S'pore offers to share experience with others
SINGAPORE has offered to share its experience in environmental protection with other countries.
Environment Minister Dr Ahmad Mattar made this offer on Thursday at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro.
He said that the Republic placed great importance on national policies and programmes for the environment.
"We began our own programmes to protect the environment some 30 years ago, when Singapore started to industrialize," he said.
By putting in place the legislation and infrastructure necessary for environmental protection — for example, proper land-use planning and the sound application of the "pollution prevention" principle - the Republic had been able to reconcile the needs of the environment with the demands of economic progress, he said.
He then turned to Singapore’s future plans, in particular, the Singapore Green Plan, a programme which charts the course of Singapore’s environmental policies over the next decade.
Copies of "The Singapore Green Plan — Towards a Model Green City" published by the Environment Ministry were distributed to the delegates of the conference.
The S$3 billion plan, which aims to make Singapore a model "environment city" by 2000, was unveiled in Singapore last November.
It includes a massive project to upgrade sewage treatment works and solid waste management systems.
The plan also provides for automated refuse collection, a third incineration plant this year and possibly a fourth in the future.
"Singapore would be pleased to share her experience in urban environmental management and protection with other countries," he said.
He also announced that Singapore would be signing both the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Biodiversity Convention.
• NOTE: The Singapore Green Plan is available at S$14 per copy from Times, MPH, Singapore National Printers outlets, all leading bookshops and the Environment Resource Centre at Environment Building.
KL will sign bio-diversity pact but will not endorse climate treaty
RIO DE JANEIRO — Malaysia, despite earlier reservations, will sign the bio-diversity treaty, according to Foreign Minister Datuk Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
He said the treaty would be signed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad now that Malaysia had scrutinized the final document and found it not detrimental to its national interests.
Datuk Abdullah told Malaysian newsmen upon arrival here on Wednesday that Malaysia had decided to sign the treaty, which will legally bind governments to conserve their country’s biological diversity, for several reasons.
These included the treaty’s provisions that there would be adequate compensation for conserving bio-diversity, for sharing the benefits of biotechnology, and for withdrawal from the treaty after two years’ notice if Malaysia was dissatisfied with it.
However, Datuk Abdullah said Malaysia had declined to endorse the Treaty on Climate, which he said was flawed seriously because it did not set a limit and time frame for the industrialized countries to reduce their emission of greenhouse gases.
Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir, who arrived here on Thursday, told reporters that pollution and environmental degradation were caused by over-consumption by the rich North, not by over-population of the Third World.
Dr Mahathir also said he was disappointed with the refusal of the United States to sign the bio-diversity treaty.
He said it would be inconsiderate of the developed countries to make use of the gene banks of the developing countries, and declare the products their intellectual property, without due benefits to the developing countries.- Bernama.
Source : The Straits Times, June 13, 1992
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