Unical Vc Urges Stakeholders to Champion Environmental Sustainability
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Offiong Efanga Offiong, has urged stakeholders to champion environmental sustainability through deliberate actions and practical solutions aimed at protecting and improving the environment.
Prof. Offiong gave the charge at the 2nd International Conference of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, themed “Man and the Environment: Interactions, Impacts and Pathways to Sustainability,” held at the Cross River Community Hall of the University.
Represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Linkages and Collaboration, Prof. Egrinya Anthony Eneji, the Vice-Chancellor stressed the importance of the environment to human existence, noting that the environment is as important as man himself to human survival and development.
He called on stakeholders to take deliberate steps towards protecting and improving the environment, while urging participants to pay due attention to the issues discussed at the conference and to utilise the opportunities it provides for knowledge sharing, collaboration and the development of practical solutions to environmental challenges.
Prof. Offiong, who commended the Faculty of Environmental Sciences for organising what he described as a timely and academically significant conference, expressed optimism that its resolutions would contribute to efforts aimed at safeguarding the environment.
He also acknowledged the quality of contributions from the panellists, noting that the discussions provided valuable insights into the environmental challenges confronting society and possible approaches to addressing them.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Prof. Francis I. Okpiliya, said the conference came at a critical time when humanity is grappling with complex environmental challenges, including climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, rapid urbanisation, resource depletion and environmental health concerns.
Prof. Okpiliya noted that the challenges require interdisciplinary knowledge, innovative thinking, effective governance and collective action to develop sustainable and context-specific solutions.
He described the conference as a valuable platform for the exchange of knowledge, presentation of cutting-edge research, critical dialogue and the establishment of meaningful collaborations among academia, industry, government, civil society and other relevant stakeholders.
Also speaking, the Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee, Prof. Elizabeth E. Andrew-Essien, said the environment encompasses both physical and human-made patterns and processes, making interdisciplinary engagement essential to understanding and addressing environmental challenges.
She noted that the conference provided an opportunity for scholars, practitioners, policymakers and students to interrogate the relationship between human systems and the ecological systems that sustain them.
Prof. Andrew-Essien said the sub-themes of the conference covered human environment and governance, land-water ecosystems, built environment, health, energy, pollution, climate-environmental economics, digital innovation and creative arts, stressing the need for collaboration across disciplines in addressing environmental concerns.
She further encouraged participants to combine rigorous discipline-specific scholarship with openness to cross-disciplinary conversations, noting that the complexity of environmental issues demands that experts listen to and learn from one another.
She expressed the hope that the conference would generate not only new data and fresh case studies but also practical knowledge capable of contributing to a sustainable future for Cross River State, Nigeria and the wider world.
The conference featured panel discussions, scholarly presentations and interactive sessions aimed at strengthening environmental knowledge, policy and practice, as well as promoting pathways to sustainable development.
Public Relations Unit,
University of Calabar
