Ambassador
Op-Ed
April 22, 2007
"EARTH DAY CELEBRATION CONTINUES TO CALL ATTENTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT"
By Ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne
This Sunday, April 22 the United States will celebrate the 37th Earth Day. It is a time to reflect on what we, as a planet, have accomplished and what challenges still lay ahead.
The first Earth day was celebrated by more than 20 million Americans on April 22, 1970. Two years later the UN General assembly recognized the need for all countries to devote more attention to the environment and conceived World Environment Day on June 5, 1972.
Today, the United States is continuing its commitment to the environment by taking the lead on many important international environmental issues.
Domestically, President Bush has pushed for new technologies, alternative fuels and incentives for Americans to conserve more energy. In fact, he has set a goal to reduce gasoline usage in the U.S. by 20 percent over the next decade.
Through incentives such as tax credits, more stringent fuel economy standards, vital research on alternative fuels like biodiesel and ethanol, and $12 billion invested to develop cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable energy sources, the United States could cut annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 10 percent.This would be like taking 26 million automobiles off the road today.
Internationally, the U.S. is putting its creative and financial capacity to work on cataloging, controlling, and solving environmental problems throughout the world. For example, the U.S has committed more than $29 billion over the past six years to study and combat climate change, more than any other nation in the world.
Recently, the U.S. announced the release of the Strategic Plan for the U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System. This 10 year plan involving nearly 60 countries will develop an integrated observation system to take the pulse of the Earth. Here in Argentina, the GOES-10 satellite will offer round the clock information regarding climate and atmospheric conditions, helping to provide real time information about natural disasters and their potential effect on local populations.
We have launched sustainable development partnerships which have achieved concrete results: world wide they have hooked up 13 million people with access to energy; provided 19 million people with better access to safe drinking water; eliminated use of harmful leaded gasoline in all 49 Sub-Saharan African countries, and provided insecticide-treated mosquito nets to more than 19 million people to protect them from malaria.
In Argentina, the U.S.-created Fund for the Americas is spending over 3 million dollars on dozens of projects in which NGOs identify pressing natural resource problems affecting local ecosystems and then design projects that encourage both protection and sustainable management of these resources.
Protecting the environment is a duty we all share. While Earth Day is a time to celebrate the gains we have made and to create new visions, every day is an opportunity to act to protect our planet.
