By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, May 29: All oil palm plantations should adhere to the zero-burning policy, while the public should reduce open burning activities to help keep air quality at a healthy level.
In the same vein, Department of Environment (DOE) acting director Amirul Aripin also hoped governmental agencies, industries and the society at large would work together to explore green technology and renewable energy.
He cautioned that a polluted environment would give rise to many negatives. For instance, airplanes would not be able to depart or land, and tourists would have a bad impression of the state.
Amirul said this yesterday when breaking fast with Sarawak Orphans Children Welfare Association (Peryatim) residents in conjunction with World Environment Day 2019.
This year’s World Environment Day will be hosted by China and is themed ‘Air pollution’. China, with its growing green energy sector, has emerged as a climate change leader, where the country now owns half of the world’s electric vehicles and 99 per cent of the world’s electric buses.
World Environment Day was established in 1972 and is held annually on June 5 to create awareness among the public regarding environmental issues.
“According to a United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report, every year, approximately seven million people worldwide die prematurely from air pollution, and out of that, about four million of them occurs in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Amirul. — DayakDaily
