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Daily Web Coverage
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Highlights from Tuesday, 6 September 2005
On
Tuesday, 6 September, experts participated
in five working groups addressing Production
Processes and Industrial Development, Urban
Planning and Waste Management, Sustainable
Consumption and Product Development,
National and Regional Strategies for SCP,
and Energy, Climate and Air Pollution.
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Working Group I - Production Processes
and Industrial Development |
Opening the meeting, Co-Chair Olivia la
O’Castillo, Philippines, said government
policies should be clear and stable, and
emphasized the importance of focusing on
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Co-Chair Edwin Piñero, US, said
governments should lead by example,
noting the economic significance of
public procurement.
Participants shared lessons from their
experience reporting that, inter alia:
in a successful scheme in Argentina,
large companies mentor SMEs in return
for tax credits; Australia’s success
with reducing CFCs through an
industry-driven voluntary levy on HCFCs
was adopted by Canada; in the US, the
‘Energy Star’ initiative, which
encourages energy-efficient products
through labeling, produced $10 billion
in energy savings last year; Nicaragua
has developed a series of seminars to
show how SCP can increase private
profit; Australia’s “extended producer
responsibility” approach, managing
product life cycle, has been adopted by
others; NGOs in Kenya have developed an
award to encourage corporate social
responsibility; in Austria and Germany,
chemical suppliers and producers
redefined their relationship so that
profits depended on eco-efficiency,
avoiding the perverse incentives whereby
raw material suppliers and waste
material disposers increase profits by
increasing waste.
In
the afternoon, the keynote presentation
was given by Maryna Möhr-Swart, Chamber
of Mines of South Africa, who outlined
how South Africa’s mining industry is
attempting to incorporate sustainable
development practices. She gave examples
of partnerships and voluntary codes
adopted by the industry, and highlighted
the mining industry's leading role in
environmental management accounting in
South Africa, expressing hope that it
may eventually contribute to the
national resource accounts.
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Edwin Piñero, Office of
the Federal Environmental
Executive, United States
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Olivia la O'Castillo,
Asia Pacific Roundtable for
Sustainable Consumption and
Production (APRSCP), Philippines |
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Maryna Möhr-Swart,
Chamber of Mines of South Africa
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Working Group II - Urban Planning and
Waste Management
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This group was co-chaired by Cristina
Cortinas de Navas, Mexico, and Kazuyoshi
Okazawa, Japan
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Kazuyoshi Okazawa,
Ministry of the Environment,
Japan |
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Co-chair Kazuyoshi Okazawa,
Ministry of the Environment,
Japan, discussed “Promotion of
the 3R Initiative and the
Challenge in Establishing a
Sound Material-Cycle Society”. |
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Working Group III - Sustainable
Consumption and Product Development |
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This group was co-chaired by Paul
Hofseth, Norway, and Kenneth Nkowani,
Zambia
Considering priorities for action,
participants reported on studies of
consumer spending which consistently
showed that food, household energy and
transport account for most spending and
focusing efforts on these could have
profound environmental impacts. A
participant emphasized the significance
of SMEs. One participant described the
problems of multiple product standards
and regulations for industry and another
recommended focusing on undeveloped
industries to design internationally
harmonized standards. Several emphasized
the potential for leapfrogging.
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Co-Chair, Paul Hofseth,
Ministry of the Environment of
Norway |
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Co-Chair Kenneth Nkowani,
Zambia
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Working Group IV - Regional and National
Strategies for SCP |
Terence Hott, Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA),
UK and Philip Acquah, Environmental
Protection Agency, Ghana, co-chaired the
working group on regional and national
strategies for SCP. Issues discussed
included SCP-specific strategies,
integration of SCP into other
strategies, inter-agency coordination,
multi-stakeholder participation,
international implications of
strategies, and implications of
globalization
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Co-Chair Terence Ilott,
Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (DEFRA),
United Kingdom |
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Co-Chair Philip Acquah,
Environmental Protection Agency,
Ghana |
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Kari Raivio, University
of Helsinki |
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up to top |
Working Group V -
Energy, Climate and Air Pollution |
This Working Group was
Co-chaired by Elfriede-Anna More,
Austria, and David Barrett, Jamaica. Experts listened to two
keynote presentations and engaged in two
discussion sessions.
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Co-Chair Elfriede-Anna More,
Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry, Environment and Water
Management, Austria |
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Ralph Chipman, UN DESA
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Co-Chair
David Barrett, Jamaica,
Manager, Energy and Environment,
Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica |
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David Barrett, Energy
and Environment,
Petroleum Corporation of
Jamaica, elaborated on
Jamaica’s energy system
and its options for
sustainable practices.
He said in order to
transition from
conventional to
sustainable production
practices there must be
an internal catalyst and
dedicated funding, as
well as local
involvement and
interest. Barrett
stressed that
sustainability is long
term and thinking should
not be limited by
current technology. |
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Fernando Alvarado,
Ministry of Environment and
Energy, Costa Rica |
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Fernando Alvarado and Carlos
Roldán, Ministry of Environment
and Energy, Costa Rica,
described their country’s energy
situation. He explained
experiences with, inter alia:
energy labeling for appliances;
vehicle standards; ethanol use;
private sector involvement in
power generation; biomass use;
and a project to use excess
hydropower to generate hydrogen
and oxygen. He also described
problems, such as lack of
enforcing capabilities and a
public sector with decreasing
funding and increasing
responsibilities. |
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Cooperation dialogue sessions
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Kathleen Abdullah, UN
DESA |
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UN
DESA explained that it implements
projects but is not a donor agency. She
outlined several projects, including
promotion of energy efficiency standards
and labeling in developing countries,
solar water heating, and building
capacity for renewable energy
entrepreneurs. |
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Spanish Agency for International
Cooperation (AECI), Spain |
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The
Spanish Agency for International
Cooperation (AECI) highlighted goals,
principles, priorities, and how AECI
cooperates with recipient governments. |
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