Environmental Exhibition 2004 officially opened
Kaieteur News
June 3, 2004
Prime Minister Sam Hinds yesterday officially declared open the 2004 Environmental Exhibition at the Umana Yana, High Street, Kingston.
Organised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the exhibition will coincide with one of the many activities planned to celebrate World Environmental Day, 2004.
This year, the observance is being held under the theme, “Wanted! Seas and Oceans, Dead or Alive.”
PM Hinds issued a call for equal adherence among states globally in their approach to environmental laws with a view to reduce negative environmental impact. Hinds said that Government recognises that economic and technological advances are critically linked to maritime operation. “It is against this backdrop that conventions governing the land and sea should be closely examined at the regional and international levels,” PM Hinds said. He added, “We want the sea alive.”
Noting that 70 percent of the local population lives on the coastland the Prime Minister pointed out that the sea walls remain a vital source of protection from flooding and swamping.
Meanwhile Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Bishop, said that with the surge in economic activity during the last two decades, the 1992 Rio Conference gave impetus to many countries to formalize their environmental practices through legislation.
Bishop singled out the contributions of the Inter-American Development Bank, in capacity building and human resources development, and stated that the EPA is carrying out its mandate in a satisfactory manner. He added too, that the United Nation Development Programme (UNPD) was instrumental in promoting environmental education and awareness. Delivering the Environmental Day message was UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative, Thomas Gass. Gass said that World Environmental Day is the appropriate time to take the global perspective that humanity has exploited the world’s finite resources.
He stated that 80 percent of pollution occurs through land based activities with some US$12.8B being expended annually to address environmental illnesses and mortality.
Guyana will join the rest of the world to celebrate World Environmental Day on Saturday. This year, a number of activities have been planned to celebrate the day.
The week of activities started off with a green walk on Sunday last.
Participating exhibitors at the environmental exhibition includes the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Guyana Forestry Commission, the EPA and the World Wildlife Funds.
Also present at the opening day were students from schools in and around Georgetown. The exhibition is expected to run until Saturday.