Cabinet approves environmental policy
By
Ian Gooding
The
Trinidad Guardian
Port Spain
Petroleumworld.com 03 12 06
The
National Environmental Policy which provides the roadmap for
the environmental management of the country has recently been
revised and approved by Cabinet, said Minister of Public Utilities
and the Environment Penelope Beckles yesterday.
Speaking
in place of Prime Minister Patrick Manning at the T&T Bureau
of Standards (TTBS) Global Environmental Issues one-day seminar
at the Crowne Plaza, Minister Beckles said the revised policy
focused on sustainable management of the country’s environmental
assets rather than the narrower concept of environmental protection
“which tends to bring into conflict the question of sustainability
of the environment and a economic development.
“The
policy assures that the economic development is not undermined
by the unsustainable use of the country’s economic assets,”
she said. “The policy is guided by respect for the community
of life, keeping within the country’s carrying capacity,
empowering communities to care for their own environment.”
She said
the government would soon finalise legislation to deal with
water pollution, air pollution and the indiscriminate disposal
of plastic containers.
Legislation
to deal with waste management, including hazardous waste, was
also being drafted, she said.
A
national study of hazardous wastes, the determine the amount
and kinds of waste generated in the country, and how it can
be treated, is to be completed next months, she said.
Trinidad
Guardian
Tuesday
7th March, 2006
Copyright © 2006 Trinidad Guardian. All Rights Reserved
