The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : ‘Focus on cleaner production methods’

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Friday, Jul 04, 2008
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Kerala - Kochi

‘Focus on cleaner production methods’

R. Ramabhadran Pillai

KOCHI: An international conference on ‘cleaner production and energy conservation for sustainability’, which concluded here recently, has urged the corporate world to integrate with their growth strategies, the concept of cleaner production and practices and to use energy efficiency, water conservation and waste minimisation as focus areas.

Such an effort would be required to achieve green growth as a part of productivity improvement and for conservation of natural resources to protect the eco system for a better profit line and for attaining corporate social objectives, according to a resolution passed by the conference.

The unsustainable way of the use of natural resources at far greater rate than what the nature can replenish and the indiscriminate way the pollutants are added to the planet Earth needs to be addressed with top most priority.

The present challenge faced on the ‘warming earth’ is to make it greener and cleaner before it is passed on to the next generation, without reducing the present level of energy services and certainly expanding on it through a less energy intensive route, it said.

Technology plays a vital role in providing alternative solutions. Equal emphasis is required to address attitudinal issues of accepting innovative solutions.

Hence, the need of the hour is out-of-the box solutions synergizing technology and attitudes to combat the new challenges posed as side effects to our developmental quest.

This will entail collective and comprehensive action by experts, policy makers, governments and non-government agencies across the nations, the resolution said.

It urged policy makers and community leaders to develop action plans with targets and time frame for promoting cleaner production and energy conservation for sustainability.

The conference was attended by scientists, academicians, technocrats, engineers, consultants, industrialists, certified energy managers and auditors. The delegates belonged to countries such as Indonesia, Kenya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, apart from India. Representatives from organisations such as UNIDO, Society of Energy Engineers and Managers (SEEM) and REEEP (Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership) also participated.

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