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INFO
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WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: CO2
– KICK THE HABIT!
The World Environment Day slogan for 2008 is Kick the Habit! Towards a Low
Carbon Economy. Recognising that climate change is becoming the defining
issue of our era, UNEP is asking countries, companies and communities to
focus on greenhouse gas emissions and how to reduce them.
World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly
in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human
Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same
day, led to the creation of UNEP.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature of the
Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized
countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions .These amount to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels
over the five-year period 2008-2012.
The major distinction between the Protocol and the Convention is that while
the Convention encouraged industrialised countries to stabilize GHG
emissions, the Protocol commits them to do so.
Not all countries of the world signed the Kyoto Protocol. The countries that
did sign it together account for 55% of the world's greenhouse gas
emissions. The country that emits the most greenhouse gases, the United
States, has not agreed to sign the Kyoto Protocol. In 2001, United States
President George W Bush decided that the US would not participate. Large
developing countries including India, China and Brazil are not required to
make changes to the amount of greenhouse gases they release either.
- Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny
important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions. Our world
is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit. Coal and oil paved the way for
the developed world’s industrial progress. Fast-developing countries are now
taking the same path in search of equal living standards, U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said in the message on the occasion of World
Environment Day.
Meanwhile, in the least developed countries, even less sustainable energy
sources, such as charcoal, remain the only available option for the poor.
Our dependence on carbon-based energy has caused a significant build-up of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Last year, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change put the final nail in the coffin
of global warming sceptics. We know that climate change is happening, and we
know that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that we emit are the
cause. We don’t just burn carbon in the form of fossil fuels. Throughout the
tropics, valuable forests are being felled for timber and making paper, for
pasture and arable land and, increasingly, for plantations to supply a
growing demand for biofuels.
- This further manifestation of our carbon habit not only releases vast
amounts of CO2; it also destroys a valuable resource for absorbing
atmospheric carbon, further contributing to climate change. The
environmental, economic and political implications of global warming are
profound. Ecosystems -- from mountain to ocean, from the Poles to the
tropics -- are undergoing rapid change. Low-lying cities face inundation,
fertile lands are turning to desert, and weather patterns are becoming ever
more unpredictable, he said.
The cost will be borne by all. The poor will be hardest hit by
weather-related disasters and by soaring price inflation for staple foods,
but even the richest nations face the prospect of economic recession and a
world in conflict over diminishing resources. Mitigating climate change,
eradicating poverty and promoting economic and political stability all
demand the same solution: we must kick the carbon habit. This is the theme
for World Environment Day 2008. "Kick the Habit: Towards a Low Carbon
Economy," recognizes the damaging extent of our addiction, and it shows the
way forward.
Often we need a crisis to wake us to reality. With the climate crisis upon
us, businesses and governments are realizing that, far from costing the
Earth, addressing global warming can actually save money and invigorate
economies. While the estimated costs of climate change are incalculable, the
price tag for fighting it may be less than any of us may have thought. Some
estimates put the cost at less than one per cent of global gross domestic
product -- a cheap price indeed for waging a global war. Even better news is
that technologies already exist or are under development to make our
consumption of carbon-based fuels cleaner and more efficient and to harness
the renewable power of sun, wind and waves. The private sector, in
particular, is competing to capitalize on what they recognize as a massive
business opportunity. Around the world, nations, cities, organizations and
businesses are looking afresh at green options.
At the United Nations, I have instructed that the plan for renovating our
New York headquarters should follow strict environmental guidelines. I have
also asked the chief executives of all UN programmes, funds and specialized
agencies to move swiftly towards carbon neutrality. Earlier this year, the
UN Environment Programme launched a climate neutral network -- CN Net -- to
energize this growing trend. Its inaugural members, which include countries,
cities and companies, are pioneers in a movement that I believe will
increasingly define environmental, economic and political discourse and
decision making over the coming decades. The message of World Environment
Day 2008 is that we are all part of the solution. Whether you are an
individual, an organization, a business or a government, there are many
steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. It is message we all
must take to heart, he said in the message.
Refugee and local Roma children will plant trees and clean the garden of the
Center for Education and Community Services Suto Orizari municipality,
funded by UNHCR, as part of the celebrations of the World Environment Day.
The activity will be followed by drawings and discussions on environmental
issues.
Roma refugee youth together with the youth club of the City Red Cross will
organize an excursion in the park-forest Vodno, will clean and plant trees
and flowers in the former collective center and will engage in sport
activities.
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NEWS
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PM GRUEVSKI, VICE-PREMIER STAVRESKI RECEIVE WB AWARD ON MACEDONIA'S
BUSINESS CLIMATE REFORMS
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski received late Wednesday the award for reforms
that Macedonia has implemented, putting it on the fourth spot on the list of
10 most reformatory countries in the world according to report "Doing
Business 2008" of the International Financial Corporation (IFC)-World Bank.
Earlier, Gruevski and Stavreski took part at the Reformers Club forum of
investors organized by IFC, including ministers and diplomats from seven
countries of the top-ten list - Egypt, Croatia, Georgia, Colombia, Saudi
Arabia, and Bulgaria - along with a number of officials from the World Bank,
IFC, and large international investment corporations.
PM Gruevski and Vice-Premier Stavreski stressed in their addresses
Macedonia's advantages, among which reduction of taxes, improvement of
cadastre operations, acceleration of the procedure for business start-up,
along with other activities for improvement of the business climate.
"Because of the reforms we implemented, Macedonia is seen with much respect,
and a country that is interesting for investors", said PM Gruevski after the
forum, adding that experiences of the other nine most reformatory countries
could be applied in Macedonia.
Pertaining to the "Doing Business 2008" report, Gruevski stressed the
country would resume with the reform process, improvement of the business
climate, which should result in higher economic growth, more investments,
increased export and output, and opening of new jobs.
"We are not burdened by the spot we occupy, the important thing is to do the
job and move forward. Of course, recognitions are pleasant, because
investors talk about them, so it is good to be involved in such an
ambiance", underlined Gruevski.
Vice Premier Stavreski reiterated that reforms are a continual process,
emphasizing the importance of improving business climate in Macedonia.
"This forum, attended by more than 100 most renowned investors from the
entire globe, is the best advertisement and recommendation for Macedonia, so
that investors can see that good and positive things happen in the country.
The Government is mostly focused on the business climate and reforms, which
will result in more investments, increased economic growth, more jobs and
improved living standard", stated Stavreski.
According to him, the Government's program encompasses about 50 new measures
for improvement of the business climate, among which reduction of social
benefits, thus decreasing the companies' costs and increasing their
competitiveness, introduction of the concept of gross-salary, increase of
salaries, electronic court cases for acceleration of judicial procedures,
increased flexibility of the labor market etc.
Macedonian officials met with a number of US and European companies taking
part at the event.
"There is interest for Macedonia, because when a renowned institution such
as the World Bank sheds a positive light on the country, investors believe
in this, resulting in their interest, whereas some will visit us in the
upcoming period and begin talks on concrete investments", added Stavreski.
The forum, held at the New York Stock Exchange, was opened by Graeme
Wheeler, World Bank Managing Director.
"Today we are here to celebrate the champions of reforms. They contribute to
the building of stronger economies and create opportunities for development
and employment", said Wheeler.
According to "Doing Business 2008", Egypt is the most reformatory country in
the world, whereas Croatia is the regional leader. On the general list,
Macedonia is ranked 75th, which is a 21-spot improvement from the previous
year.
Singapore is ranged first, being the country where doing business is
easiest. The report includes 178 countries from the entire world. |
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