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22/04/2008 - Increasing fossil energy use is affecting the climate, growing food demand is adding pressure on the world’s water supply and biodiversity, and worsening pollution is damaging human health. At the same time, no country can afford to lower economic growth. Are there innovative ideas that will benefit the environment and the economy?
Environment Ministers from OECD countries as well as from Chile, Estonia, Israel, Russia, Slovenia – countries that are candidates for OECD membership – and Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa have been invited to discuss cost-effective environmental policies that also bring economic and social benefits.
The Chair of the meeting, Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, Italian Environment Minister will lead the discussions at OECD on 28 – 29 April, with his counterparts from: Portugal, Francisco Nunes Correia; the U.S., Stephen Johnson; Denmark, Connie Hedegaard; and Mexico, Fernando Tudela; and Japan, Toshiro Kojima as Vice-Chairs.
These ministers, with OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria, will hold a closing news conference at 3.15 p.m. on Tuesday April 29 at OECD headquarters. Photo opportunities of the ministers’ meeting are possible at 2.00 p.m.on 28 April and 9.00 a.m. on 29 April. Journalists will have access to a press room equipped with wifi and the OECD radio and television studios are available for interviews, editing or satellite feeds free of charge.
The meeting has four sessions: Recent environmental trends and the OECD Environmental Outlook projections for the coming decades; Environmental co-operation between OECD countries and emerging economies; Competitiveness, eco-innovation and climate change; and Strengthening co-operation across government for ambitious climate change policies. The outcome of these discussions will be relayed to the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in June.
Journalists who would like to cover the meeting or wish further information are asked to contact Helen Fisher in the OECD’s Media Relations Division, at (e-mail: helen.fisher @ oecd.org ; or tel: + 33 1 45 24 80 97).
For more information about this meeting, see http://www.oecd.org/envmin2008.
Read as well the ministers' roundtable on climate change, OECD Observer No. 266, March 2008.
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