commission, the economic groupings of states in the South-South zone, has stressed the need for stakeholders to embrace sustainable practices that help safeguard the environment and the need to strengthen environmental governance.

The BRACED Commission Director-General, Ambassador Joe Keshi, in a statement to mark World Environment Day, noted that environmentally friendly behaviours help reduce the emission of dangerous or poisonous substances that harm humans.

He said that the health of the South-South region has a direct link with the well-being and prosperity of its people, and that making the region pollution-free would also impact the coming generations.

Keshi said: “As one of Nigeria’s most ecologically significant zones, the region is endowed with vast wetlands, mangrove forests, rivers, and biodiversity that sustain livelihoods, human capital and cultural heritage.

“However, these natural assets continue to face serious challenges, including climate change, coastal erosion, oil pollution, deforestation, unsustainable resource exploitation and lack of political and economic will.”

He said that efforts should be made to do away with “practices that threaten the health of the earth, including shifting away from fossil fuel through renewable energy and encouraging policies and practices that protect natural resources and hold polluters accountable.