The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi delivered a speech at the opening of International Oil Summit here today. Following is full text of the speech titled "Energy and the Environment: Opportunities and Challenges": Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: it is a great pleasure to be back in Paris, and to participate in one of the world's most prestigious energy conferences, the International Oil Summit. I would like first to express my appreciation to Dr. Olivier Appert, President of the Institut Français du Pétrole, for inviting me to talk with you today, and to thank all of the organizers of this distinguished event. Today I would like to address a subject which is of major concern to all of us, and which will continue to be an issue for the generations which will follow ours: the direct relationships between energy, the natural environment, and economic growth and human prosperity. The natural environment is a common trust and a God-given patrimony for which we all must care. Protecting it requires sincere commitment and effort-locally, regionally and internationally; in all places and at all times. Environmental issues include keeping our neighborhoods, cities, rivers, deserts, mountains and forests pristine, and minimizing pollution in our air, water and soil. They require us to conserve precious natural resources and address Climate Change while better understanding its causes and effects. Therefore, to tackle these issues and to safeguard our precious natural environment, one of our foremost goals must be to reduce all harmful emissions. At the same time, we must continue to improve the living standards of our fellow men and women and ensure they have the prospect of more prosperous lives. This is especially true within the developing societies and emerging economies that account for so much of the world's population. --More
