The environment in the news friday, 20 April 2007 unep and the Executive Director in the News
Channel News Asia, Singapore : Business world has big role on climate: UN meeting
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- Channel News Asia, Singapore : UN urges Asia to invent products and technologies to save environment
- People’s Daily Online : Global business summit for environment kicks off in Singapore
Channel News Asia, Singapore : Business world has big role on climate: UN meetingPosted: 19 April 2007 1145 hrs SINGAPORE: More than 600 business executives and environmental experts gathered on Thursday in Singapore to thrash out ways the corporate world can help tackle the threat of climate change. The two-day summit is the first major international conference focusing on business and the environment in Asia, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) which is co-organising the event. It comes two days after the UN Security Council held a groundbreaking debate on the security implications of climate change. Delegates in Singapore plan to examine how the private sector, governments and non-government organisations can cooperate to ensure development balances economic, social and environmental factors, organisers said. UNEP organised the event with the UN Global Compact, an initiative that brings companies together with UN and other agencies to support environmental and social principles. "The private sector is now becoming an active partner in environmental protection," Singapore's Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Yaacob Ibrahim, said in his opening address. "Many governments and businesses have also started to realise that environmental protection and economic growth can go hand in hand," he added. "Companies are being more frequently judged on the basis of their environmental stewardship." Yaacob warned that the need for energy to fuel economic growth has further increased the risk of unsustainable energy production and waste management problems. "In Asia, we could see an increase in the number of nuclear power installations. We would need to fully address the safety of nuclear power plants, and ensure that nuclear installations meet the highest operational safety requirements," he said. Indonesia is pursuing plans to develop nuclear energy. A key UN report released this month warned that billions would face a higher risk of water scarcity and millions more would likely go hungry as damage to the Earth's weather systems from greenhouse gases changed rainfall patterns, powered up storms and boosted the risk of drought, flooding and water stress. More than 1.2 billion people, or about one-fifth of the world's population, lack access to drinking water, conference organisers said, warning that without any action this could rise to 2.3 billion people by 2023. Among other subjects for discussion are "green investment and financing," sustainable tourism and environmentally-sound building and construction. A special session on Friday will be devoted to discussing solutions to the forest-fire haze that blankets parts of Southeast Asia each year. Last year, a report commissioned by the British government warned that climate change could bring economic disaster on the scale of the world wars and the 1930s Great Depression unless urgent action was taken. Among the organisations to be represented at the Singapore meeting are the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), World Resources Institute and the Carbon Disclosure Fund. Scheduled speakers include Kirsi Sormunen, Nokia's vice president of environmental affairs, Diana Bell, a senior vice president at Hewlett-Packard, Greenpeace International director Steve Sawyer and actress and environmental activist Daryl Hannah. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/271233/1/.html …………………………….. Channel News Asia, Singapore : UN urges Asia to invent products and technologies to save environmentBy Chow Penn Nee, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 19 April 2007 1826 hrs SINGAPORE: The United Nations says Asia is in a position to come up with environmentally-friendly technologies and products. So besides becoming an economic powerhouse, the region can also play a bigger role in helping to save the earth. The call came from the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme who cited Singapore as an example of using technology to help the environment. Achim Steiner was speaking at the Global Business Summit for the Environment in Singapore on Thursday. "If we talk about Asia today, we're talking about the continent that is the fastest growing economy - that is increasingly using both natural resources that is contributing to pollution, but is also becoming a major economic hub for production and innovation," said Mr Steiner. The UN says Singapore has managed to develop the necessary technology to solve its problem of water scarcity. And now, Singapore can even impart the know-how to other countries as well. "A state like Singapore, an urban economy, can work on particular areas where innovation very quickly becomes, in environmental terms, also an efficiency success. Water use and the way Singapore, at the moment, is looking at the whole question of water supplies, reusing and recycling water," said Mr Steiner. And such an effort, he added, needs the corporate sector to be involved as well. Mr Steiner said the world is facing a drastic challenge and this calls for everyone to play its part. The economic future is set to change, he warned, and companies cannot afford to ignore their impact on the environment, especially since profits are tied to how fast firms can innovate in the future to accommodate a different environment. - CNA/yy http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/271283/1/.html …………………………….. People’s Daily Online : Global business summit for environment kicks off in SingaporeGlobal Business Summit for the Environment kicked off here on Thursday, aimed to raise awareness of the corporate world in environmental sustainability. About 600 business executives and experts attended the two-day event, which was organized by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Global Compact, to discuss how the private sector, the public and governments can cooperate to address the challenge of climate change. The event is the first major international conference focusing on business and the environment in Asia, according to the organizers. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Singapore's Minister for The Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim urged businesses to place more emphasis on environmental issues in their business practices that could contribute to global warming. "Reducing the use of energy and raw materials as well as limiting emissions and waste from production processes are key contributions that businesses can make to help address the global and regional environmental challenges," he said. He added that other resource conservation strategies, such as using energy-efficient technologies, eco-friendly design for offices and production floor, and purchase of green products for raw materials, could do the job equally well. He also urged the timber, plantation and paper mill industry to employ sustainable production methods to limit their impact on the environment and the climate. He cited some successful examples of companies that have married the concept of environmental sustainability together with economic profit, saying that "There is ample evidence to show that it is possible to be pro-environment and economically sound at the same time." Participants will also discuss subjects such as green investment and financing and sustainable tourism. On the sidelines of the conference on Friday evening, the UNEP will give out the Champions of the Earth Award to Jacques Rogge, the president of International Olympic Committee, for his work in advancing the sport and environment agenda, along with former United States vice president Al Gore and other five prominent environmentalists, the organizers said. http://english.people.com.cn/200704/19/eng20070419_367954.html ..................................... 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