The World Environment Day (WED), held annually on June 5 is the biggest event to celebrate and promote environmental awareness and sustainability across the globe. Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, WED aims to raise global awareness and mobilize humans to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth.
This global event is not only the principal vehicle through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment, but also gives a human perspective to environmental issues, empowers people to become active agents of sustainable development and advocates multi-stakeholder partnerships in support of the environment. From 1973, when the first WED was held, the event has always been marked with different campaign themes and discussions focusing on environmental stewardship.
“Beat Plastic Pollution”, the theme for World Environment 2018, urges governments, industry, communities and individuals to come together in exploring sustainable alternatives to urgently reduce the production and excessive use of single-use plastic polluting our oceans, damaging marine life and threatening human health. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, every year the world uses 500 billion plastic bags; each year, at least 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans, the equivalent of a full garbage truck every minute.
Happily, some corporate bodies have made Environmental stewardship part of their social investments. One of such organizations in Nigeria is Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), the operator of the joint venture between the Nigerian National Petroleum (NNPC) and CNL. For over 50 years, CNL has remained an active agent of sustainable development and strong advocate of partnerships in support of the environment.
Explaining CNL’s commitment to the environment, the Chairman/Managing Director, Jeff Ewing noted that CNL is happy to be part of the solution to the global environmental issues wherever the company operates through its sound environmental management policy that supports environmental stewardship and sustainable development. According to him, CNL has in place company-wide operational excellence management systems that deliver industry-leading performance in process safety, personal safety and health, environment, reliability and efficiency. CNL has a record of responsible environmental stewardship everywhere it operates and has also established enduring partnerships with governments, non–governmental organizations, business organizations and communities. CNL has been supporting and sponsoring various programmes aimed at preserving the environment. These partnerships and efforts have been recognized and rewarded within and outside the country,” he remarked.
CNL’s environmental stewardship process lays the foundation for sound environmental management through inclusion of the environment in decision making from the identification, assessment and management of environmental risks from project inception to operations and through decommissioning. CNL recognizes the importance of minimizing our footprints and conserving biodiversity. NNPC/CNL JV strives continually to achieve world class environmental excellence by assessing and reducing its footprints and potential impacts from its operations on the environment.
Management of waste is an integral part of CNL’s operations and this is documented by project and operations focused waste management plans. The company states that it effectively manages its third-party waste handling contractors towards ensuring management of waste from cradle to grave (generation, storage, transportation and disposal).
Chevron Nigeria’s commitment to preserving the environment has left enduring landmarks in the landscape, including the Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC) – a centre of excellence in environmental research and education reserved as a sanctuary for the rich flora and fauna of the Lekki Peninsula. This 78-hectare facility is the only one of such facilities in the Lagos area and was established by CNL in partnership with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) in 1992. The support for the LCC best connects Chevron’s activities to the theme of the WED 2018.The NCF is Nigeria’s foremost non-governmental organization dedicated to environmental conservation and an affiliate of the World-Wide Fund for Nature.
In 2005, Chevron established a yearly postgraduate research scholarship for PhD students in environment and conservation. In addition, Chevron hosts the annual S. L. Edu Memorial Lecture to promote environmental management awareness.
Esimaje Brikinn, CNL’s General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs notes that beyond the awards, CNL is ever willing to continue to collaborate with all stakeholders to safeguard the environment. “We are continually working to improve our processes to reduce pollution and waste, conserve natural resources, and reduce potentially negative environmental impacts of our activities and operations,” he remarked.
