PM calls for greener Laos on World Environment Day

Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh urged people to grow more trees and clean up towns in a message to mark World Environment Day on June 5.

PM Bouasone Bouphavanh.

The prime minister said his objective was to make people aware of the kinds of actions that were needed to protect the environment.

The slogan for this year's World Environment Day is “CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy”. The theme aims to encourage people to reduce less carbon into the atmosphere and focuses on forest management as a tool to reduce greenhouse gases.

“We need to plant more trees to help reduce global warming and climate change, because climate change is affecting people's living conditions around the world,” Mr Bouasone said.

“Climate change is a problem for many countries, especially developing countries. It is hard for poor people, who don't understand the effects of climate change, to adjust. Climate change may increase poverty and affect sustainable development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”

Mr Bouasone said this year's World Environment Day slogan was important in helping people the world over to understand the environmental challenges they faced and to help each other protect the environment.

He said the government was supporting the participation of Lao people in activities to mark National Sanitation Year.

The government has declared this year-long awareness campaign to help make cities green and clean by encouraging people to reduce the use of plastic bags and to recycle materials whenever possible.

“One million new trees will be planted each year in cities around Laos until 2020. This is government policy, along with support for improved garbage collection,” Mr Bouasone said.

He said it was necessary for individuals and private and state organisations to understand the importance of environmental conservation, because it was related to development, economic growth and the sustainable management of natural resources.

“By planting more trees we will help to improve people's living conditions, increase forest cover to 70 percent of total land area by 2020, and preserve our rivers,” he said.

“It will also help to reduce air pollution emissions, especially greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide, which are the major causes of global warming.”

“It is also important for each sector to continue education about the effects of climate change and to build strategic plans to solve the problem,” he said.

By Ounkham Pimmata
(Latest Update June 6, 2008)