harelb@cabot.dartmouth.edu (Harel Barzilai) (06/19/91)
"visibility has dropped from 12 kms to only 500 metres in the last
10 years, and the concentration of harmful gases in the atmosphere
reaches highly critical levels nearly throughout the year...
"there are other indications that salinas' determined effort to
clean up the environment is ''hardly a drop in the ocean'',
biologist albertina toscano told ips...
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Topic 979 MEXICO: SALINAS TO RECEIVE ENVIRONM
newsdesk ips.englibrary 10:06 am Jun 4, 1991
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Copyright Inter Press Service 1991, all rights reserved. Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.
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mexico city jun 1 (ips) -- mexican president carlos salinas will
receive an award for ''environmental leadership and humanitarian
excellence'' from the united earth foundation jun. 6 in recognition
of his efforts to solve his country's environmental problems.
the award, co-sponsored by the united nation environment
programme (unep), will also be given to norwegian premier gro harlem
brundtland, james p grant, u.n. children's fund (unicef) executive
director, and ted turner, president of the turner broadcasting
system.
bruntland, grant and turner will receive the award at the u.n.
headquarters in new york during a ceremony commemorating world
environment day on jun. 5.
united earth, based in the u.s. city of milwaukee, was founded in
1974 and headed by claes nobel, great grandson of swedish chemist
alfred bernhard nobel who created the famous nobel prize in 1901.
the award will be given annually to people noted for their
efforts in nature conservation, pollution prevention, population
control, elimination of hunger and poverty, and energy development.
the next awards will be presented during the u.n. conference on
environment and development in brazil in june 1992.
in a letter to salinas, claes nobel said they decided to give him
the award for his ''exceptionally courageous decisions'' which would
benefit mexico and the rest of the world.
he cited the many environmental laws and programmes adopted by
the salinas government since it took office in 1988, but also
stressed the serious environmental damage suffered by mexico.
most local environmental groups, even the more recalcitrant ones,
agree salinas deserves the award.
but some say the award recognises more ''the beginning of a
process'' than ''concrete results which remain to be seen'',
especially in mexico city, considered the world's most polluted
city.
actions taken by the salinas government include the temporary
shutdown of some 330 factories with no anti-pollution equipment --
an official strategy to prevent water pollution and the draining of
four watersheds.
the government has imposed a total ban on the hunting of seven
species of sea turtles that lay eggs on the mexican coast. it has
also created a sanctuary for white doves and built two nature
reserves covering 320,000 hectares. (more/ips)
authorities have also drawn up a list of 422 animal and 584 plant
species threatened with extinction as a requirement for joining the
international convention on endangered species of flora and fauna.
but the government is concentrating most of its efforts and funds
in pollution control in mexico city, where there are 15 million
people, nearly three million cars and over 300 factories that emit
highly toxic gases.
a programme launched in 1990 requires the investment of 2.5
billion dollars (42 percent from foreign loans) to produce gasoline
with no lead content, improve the transport system, and supply
factories with non-polluting equipment, among others.
since november 1989, half a million cars have been banned from the
streets of the capital once a week, but officials admit many have
bought a second vehicle to dodge this law.
over 4.6 million dollars have been invested for this programme,
but authorities believe pollution in mexico city has reached such an
extent that significant results could only be achieved on a medium-
and long-term basis.
visibility has dropped from 12 kms to only 500 metres in the last
10 years, and the concentration of harmful gases in the atmosphere
reaches highly critical levels nearly throughout the year.
there are other indications that salinas' determined effort to
clean up the environment is ''hardly a drop in the ocean'',
biologist albertina toscano told ips.
factories near 218 mexican watersheds dump more than 2.5 million
tons of toxic waste a year, making 15 big rivers biologically dead
and threatening 35 others with ecological destruction.
according to environmentalist gabriel quadri de la torre,
mexico's rainforests are being destroyed at an annual rate of
812,000 hectares, equivalent to the size of puerto rico.
indiscriminate logging and slash-and-burn farming has led to the
erosion of 167.6 million hectares, or 84 percent of mexican
territory.
quadri said the environment continues to be neglected in official
development efforts and urged the government to adopt a policy of
sustainable development.
mexican poet homero aridjis, president of the ecological group
'los cien', said besides recognition of salinas' efforts, his award
should also serve as a challenge to adopt a more definite solution
to the country's environmental problems.
(end/ips/trd/en/mc/er/cir/ln)