Posted at 1 p.m., Friday, May 04, 2001

Asian leaders urged to regulate, reduce pollution

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Government leaders from the Asia-Pacific region were urged today to continue cleaning up pollution in their towns and cities by embracing ideas that lead to sustainable economies. Their host, Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris, said the idea makes good economic sense.

More than 400 delegates are gathered at the Mayor's Asia-Pacific Environmental Summit through Sunday with the goal of finding ways to improve the environment in some of the most polluted and congested places.

"Those of us with economies based on natural resources, such as fisheries, forestry products or tourism, can achieve long-term economic stability by actually investing in environmental protection and regulating growth to stay within sustainable yields," Harris said.

"Those of us with economies based on manufacturing or production can improve the quality of life in our communities, and can actually reduce long-term environmental and society costs by re-designing our production processes to be more efficient and environmentally friendly," he said.

Tadao Chino, president of the Asian Development Bank, told delegates that nearly 30 percent in Asia have no access to safe drinking water. He said growing migration to cities will place enormous pressure on inadequate sewage treatment systems. Cities are going to grow by the millions in the next 25 years.

"Air pollution in Asia threatens both people's health and their economic opportunities," Chino said. "The environmental predicament facing the Asia-Pacific region is most likely going to get worse."

Zhou Yupeng, vice mayor of Shanghai, China, said his city had halved some pollution over the last five years after a decade-long project. "However," he said, "we still have a long way to go."

Mike Gordon can be reached at 525-8012, or by e-mail at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.