The environment in the news wenesday, 19 March 2008
UNEP or UN in the news Asthma And Chronic Respiratory Problems
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UNEP or UN in the newsAsthma And Chronic Respiratory ProblemsAccord to develop ozone-friendly inhalers in Asia Pacific countries Bss, Dhaka Health and environment officials, industry representatives and patient groups of Asia and Pacific region countries agreed to work together towards a smooth transition to ozone-friendly metered-dose inhalers (MDI) in Asia Pacific region. They reached in the agreement at a meeting organised by United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) in Malaysian city Langkawi to assist countries in Asia and Pacific to develop their MDI transition strategy, UNEP sources said here yesterday. Metered-dose inhalers, commonly used as treatment for millions of asthma and chronic respiratory patients in the region, contain chloro fluoro carbon (CFC). Under the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer, developing countries will have to cease production and consumption of CFC and other ozone depleting chemicals by 2010. Asia Pacific region accounts for 60 percent of CFC used in MDI production. The meeting adopted Langkawi Declaration recognising that there is very little time and will have to go a long way in ensuring that the phase-out occurs sooner rather than later, UNEP sources here said. In less than 22 months, there will no longer be any CFC-based inhaler in the world and preparation should be taken by the health officials, doctors and nurses as well as patients for this inevitable change, the declaration said. Atul Bagai, regional officer (networking), compliance assistance programme (CAP), Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) termed the commitment as a progress for adjustment of CFC and non-CFC eras with the least discomfort and inconvenience, particularly for the patients. A number of MDI industries are already working towards converting their facilities to produce CFC-free alternatives. However, the introduction of these alternatives alone does not lead to a successful transition. There are still major concerns like preference of patients, price, availability of alternatives and how doctors prescribe medications. It is important that each country develops a strategy to address these issues, said Bagai. More than 80 participants from 24 countries, health, industry and patient groups participated in workshop on phasing-out CFC-based MDI for South Asia. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=28460 …………………………………………. Global warmingAccording to the findings of the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS), and supported by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the world’s glaciers continue to melt, which could lead to record losses. Data series of annual mass balance, expressed as thickness change, are available for 30 reference glaciers since 1980. The estimates for 2006 indicate that further shrinking took place equal to around 1.4 metres of water equivalent compared to losses of half a metre in 2005. During 1980-1999, average loss rates had been 0.3 metres per year. Since the turn of the millennium, this rate has increased to about half a metre per year. The record loss during these two decades – 0.7 metres in 1998 – has now been exceeded by three out of the past six years: 2003, 2004 and 2006. The WGMS findings also contain figures from around 100 glaciers, of which 30 form the core assessment, found in Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America and the Pacific. There are serious implications of not taking the threat of global warming as a challenge. India will be one of the worst hit areas of global warming in South Asia with its eastern islands sinking. The situation in Bangladesh is not very different where coral islands are getting smaller. According to glaciologists, glaciers serve as frozen reservoirs of water. When they recede, they affect not just drinking water supply but also irrigation and hydropower, etc, ultimately resulting in climate refugees. It is estimated that there are millions of climate refugees today affected by global warming. Experts say there will be some 200 million by the end of this century. Still, governments around the world remain unwilling to address this threat. In the absence of a serious effort at the international level to tackle the issue, green house gas emissions remain unchecked. No country is ready to curb its greenhouse gas emissions unilaterally, without similar commitments by other governments. The US, one of the biggest polluters of the world, has rejected the Kyoto protocol which obliges the developed countries to cut their emissions by an average of five percent. The US has argued that combating global warming is too expensive. This has resulted in other countries following suit by refusing to take on reduction targets. In view of the climatic changes happening around the world, one can argue that the economic cost of not signing the Kyoto protocol will be much higher than signing it later. As far Pakistan is concerned, air pollution in major cities is among the highest in the world. Dust and smoke particles are generally twice the world average and five times higher than the developed world. The pollution crisis is also compounded by severe water scarcity. An increase in the demand for energy and an unprecedented growth in the number of vehicles are key reasons behind growing levels of air pollution in our country. The number of vehicles on the roads has increased five times in the past 20 years. The government has been encouraging the use of vehicles powered by the less polluting compressed natural gas (CNG). CNG vehicles in Pakistan are estimated at just under one million, making Pakistan’s CNG fleet the third largest in the world after Argentina and Brazil. Similar pollution issues surround the water sector. The annual per capita water availability dropped to 1,105 cubic metres – just above the 1,000 cubic metre threshold level. The best solution to the global warming in the context of Pakistan is to activate the government departments to create more awareness among the general public to meet the minimum level of pollution. http://thepost.com.pk/EditorialNews.aspx?dtlid=150606&catid=10 …………………………………… Directory: cpi -> briefs briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news Download 451.28 Kb. 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