| |
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
COPENHAGEN: International conferences and meetings tend to use a lot of paper. At the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18, there was ironically an endless stream of printed materials which mostly ended up as junk.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference was in session for 12 days and there had been no stopping of printed materials. The thousands of pages left at the venue were estimated to be able to fill at least 50 garbage trucks.
Aisha Bello, a conference participant from Nigeria, said: "It's quite wasteful really, and I thought maybe they would have thought of a more proactive way of doing this. We're here trying to see how we can conserve energy while wasting things. They could have done it in a better way."
Another conference participant, Marilyn Averill from the University of Colorado at Boulder, said: "I don't think paper is the main issue here. There are so many issues being negotiated and it's so important to communicate the current status of the negotiation to people. Now, you can say you can do it electronically, but having a page in your hand can make some difference."
While delegates were encouraged to reduce the use of paper and recycle unwanted documents, many said they hope the organisers of next year's climate change conference in Mexico will think of more eco-friendly ways to spread the message of saving the earth.
- CNA/so
|
