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Wednesday, 5 June 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe on Monday
released a message to mark World Environment Day, expressing
concern about air quality and calling for the adoption of environmentally-friendly and sustainable
energy sources. His message is reproduced in full below:
This year’s theme of the United Nations World Environment Day draws the attention of the global community towards curbing air pollution. It aims to raise awareness and support action to combat this problem, which has reached crisis proportions across the world. Although air pollutants aren’t visible to the naked eye, they pose a serious health hazard to people everywhere. This has a detrimental impact on human life expectancy.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe |
According to the United Nations, nine out of ten individuals around the world are exposed to unsafe levels of air pollutants. Globally, premature deaths due to air pollution have risen to seven million annually, with four million deaths reported in the Asia-Pacific region.
Numerous programs are being conducted to improve air quality in countries and major cities where air pollution threatens public health and the environment. There has been much emphasis on renewable energy and green technology. These are among the alternative energy sources currently being experimented with.
In order to reduce fossil fuel emissions, it is our responsibility to use environmentally-friendly sources of energy in households, industries, agriculture and transportation. I hope that the UN World Environment Day will trigger our obligation as humans to ensure the lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources in order to sustain our own existence and that of future generations.