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Contribute to global effort for environmental protection: Rio
Dimapur, June 4: Nagaland Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio has called upon the people of the stated to come together to reverse the trend of environmental damage in order to keep Nagaland clean and green and contribute our share to the global effort for environmental protection.
In his message on the eve of World Environment Day 2019, Rio stated that climate change as a result of human inflicted damages to the environment is a very real issue which requires the concerted efforts of the people of all nations and that Nagaland is proud to be part of this global movement.
He disclosed that the United Nations Environment Programme has listed air pollution as the cause more than 6 million deaths every year or 1 in 9 deaths. It estimates that 92% of people worldwide do not breathe clean air while air pollution costs the global economy $5 trillion every year in welfare costs. Ground-level ozone pollution is expected to reduce staple crop yields by 26% by 2030. This is the biggest environmental health risk of our time, he added.
The chief minister said the efforts to mitigate harmful effects of air pollution are a herculean task but it is not impossible. It requires the commitment and consistency of every individual citizen and the nations in the global village to combat this hazard, he added.
More efficient fuel systems, strict enforcement of bans on air pollutants, effective waste management and strengthening of laws and standards as undertaken by the UN need to replicated in letter and spirit, he suggested.
Expressing happiness that Nagaland had banned the use of single-use plastics with effect from December 1, 2018 in response to the Government of India's call for single-use plastic free India by 2022 and last year's World Environment Day theme 'Beat Plastic Pollution', Rio said, "We still have a long way to go but with concerted efforts from all stakeholders, we are ensuring that single-use plastics are eradicated."
He also informed that State Department of Environment, Forests and Climate Change is working extensively to provide more forest/green cover to the State under various programmes and schemes like the National Afforestation Programme (NAP), Nagaland Forest Management Project assisted by JICA, and Biodiversity and Community Conserved Area Management, an Indo-German Financial Cooperation project financed by KfW, Germany.
He expressed hope that these efforts will bear fruit in the near future and contribute cleaner air and beat air pollution to a significant extent. (Page News Service)
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