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"World Environment Day 2008"

Opening Statement by
Ursula Schäfer-Preuss
Vice President, Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development

At the Asian Development Bank Celebration of World Environment Day

5 June 2008
ADB Headquarters, Mandaluyong City

Good morning to you all.

Mr. President, guests, and colleagues - thank you for joining us for ADB's celebration of World Environment Day. Back in 1972, following the first global environment conference held in Stockholm, the UN General Assembly declared the 5th of June as World Environment Day to foster global environmental awareness and action. Commemorations have been taking place ever since on this day to reflect on the state of our planet and to recommit ourselves to protecting the environment upon which all life on earth depends.

Much has changed since 1972 in how we view the environment and its relationship to our lives. The Stockholm conference centered on reducing urban and industrial pollution. This was due to the fact that Europe and North America were in particular awakening to the health problems caused by rapid urbanization and 100 years of industrial development. The call to action from Stockholm resulted in wide-ranging new environmental laws and institutions and introduced environmental assessment of project investments.

By the time the world community convened again 20 years later in Rio de Janeiro for the second environment conference, attention had turned to the developing world, poverty reduction and global environmental problems. Out of Rio came our most important global environmental conventions - covering desertification, biodiversity loss and climate change - reinforcing the commitment to pursue sustainable development.

When the world met again in 2002 at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, there was widespread recognition that developing countries cannot "grow now and clean up later". There also was a renewed emphasis on the need for partnerships and finance to implement the internationally agreed upon environmental conventions and action plans adopted since 1992, such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

This year's theme for World Environment Day - "CO2, Kick the Habit: Towards a Low Carbon Economy" builds on this progression of thinking and action and is of vital significance to our entire region. World Environment Day 2008 is meant to encourage each and all of us to help fight against global warming by taking such measures as reducing our electricity consumption. The message for countries and companies is to become more energy efficient and reduce reliance on oil and coal in favor of more environment friendly energy sources, such as wind, hydro, geothermal and solar power. Attention is also being focused on the positive role that forests can play in countering the rise of greenhouse gases.

Asia clearly needs to move onto to a low carbon development path if it is to become energy secure, remain competitive, and help to avoid climate change. Our Asia Clean Energy Forum, which is wrapping up meetings today, has been focusing precisely on this challenge. I had the pleasure of speaking at the Forum's opening session, where I outlined ADB's efforts to promote more energy efficient development in the region and argued that ADB is well positioned to support our developing member countries to achieve this.

I was greatly encouraged to see the dedication and ingenuity expressed by professionals from our region and from outside the region in seeking to redefine Asia's energy future, and I was particularly struck by proposals to transform the way our region thinks about the transportation sector - moving away from a heavy reliance on automobiles in favor of upgraded rail systems, modern urban public transport systems and pedestrian friendly cities.

While ADB's operations will promote environmental sustainability across the region, we also need to make sure we "walk the talk" here at our Manila headquarters. In this regard, I am very pleased to note the strong collaboration between our Regional and Sustainable Development Department and the Office of Administrative Services in reducing ADB's so-called corporate "environmental footprint" and organizing the events of World Environment Day and environmental awareness this week. We have made considerable strides in reducing our environmental footprint, and this must continue even further.

All of us can and must do our part to ensure that we hand over a clean and productive environment to our children and grandchildren.

Thank you.