DAN IKPOYI and CHINEDU ASADU, Associated Press
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A teenage climate activist in Nigeria’s largest city recycles trash into a ‘Trashion Show’ runway outfit.
Chinedu Mogbo, founder of the Greenfingers Wildlife Initiative and a conservation group that works with the activists, said the show was designed to raise awareness about environmental pollution.
Lagos, one of Africa’s most populous cities with a population of over 15 million, generates at least 12,000 tons of waste every day, officials say. Enforcement of environmental laws is also inadequate. The World Bank estimates that pollution kills at least 30,000 people each year in the city.
This year’s show came just as world leaders concluded a two-week UN climate change conference in Egypt.
Political cartoons about world leaders
political cartoons
The Greenfingers Wildlife Initiative says it works with young activists and models to recycle as much plastic as possible, one community at a time.
We have regular trash cleanups throughout the community in drains and on the beach. Plastic waste is used to make fabrics for fashion shows.
Covered in a red plastic spoon and cloth, 16-year-old Netaniel Edegwa said he attended this year’s edition as a model “to make a difference.”
“I know that we are all affected by climate change, so I really want to make a difference,” Edegwa said.
Asadu contributed from Abuja, Nigeria.
Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.
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