Taking the long view of environmental protection, government officials and Saudi Aramco leaders took part recently in the First International Conference on Clean Development Mechanism, held in Riyadh and attended by more than 600 experts from 47 nations. Of particular interest at the conference was implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, an international accord that aims to balance the emissions of developed countries and the needs of developing nations through a series of credits and other incentives. Perhaps most important is the spirit of the Kyoto Protocol in establishing an orderly, environmentally sound basis for economic growth in the developing world. "Through adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol and some other significant efforts, the Kingdom contributes greatly to the protection of the local, regional and international environment," Ali I. Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, told delegates in his keynote address, according to a report carried yesterday by Saudi Aramco's web-site. "Despite our concerns that some of the environment-related decisions could lead to reduction in world petroleum consumption, which might adversely affect our development programs due to a large extent to our dependence on crude petroleum exports," Al-Naimi said, "we are seeking for the world to adopt positive environmental decisions that would protect the environment and contribute to global economic development." Al-Naimi said the relationship between the economic growth rate and environmental protection must be consistent. Achieving economic growth does not mean sacrificing environmental protection. Likewise, environmental protection decisions must not adversely impact economic growth. This balance, he said, can be achieved by focusing on technology that serves both sides. The minister stressed that continuing improvement in energy-use technology is the gateway to confronting various environmental problems - not adopting ineffective measures, such as imposing more taxes, which could adversely effect investment in energy sources at a time when the world needs environmentally clean energy sources, including fossil fuels. --MORE
