ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Environment has announced Green Journalist Award for the working journalists to encourage them to play active role for raising awareness on environmental issues and to promote healthy competition among them for raising awareness on environmental issues. The Award would comprise an Acknowledgment Shield and varying amount of Cash Award for different categories.

These awards would be given on eve of the World Environment Day on June 05, however, as already announced (in the calendar of activities for the National Year of Environment 2009) excellence award would be given in December to the journalists showing good performance for highlighting the environmental issues during National Year of Environment 2009.

The Ministry of Environment has requested the journalists working on environment to furnish three (3) best entries of their published articles/ features, news, photograph and telecasted/ broadcasted news/documentaries regarding the environment during the period of the June 06, 2008 to May 15, 2009 through their organizations not latter than 21st of this month. The journalists may submit their entries to the Deputy Director (Media) of the Ministry in the Local Government and Rural Development Complex, G-5/2, Islamabad .

The Federal Minister for Environment Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi speaking in this connection has said that to bring a visible improvement in the rapidly deteriorating quality of air, water and land, to mitigate the effects of climate change, deforestation, industrial pollution, vehicular pollution, problems related to water and sanitation, solid waste management, energy conservation, rehabilitation of failing ecosystems, wetlands and other challenges in the Environment sector of Pakistan, it is necessary to create awareness in the general public and make them aware of the pressing concerns by dissemination of information on environmental degradation through means of mass communication particularly through print and electronic media.

The Minister said that the general trend in the past, the environment had been the least focused area in the media. That is why engaging media, in special reference to National Year of Environment, has become imperative to give proper coverage to environmental issues. NNI

Islamabad: The 7th Pakistan Environmental Reporting Awards (PERA) ceremony was held on Earth Day at the Serena Hotel Islamabad to award the winners of ACCA-WWF Pakistan Environmental Reporting Awards 2008. Endorsed by the Ministry of Environment and IUCN Pakistan, the ACCA-WWF Pakistan Environmental Reporting Awards were launched in 2002 to recognise and reward companies that report corporate environmental, social and sustainability performance to a broad range of stakeholders.

A total of 44 entries were received for ACCA-WWF Pakistan Environmental Reporting Awards 2007-2008.. The winners for 2008 were Attock Refinery Ltd. for Best Sustainability Report 2008; Pak Electron Ltd. for Best Environmental Report 2008 in the Local Listed Company Category; Hinopak Motors Ltd. for Best Environmental Report 2008 in the Multinational Category. Qarshi Industries Pvt. Ltd. was awarded commendation for showing their commitment and consistency to transparency in reporting.

The Chief Guest at the event, Mr Kamran Lashari, Federal Secretary Environment presented trophies to the winners. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Lashari lauded the hard work of all the companies who participated in the Awards Scheme. He acknowledged the awards stating,

“The government of Pakistan is very much supportive of private sector initiatives like the ACCA-WWF Pakistan Environmental Reporting Awards and is willing to work with ACCA and WWF to encourage greater buy in of the business community”.

With an estimated two million people dying prematurely due to air pollution each year, the United Nations weather-monitoring agency is focusing on the movement of pollutants around the globe as it marks World Meteorological Day today.

Under the theme of “Weather, climate and the air we breathe,” the UN World Meteorological Organization is using the day to draw attention to the work of its 188 members’ National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in air quality data, research and forecasts.

“WMO has been actively involved in international efforts to assess our evolving atmosphere in terms of air pollutants such as ground-level ozone, smog, particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide and dioxide,” WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said, noting that most of those result from the combustion of fossil fuels.

Member States’ national meteorological services have been working together to collect and analyze the data “that are essential for forecasting atmospheric pollution and for protecting communities against its health and economic impacts,” he added.

The more scientists understand the weather-climate system, the better they are able to forecast the distribution of potentially harmful atmospheric particles and gases, WMO explained. In a major initiative, networks of stations in the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) collect data on greenhouse gases – such as carbon dioxide and methane – and reactive gases, including ozone, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide.

These observations work in concert with the vast weather, climate and water observational networks coordinated through the WMO Integrated Observing System, and the national services use the data collected to produce air quality indexes and other pollution forecasts.

More air quality services will soon be available, as work continues to better understand the effects of air pollution in various settings, particularly its effect on climate change, the agency added. The World Climate Conference-3, which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 31 August to 4 September 2009, will further explore the links between climate and health, engaging scientists, decision-makers and policy-makers from the public and private sectors, WMO said.

World Meteorological Day commemorates the1950 entry into force of the Convention that created the WMO, which became a specialized agency of the UN one year later.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has underscored the potential of water as a unifying force rather than a catalyst for conflict, stressing that the world’s collective future depends on how it manages this precious resource. “More than ever we need to work together to use it wisely,” Mr. Ban said in a message to mark World Water Day, observed annually on 22 March.

“While the world’s growing population is consuming more freshwater, climate change is making less water available in many regions as glaciers recede, rainfall becomes less predictable, and floods and droughts become more extreme. Managing water carefully and balancing the varied needs for it is vital,” he stated.

Much of the planet’s water, above or below ground, is shared. Forty per cent of the world’s people live in 1 of 263 basins that are shared by two or more countries. Concern over the possibility of violent disputes features regularly in discussions about sharing limited water resources.”But while the potential exists for water to act as a catalyst for conflict between States and communities, precedent suggests that the opposite is actually what happens,” he noted. “Cooperation, not conflict, is the most common response by people facing competing demands.”

Under the theme “Shared Waters, Shared Opportunities,” this year’s Day highlights how transboundary water resources can act as a unifying force.

The Secretary-General noted that worldwide, there are at least 300 international water agreements, often among parties that are otherwise at odds. These agreements demonstrate the potential of shared water resources to foster trust and promote peace. “I urge Governments, civil society, the private sector and all stakeholders to recognize that our collective future depends on how we manage our precious and finite water resources,” he said.

The head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has used his World Water Day message to stress that investing in the world’s freshwaters could be one of the keys to aiding global economic recovery.

“The global water market for supply, sanitation and water efficiency is worth over $250 billion and is likely to grow to nearly $660 billion by 2020,” Executive Director Achim Steiner noted. “This represents new businesses and new employment prospects for developed and developing economies.

“Meanwhile, an investment of $15 billion a year towards meeting the Millennium Development Goal of halving by 2015 the number of people without sustainable access to safe water and basic sanitation could generate global economic benefits worth $38 billion annually,” he added.

Also marking the Day, the Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation voiced her concern about access to water and sanitation during emergencies.”The chaos and insecurity caused by war and natural disasters frequently block access to water and sanitation, with devastating results,” said Catarina de Albuquerque. “Economic, social and cultural rights, including those related to water and sanitation, are always applicable, and States may not excuse themselves from respecting them during times of emergency,” she added.UN News Service

DUBAI: The alternate energy will play a great role in catering to the growing demand for trade and industry in future as the present energy crisis was getting bigger every day. This was stated by the former British premier Tony Blair while talking to the President National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) Naeem Qureshi at a meeting on the sidelines of recently concluded second World Future Energy summit in Abu Dhabi.

He said that rising industrial activities, growing energy utilization and ill planning were the major reasons for prompting global energy crisis. Blair said that future belongs to solar and wind energy, geo-thermal and biomass and bio-fuels. This will not only provide energy to the entire world but help in reducing environment pollution, he added.

He said that about $ 520 billion will be required for the promotion of alternate energy till the year 2030 and the developing countries have to take up this responsibility. Former British premier said that large nations did not implement environmental standards despite ratification of Kuto Protocol. This will increase environmental degradation and pose serious threats to the world, he noted. Tony Blair said that UK has to reduce carbon emission by 80 percent by the year 2050.

He was of the opinion that developed and developing countries have go along for a sustainable development. He pointed out that the share of alternate energy will grow to 50 percent by the year 2100 and countries in the Middle East will play a prominent role in this development as this region has a market of $ 8 billion.

Blair further said: “It is right now, at the instant when our thoughts are centered on the economic challenge that we must not set to one side the challenge of global warming, but instead resolve to meet it and put the world on path to a sustainable future.” Blair outlined a range of steps that were required through a “global compact” to meet the environmental challenge.

“It needs not just a 2050 target but an interim target to get there a target for 2020 that shows seriousness of intent and gives business a clear, unequivocal signal to invest in a low-carbon future”, he opined. The interim goals would largely be aimed at the West but he believed it would have to be matched by obligations in the developing world.

He suggested that strategic partnerships between China and America, India and America and Europe and America would be important, with all three being of “paramount importance”. Blair said there was a need for a step change, not small steps to meet the scale of the challenge, but he also said it was necessary to be practical about what could be done.

“There is no point in demanding of President Obama something he cannot deliver. Instead let us help him deliver what he can.” Blair said global warming required enormous changes in the way the world did its business but that global cooperation brought wider benefits.

He praised Abu Dhabi for its decision earlier this week to set a 7% renewable energy target for 2020. That showed other oil-rich nations in the region what could be done and was an example of the kind of move away from pure self-interest that the world needed, argued Blair. He set out the importance of a green new deal to revitalize economies, arguing it was vital to “invest now in these times of a low-carbon price for the times when that price rises again”

On this occasion, Naeem Qureshi apprised Tony Blair of the performance and role of NFEH. Qureshi who is also the managing editor of leading energy magazine “Energy Update” presented the latest copy of the magazine. Tony Blair and other participants at the energy summit lauded the standard of Energy Update.-SANA

ISLAMABAD: China would help Pakistan to tackle the environmental problems particularly addressing the climate change issues. China offered assistance for trainings and capacity building for formulating and executing CDM projects in Pakistan. This was agreed in a meeting between Federal Minister for Environment Mr. Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi and Mr. Zhenhua Xie, Vice Chairman and Minister National Development and Reform Commission China.

Both the sides discussed matters possibilities of cooperation between Pakistan and China on the issue of climate change particularly Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The Federal Minister underlined the need for finalizing the operational modalities for mutual cooperation in trainings and capacity building.

The two sides also agreed to explore areas of cooperation in the field of climate change for which an initial consultation meeting would soon be convened at a mutually agreed place. This development comes at the heels of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between China and Pakistan during the visit of President Asif Ali Zardari to China in October 2008.

Federal Minister also held a meeting with Mr. Yvo de Boer, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change, in which the Minister informed Mr. de Boer that the year 2009 was declared as the National Year Environment by Pakistan, keeping in view the monumental challenge of climate change and environment facing the global community.

Mr. Afridi invited Mr. Boer to visit Pakistan at a convenient date in the context of celebrating 2009 as the Year of Environment, who accepted the offer. Federal Environment Minister is leading the Pakistan delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference at Poznan in Poland.-SANA

Pakistan Economy Watch said decision to use ethanol as fuel could result in severe food crisis and environmental hazards. Apart from energy, it requires four to five gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol. Later the water becomes toxic. Increase in greenhouse gases is also an effect.

The recent global food crisis was not result of any calamities but the economic vision of George W Bush who religiously pushed the policy to use food as fuel, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President Pakistan Economy Watch. The decision was taken to minimise dependence of Arab fossil fuel which backfired in the first year of execution, he added.

He said that European Union also followed the suit without considering the consequences which compounded the crisis. Many rich nations escaped the situation owing to their buying power but poor in Africa and Asia paid the price. “Few gallons of fuel produced by processing sugar, corn or other edibles can feed a normal family for couple of months,” he said adding that food is supposed for the human consumption and it should not end up in petrol tanks. Automotives should not be considered as more important than human.

Majority of countries have abandoned policy to use food items for making clean-burning additive to petrol. Almost all countries are busy in ensuring food security through building strategic food reserves and promoting agriculture while we leading in the opposite direction.

The decision cannot be justified in the backdrop of receding global oil prices; especially in a country that is dependent on food imports, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal. Some fifty ethanol plans in the US alone have been closed and the number is projected to cross 100 by the next year; same is the case with the EU. Not masses but a lobby need these plants.-SANA

ISLAMABAD: The Ministers of the SAARC Countries has Signed Delhi Declaration on conclusion of the Third South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN-III) concluded with a call for according national priority to Sanitation. The Delhi Declaration was signed by the Ministers of from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Federal Minister for Environment Mr. Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi led the Pakistan delegation on the conference.

“The declaration recognizes that access to sanitation and safe drinking water as a basic right, and accords national priority to sanitation It confirms commitment to achieving National and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on Sanitation in a time-bound manner in all participating countries of South Asia. It also asserts that achieving total and sustainable sanitation in all rural and urban communities in the member countries is not only possible but also is a cherished goal reiterated in SACOSAN-I at Dhaka (2003) and SACOSAN-II at Islamabad (2006).

“The declaration reiterates member’s commitment to the following key principles and specific actions that need to be implemented at household, local, sub-national and national levels to accelerate performance and rapidly achieve sanitation goals:

“Ensuring that the present and future generations enjoy a healthy environment, with clean air, soil and fresh water resources; Achieving sanitation for all will be an inclusive process, involving all stakeholders at all stages, especially local governments, community and grassroots groups; Sanitation will not be considered merely an infrastructure or financing challenge, but one that requires effective policy, institutional and fiscal incentives to change behavior, working in partnership with religious leaders, communities, institutions (e.g. schools etc.), local governments and service providers; and strengthening their capacities and accountability in mobilizing, implementation and monitoring; Promote thinking of sanitation as the full cycle of proper arrangements, safe conveyance and sanitary disposal/re-use of liquid and solid wastes (including solutions that do not adversely impact the quality of land and water resources), and associated hygiene behavior; A range of sanitation provision and service options will be available to choose from.

Basic access to sanitation facilities will be ensured to all by reducing disparities through appropriate budgetary policies, with active participation, contribution, decision-making and ownership by communities; Incentives and support will be provided for the poor and people in vulnerable areas; The needs and concerns of women and most vulnerable (e.g. infants, children especially girl-children, the differently-abled, the elderly) will be addressed as a priority.

Innovative mechanisms e.g. micro-finance by Self Help Groups, will be effectively promoted; Socially and economically disadvantaged households will be mobilized to form groups; and supported to access sanitation and other development programs; The special sanitation needs of women (e.g. menstrual hygiene management) will be integrated in planning, implementation, monitoring and measurement of program outcomes.

The key role of women in managing sanitation and hygiene in community settings will be enhanced; Greater thrust will be placed on promoting adequate sanitation in schools e.g. separate facilities for boys and girls, supported by safe drinking water and with adequate child-friendly facilities. Hygiene education will be incorporated into the school curricula.

To promote good hygiene behavior and upkeep of facilities; Collaboration between countries will be strengthened to develop capacities, sharing of best practices, and to promote mechanisms for independent monitoring; Behavior Change Communication and information sharing will be effectively utilized for creating demand for clean and healthy environment, and for promoting good hygiene behavior; in partnership with Media and using Information and Communication Technologies; Sanitation and hygiene needs to be integrated into health, education and other related policies, and regulations effectively enforced; Technologies (e.g. which require less water and/or no water) and the practice of “reuse and recycle” of human wastes, and solid and liquid wastes (including conversion into energy), will be promoted; Collaborations with the private sector (including toilet associations.

The groups of sanitary goods and service-providers) will be strengthened in developing sanitation standards, technologies and products that are appropriate, affordable, ecologically-friendly and easily accessible; For urban areas, an integrated city-wide approach will be adopted to ensure the safe management (including treatment and disposal) of human wastes, and all other solid and liquid wastes (including medical, industrial and commercial wastes, etc.);The urban poor, especially those in slum settlements, will be facilitated and supported to obtain access to safe sanitation as a part of the integrated city-wide sanitation plans; and The critical role of personnel involved in sanitation work will be recognized, and measures taken to raise their dignity.

“The member countries have committed to achieve the national goals and the Millennium Development Goals on Sanitation in a time-bound manner during the ongoing International Year of Sanitation 2008 and took a resolve for Continuing the advocacy and awareness to sustain the momentum given to sanitation explicitly at the regional, national, sub-national and local levels, in policy, budgetary allocation, human resources, and implementation.

They took vow for strengthening community efforts and developing capacities of Local Governments, non-governmental organizations, youth and community groups to work in partnership for sustainable sanitation solutions. The action taking include to Ensure occupational dignity, health, safety and improve the profile and working conditions of personnel involved in sanitation work and also to prioritize sanitation as a development intervention for health, dignity and security of all members of communities especially infants, girl-children, women, the elderly and differently-abled.

Accordingly, efforts will be made for mainstream sanitation across sectors, ministries/departments, institutions, domains (private, household, schools, community, public), and socio-political persuasions, so that sanitation is everybody’s concern and prioritized in their respective programs (e.g. railways or tourism agencies promoting access to sanitation facilities as a part of their programs).

They will also develop and implement approaches, methodologies, technologies and systems for emergencies, and disaster situations, and for areas, with special characteristics/ terrains or groups suffering temporary displacement. In addition work to advocate globally the recognition of climate change impacts on sanitation provision in South Asia, and develop and implement strategies and technologies that adapt to and mitigate impact and will enable flexibility and variety in options and practical solutions to suit local conditions, preferences, and resources.

“An inter-country Working Group, led by country focal points, will meet periodically to promote research and development, collaborations, exchanges of innovations, experiences and expertise; networks among intra-country groups and agencies will be created for sharing of knowledge and the Indicative “South Asia Roadmap for Achieving Sanitation Goals” will be consulted by the participant countries to develop their national Action Plans for implementation over the 2009-2011 period.

“The declaration while expressing its gratitude towards the Government of India and its people for the warm hospitality expressed hope that momentum gained by the three SACOSANs will be further continued by the hosting of the Fourth SACOSAN in Sri Lanka in 2010, and the fifth SACOSAN in Nepal in 2012.-SANA

Urbanization must not come at expense of Environment..
New York: Top United Nations officials have marked World Habitat Day with a call to ensure that the rapid urbanization of towns and cities – which the majority of people today call home – is accompanied by decent living conditions and efforts to preserve the environment.

The theme of this year’s Day is “harmonious cities,” in an effort to raise awareness of the problems of rapid urbanization, its impact on the environment and the challenges of rising urban poverty.
“Our rapidly urbanizing world cannot claim to be harmonious if slum dwellers do not enjoy opportunities to find jobs and improve their living conditions,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day, which is observed on the first Monday in October each year.

“Nor will it be harmonious if the growth and expansion of urban areas comes at the expense of the natural environment,” he added. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the set of anti-poverty targets world leaders committed to in 2000, call for a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020.

“Cities have tremendous potential to be places where balanced development prevails, where diverse people live in harmony, and where healthy living conditions coexist with low levels of energy consumption, resource-use and waste. I call on all partners and stakeholders to do our utmost to realize this potential, and to build decent living conditions for all women, men and children in a way that also preserves our natural heritage and promotes greener and smarter growth.”

Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of the agency which promotes socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities and adequate shelter for all (known as UN-HABITAT), said that with the number of urban slum dwellers worldwide moving above the 1 billion mark, rising urban poverty is one of today’s biggest development challenges.

“We have both a moral and ethical responsibility to make our cities more harmonious by making them more inclusive. It is a societal imperative that we fight urban poverty and squalor if we are to secure urban safety and security,

” she said in her message for the Day.

Ms. Tibaijuka added that it is no coincidence that climate change is emerging at the forefront of international debate at the same time as the world becomes more urbanized. “Cities consume upwards of 75 per cent of all energy and contribute to an equally substantial amount of green house gas emissions. Cities must therefore be an integral part of any mitigation efforts,” she stated.

“Reducing the contribution of cities to climate change and the vulnerability of cities to the effects of climate change must be viewed as a historical opportunity to improve the living conditions of all women and men, including the most vulnerable segments of our urban populations,” she added. “I can think of no better initiative than to combine these efforts to make our cities and towns greener and safer and more equitable.”

The UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing noted that the growth of slums in the last 15 years has been “unprecedented” with one out of every three city dwellers today – approximately 998 million people – living in a slum.

“Living in slums means being deprived of access to adequate sanitation, education and health care or to other services and opportunities. It also means being excluded from full participation in civic life and the exercise of citizen’s rights, as slums are considered illegal, informal or transitory and in any case a non-permanent part of a city’s political and economic fabric,” Raquel Rolnik said in a statement.

Numerous events are taking place around the globe to mark this year’s World Habitat Day, including the launch in Bangkok of a free online “Quick Guides” to help policymakers deal with the key issues of housing urban poor in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Quick Guides, developed jointly by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and UN-HABITAT, are in response to the unprecedented growth of slums and squatter settlements that over 500 million people in the region call home.

This year’s Day comes ahead of the fourth session of the World Urban Forum, set to take place in Nanjing, China, from 3 to 6 November. The Forum, the premier global event on managing urbanization, will also witness the launch of the State of the World’s Cities, UN-HABITAT’s flagship biennial publication. Nanjing is also the recipient of this year’s Habitat Scroll of Honour Special Citation, which is conferred upon cities, governmental and non-governmental organizations, local authorities, public, private and research bodies, or individuals for outstanding achievements in the cause of sustainable human settlements.

In addition, the Chinese cities of Shaoxing and Zhangjiagang were given the Habitat Scroll of Honour Award, along with the Rwandan capital, Kigali, the Russian city of Bugulma, and Ciudad Juarez, a major Mexican city on the United States border.-UN News Service

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan intends to play its due role to prevent the climate change that has become a real critical challenge for the world. In his message on the occasion of World Tourism Day being observed on September 27 (today), the prime minister said: “In the present age, environmental changes have affected our lives adversely.

Our very existence on this earth will be in danger if we did not counter serious issues like dry seasons lasting for years, drought-like conditions in vast swathes of territory, continuous rains for months, flash-floods, thunder storms, rising temperature of the world and melting glaciers. This is the reason why climate change was made the topic of World Tourism Day.”

“To stop this change, is the need of the hour and Pakistan intends to play its due role in this regard,” the prime minister said. He said when tourist industry grows the economy of the country grows consequently. The day is being celebrated since September 27, 1980 by the World Tourism Organization. It was established at the Third Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Torremolinos, Spain, in the September of 1979. The purpose of this day is to display the awareness that tourism is vital to the international community and to show how it affects the social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.-SANA