Gemide, a consultant at Bonnie Bio, a biodegradable materials company, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.
According to Gemide, plastic pollution was contributing to climate change and endangering human and other species on earth.
“Plastic is money and a lot of Nigerians are unemployed.
‘’We can reframe plastic pollution in a way that people can actually engage without believing in it but make money from it while helping the environment.
“People will believe climate change effects are real when they pick up plastic waste, sell it and make an income from it.” Gemide said.
She said Nigeria needed to reform its approach to the sensitization of citizens on the dangers of plastic pollution and climate change effects on the environment.
Gemide maintained that understanding the necessity of plastic alternatives was necessary to curb plastic pollution.
She said the narrative had to be reframed if Nigerians were to believe that climate change was not a myth.
“Our aim as biodegradable materials company is basically to sensitize people on plastic pollution and why plastic alternatives are necessary.
“Sometimes it might be worth going through another direction in convincing people that climate change and plastic pollution are not myths.
“I think one of the reasons people do not think of the immediate or even future effects of climate change realities in Nigeria is because they are not given reasons to hope.
“When we instil hope in people that they can make a living by cashing out on plastic pollution, they can have a change of attitude and mind-set towards climate change realities,’’ Gemide said.
