Roundup: UNEP ministerial talks vows to curb environmental degradation

Ministers of environment and top scientists from around the world have vowed to take serious steps to stop the destruction of the environment at the start of a major U.N. conference on tackling the world's leading causes of premature death and environmental degradation.

The U.N. Environmental Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner said an agreement on a broad range of issues before the 2,500 delegates attending the U.N. Environment Assembly (UNEA) would have a major impact on all creatures around the planet earth and especially on public health.

"Ask parents who have buried children who have died of asthma attacks. Ask the parents whose children are dying because of skin cancer. Ask the tax payers who are paying the high price of environmental degradation. This is ultimately about protecting life, the plants and animals," Steiner said.

Ministers of environment from 173 countries are attending the second edition of UNEA, a new attempt by the world's ministers of environment to raise the profile of the environment and climate change.

The Nairobi ministerial meeting is strategizing on how to stop the world from continuing to record unprecedented number of premature deaths globally by reducing the high levels of air pollution.

Already, China has shown leadership in the area of air quality enhancement with the launch of a document outlining China's Action Plan on Air Pollution Prevention and Control at the conference.

The policy document showcased at the second edition of UNEA being held in Nairobi from May 23-27 targets an overall improvement of national air quality through efforts to be implemented over five years.

The aim of the policy is to ensure China records a massive 10 percent drop in the concentration of air pollutants around all Chinese cities by 2017 from their 2012 levels before moving gradually to 30 percent reduction in industrial emissions year by year in China.

To achieve the broad goals of cutting emissions, China plans to keep adjusting industrial structures by taking steps to speed up technological reforms of local enterprises to improve their scientific innovation.

They also plan to accelerate the supply of clean energy to all industrial sectors while also ensuring strict efficiency and environmental access to projects that require efficient energy use.

Under the current plan, China plans to phase out all motor vehicles manufactured before 2005. The environment authorities also plan to inject new technologies in the production of cars.

Due to the rapidly improving capacity, China recorded 379,000 newly manufactured vehicles in 2015, four times the 2014 production figures, according to the document.

The Chinese experience in the air quality improvement and environmental monitoring also appear to measure up to similar steps announced by an official from the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) at the Nairobi ministerial conference.

According to Walker Smith, an EPA official, the environment and health issues are closely linked especially because they affect the quality of air in urban areas and affect public health.

"We are trying to make people more aware of the need to protect the environment," Smith told reporters in Nairobi.

"Environment is not a second tier problem. It is a first-tier problem. Air pollution is causing 7 million deaths worldwide, we cannot afford to be cavalier about and not do any," Smith added. Endit