http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20080528/108707746.html
3Rs: a formula for a cleaner planet
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Tatiana Sinitsyna) - A three-day meeting of G8
environment ministers ended on May 26 in the Japanese city of Kobe. The
meeting, ahead of the upcoming Hokkaido summit of the G8, discussed climate
change, biodiversity and environmental protection.
The G8 ministers were joined at the meeting by representatives of the European
Commission and a number of international bodies, as well as envoys from several
of the world's worst polluters, including China, Brazil, India, Mexico, South
Africa, Indonesia, Australia, and South Korea.
Although the declared theme of the meeting was biodiversity, priority somehow
went to global warming and the environment. The tone was set by Japan's
Environment Minister Ichiro Kamoshita, who suggested that rich countries set
targets for cutting industrial waste that would ensure a 50% global reduction
by 2050. The richest of all were urged to do better by a factor of 10. Japan
said it was ready to set an example and reduce its industrial waste by 60% to
80%.
Speakers at the meeting repeatedly backed the Kyoto principle that rich
countries should help developing nations to reduce their emissions. Japan is
planning to earmark $10 billion for this purpose in the next five years. In
addition to a financial fund, it was also proposed to establish a technology
fund contributed to by inviting the G8 countries.
Scientists are not yet sure how deeply "industrial pollution" affects global
warming and planetary ecosystems. However, there are other benefits to cleaning
the planet as much as possible, freeing the earth's atmosphere of toxic gases
and making life on earth comfortable and healthy.
Two documents were signed at Kobe: the Kobe Call for Action for Biodiversity
and the Kobe 3Rs Action Plan. Russia supported this initiative, advanced by
Japan and the United States. The three components of the 3R formula (reduce,
reuse, recycle), aimed at promoting rational and effective use of natural
resources and waste reduction, will no doubt bear fruit.
Semyon Levi, Russia's Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Environment,
told the Kobe meeting that "aware of its role in maintaining global diversity,
Russia ratified the Convention on Biodiversity in 1995 and in 2001 passed a
National Strategy for Biodiversity, an ecological doctrine of Russia." Russia
has a high degree of biodiversity: 8% of all the world-known species of
mammals, insects and birds, and 15% of all the fish are found there. Russia's
forests (20% of the world stock) and its swamps play a tremendous role in
absorbing CO2. As much as 65% of Russia's territory is ecologically untouched,
and the country's role in maintaining and protecting the global gene pool is
hard to overestimate.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily
represent those of RIA Novosti.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
