National Environmental Conference – RTB News
Thursday, 21 June 2012
As a nation, Brunei Darussalam is fortunate to be endowed with ample natural resources. But these resources need firm stewardship and action from everyone to conserve them for its sustainable future.
Sustainable development has long been one of the country’s stated goals, featuring in the present 10th National Development Plan and even earlier Plans.
On the surface of it, the current state of Brunei’s environment appeared to indicate sustainability; but on a per capita basis, what the nation generates to the environment presents a different reality. The Minister of Developmnent in his keynote address stressed the matter during the opening of the National Environment Conference this morning. It took place at a hotel in Jerudong.
Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Suyoi further elaborated that Bruneian lifestyle habits may not fully fit into the sustainable development context. Among the factors that make this happen are energy consumption, solid waste generation, carbon dioxide emission and excessive amount of water usage. These factors are worrying for a small country like Brunei and the environmental issue is still an ongoing issue in the country.
Choosing “Conserving Our Resources For a Sustainable Future” as this year’s theme, the conference was presented with a Keynote Presentation on “The Future of Water” by a special guest speaker, Doctor David Gallo, an ocean explorer and Director of Special Projects of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA. He believes that the greatest threat to humanity is the distribution of the scant amount of fresh water that is available. This was followed by an open forum discussion on how global water issues affect Brunei, how does the country deal with crucial water challenges in the face of growing population as well as how the government and industries can help to secure this resource for future generations. To meet the tremendous increasing demands for water, His Majesty’s Government through the Public Works Department supplies 77% of water for domestic and commercial use, 18 percent for oil and gas industry and 5% for irrigation. The conference convened by Asia Inc Forum focused on how the private and public sector can work together towards creating and implementing practices to conserve and manage resources. About 270 delegates were present at the one-day conference.
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