ASEAN faces challenges on environmental sustainability

The ASEAN Environment Report 2006, presented during the opening ceremony of the 10th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment yesterday, has stated that the region faces enormous challenges on the road towards an environmentally sustainable and prosperous community.

But Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes in his message yesterday said that the ASEAN is moving fast enough in some areas and gathering momentum along the way in other areas.

"Challenges only embolden us to move forward and seek common solutions," Reyes said.

The report stipulates the most important challenge which is to narrow the socio-economic divide among and within countries of the region while ensuring a proper balance between economic development and environmental protection.

The report also identifies the most crucial challenge that is to further strengthen regional institutional arrangements to make them more effective in promoting environmental sustainability as the region moves toward an integrated, peaceful and caring ASEAN community.

Reyes stressed that the environmental problems in one country can only be solved by addressing the same problems in other countries.

"In this regard, the ASEAN becomes critical in ensuring that we provide for a better environment and quality of life for all our people. Our job is noble as it is challenging," he said.

The ministerial agenda being discussed in the one-day meeting yesterday encompassed at least six major areas - nature conservation and biodiversity, coastal and marine environment, water resources management, multilateral environmental agreements, environmentally sustainable cities and transboundary haze pollution.

"The growth and complexity of our agenda reflects the increasing breadth and depth of problems that challenge us in the environment sector," Reyes said.

Reyes cited external developments that could enhance their perspective and capabilities such as the scientific model for setting dollar values for ecosystems launched last October 31 this year in Washington D.C.

Reyes said that such a system will enable them to determine the money value to people of "ecosystem services" such as wetlands and mangroves.

Another development Reyes has cited was the World Wildlife Fund's 2006 Living Planet Report released last October 24 in Beijing, China that warns that by 2050, humanity will need two planets like Earth to meet its demands for natural resources.

According to the WWF, humanity's consumption footprint exceeded global biocapacity by 25 percent in 2003, compared to 21 percent in 2001.

According to the same study, the ASEAN region still lives within the 1.8-hectare biocapacity limit per person in which Philippines is at 1.1-hectare per person.

"But this should not lull us into complacency. Our population is increasing and our natural resources are on the decline," Reyes underscored.

As the 10th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment took place here yesterday, 6,000 other environmental officials, experts and advocates were also on their fifth day of talks on global warming in Nairobi, Kenya.

"I am sure that there is a greater harmony and amity among us, than is possible among the 189 countries represented in Kenya," Reyes said.

Further, Reyes said that they adhere to the principle that compliance with international environmental obligations could and should be better achieved with the cooperation and support of those who stand to be benefited.

"We can do no less, if we are to achieve a better quality of life for our people," he said.

Reyes added that the theme of the ASEAN Summit next month dubbed "One Caring and Sharing Community" also marks that caring for the environment is caring for our people, and sharing in the burden of providing for the environmental needs of the people.

The output of the said meeting is to be presented today to the press. - Gregg M. Rubio