Awareness Raising Event at Tripoli’s Green Square Marks World Environment Day 2009
As part of their World Environment Day 2009 celebrations, the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Libya, the Environment General
Authority, Tripoli Development Authority and the Scouts movement,
organized a large public awareness raising event in Tripoli’s famous
Green Square, entitled “Make Green Square Greener.”
Hundreds of Scouts gathered in Green Square for the event, some
travelling as far as 180km to take part. They participated in a
series of quizzes and competitions, with World Environment Day
t-shirts and plants offered as prizes. Meanwhile, passers-by were
handed out leaflets outlining World Environment Day and explaining
ten simple steps for reducing individual carbon emissions.
The event took its inspiration from the global theme for this year’s
World Environment Day, “Your Planet Needs You, UNite to Combat
Climate Change”, which called upon governments and their citizens to
unify in their efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
A special emphasis was placed on individual responsibility for
climate change. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon highlighted in
his speech to mark the occasion that “although individual decisions
may seem small in the face of global threats and trends, when
billions of people join forces in common purpose we can make a
tremendous difference.”
In addition to this, attention was focussed on the upcoming
Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, scheduled to take place in
December 2009. The international conference is intended to expand
upon climate change commitments made at the Kyoto Protocol, and will
bring together thousands of individuals from governments, observer
organisations and the international media.
Mr. Brian Gleeson, UNDP Resident Representative, delivered a speech
which not only called upon government commitment at Copenhagen, but
also urged individual’s to respond to the pressing issue of global
climate change. He emphasised that international agreements are
powerless if realities do not change on the ground.
A key concern in Libya is the need to offer individuals more
opportunities to chose a lower carbon lifestyle, Mr Gleeson was
adamant that “UNDP is keen to take a lead in spreading environmental
awareness, but it is not enough to urge people to recycle when there
are not facilities for recycling. It is not enough to urge extol the
virtues of public transport, when vast areas of the city has no
access to it. We cannot encourage people to walk when there are no
safe pedestrian crossings and well-paved footpaths.”
For the Scouts gathered at Green Square, their government and other
states’ responses to climate change will have a decisive impact upon
their futures and that of their children. Africa stands to be worst
affected by climate change, with an estimated 75 to 250 million
individuals likely to be affected by severe water shortages by 2020
if significant action is not taken. UNDP Libya hopes that their
active involvement in climate change issues will be matched in the
international arena and has pledged to continue campaigning for
greater attention to the Copenhagen Agreement.