Leaders of the United Nations and China called for global campaigns to deal with environmental problems and the pursuit of sustainable development on the eve of the annual World Environment Day (WED).
In a message to an international WED conference in
Shenzhen Tuesday, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan called the Earth "a planet still in need of intensive care."
"Poverty, pollution and population growth; rural poverty and rapid urbanization; wasteful consumption habits and growing demands for water, land and energy continue to place intense pressures on the planet's life support systems, threatening our ability to achieve sustainable development," he said.
The conference, jointly launched by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), was the focus of global WED celebrations, with UNEP's "Global 500" awards presented.
The U.N. Secretary General said that the theme of this year's World Environment Day - Give Earth A Chance - was meant to convey a message of urgency.
"The theme is in fact an expression of our strong wish to improve the environment since the human kind has suffered too much from environmental degradation over the past century," Chinese Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao said in a message to the conference.
The Chinese government pays great heed to environmental protection, and has kept environmental degradation under control through effective pollution control and ecological conservation measures, he noted.
He said China would make still greater contributions to the global pursuit of sustainable development through more comprehensive measures, including reducing pollutant emissions, afforestation, and conservation of natural forests.
Both leaders of the U.N. and China expressed high expectations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in South Africa later this year.
"I hope that all states and all stakeholders will come together... and that the breakthrough this time, 10 years along the path from Rio (de Janeiro), will be real and tangible," said Annan.
World Environment Day on June 5, cited as one of the most important events on the environmental calendar, has been celebrated every year since 1972.
"Despite considerable efforts and significant achievements, many of the problems that plagued the Earth during the 20th century still linger on. More than ever, we need to take the necessary steps to ensure that the environment remains at the top of the global agenda," said Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's executive director, who attended the celebrations in Shenzhen.
Shenzhen, a booming coastal city neighboring Hong Kong, plays host to this year's WED international celebrations. Its government was also among the winners of the 2002 Global 500, world-class awards bestowed by the UNEP for achievements in the field of environmental protection.
The city, whose skyline is dotted with high-rises while 45 percent of urban districts are covered by greenery, was regarded as a fine example of the concept of economic development without damaging the environment, said Klaus Toepfer.
Aohanqi County on the verge of a vast desert in north China's Inner Mongolia also won an award this year for the 30-year efforts of its people to tame desertification.
Located in a semi-arid area at the southern fringe of the sandy region of Keerqin, Aohanqi was menaced by desertification due to the unsustainable use of natural resources. Large-scale environmentally-friendly projects have been undertaken since the early 1970s.
At present, forest coverage in the county has reached 43.5 percent, whereas shifting sanddunes have been reduced to 6,000 hectares from 38,000 hectares 30 years ago.
"The achievements of these two places epitomize China's intensive efforts to improve the environment over recent decades,"said Xie Zhenhua, director of the SEPA.
Among other award winners this year are the Amazon ConservationTeam from the United States, the Eco-Walk Children of Baguio City in the Philippines, Princess Basma bint Ali from Jordan, and Tabigat Ecological Union of Kazakhstan.
