BEIRUT: Environment Minister Nazim Khoury, representing President Michel Sleiman at a regional conference on the green economy, said Thursday that taxes should be used as an incentive to reduce pollution levels.
Speaking at the opening of the two-day Arab Forum for Environment and Development conference, held at the Habtoor Grand Hotel in Beirut, Khoury said that the Arab region should follow the example of many European countries, collecting taxes based on the volume of pollution not production.
“This type of new green economy can open new doors for the Arab private sector, aiming at creating job opportunities for the Arab youth who played the main role in the change that we witness in the region,” he added.
Over 500 delegates are attending the conference, which is being held under the patronage of Sleiman, including around 20 Arab parliamentarians, former Prime Minister of Jordan Adnan Badran and World Bank special envoy on climate change, Andrew Steer.
A report, entitled Green Economy in a Changing Arab World, was released at the launch of the conference. It states that regionwide, a 25 percent reduction in energy subsidies would free up over $100 billion over a three-year period and that a 50 percent greening of the transport sector, led by higher energy efficiency and increased use of public transport and hybrid vehicles, should generate savings of $23 billion a year.
The report also stressed the need for countries to promote efficient irrigation and water use, and said that reused treated wastewater should increase from the current rate of 20 percent to 100 percent.
It also points out that “that the region does not have to choose between economic development, social equality or healthy ecosystems,” a statement from AFED said.
Khoury praised the report and its findings, and said that while the world is “witnessing a fast growth in the trade of environmental goods and services, in comparison to other trade sectors,” the Arab world is lagging behind, remaining “in the margin of this sector with only 1 percent of the total trade.”
The second day discussions will tackle greening cities, buildings, transportation, tourism, waste management and green economy as an engine for growth.