Optimist Mahmoud Bakr says Cairo's air might become cleaner Cairo is set to join the global quest for cleaner air, according to Maged George, minister of state for environmental affairs, who recently pledged as much to a delegation from the Los Angeles-based Clinton Foundation. Cairo has been invited, among 22 major cities, to join the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), which aims at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. The CGI will coordinate action and research aiming at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases into the air. About 70 per cent of greenhouse gases are blamed on traffic, household, and industrial emissions. The CGI aims at reducing these gases in major urban centres, including Cairo, which suffers from several sources of pollution. The CGI will identify emissions of greenhouse gases and develop alternative ways of using and producing energy. CGI is also launching a cooperation programme to reduce greenhouse gases in major urban centres including Berlin, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Chicago, Istanbul, Sao Paolo and Seoul. Egypt's determination to curb the sources of pollution is seen in its signing of the UN framework agreements on climate changes as well as the Kyoto Protocol. "We have developed our own programmes to reduce airborne pollutants," George said, adding that his ministry had introduced measures "to curb harmful emissions and reduce industrial pollution." One of the most important measures Egypt has taken has been the creation of a national council for clean development. The government is also spending LE1 billion to curb industrial pollution within five years. "Egypt has approved investments totalling LE900 million in projects using renewable resources and has encouraged a shift from liquid fuel to natural gas, considered more environmental friendly, in both transportation and industry," George said. "We are also trying to promote solar energy and explore ways to generate electricity from wind and hydraulic sources." The partnership between the Clinton Foundation and the environmental authorities in major cities is likely to be a first step towards curbing global warming. Cooperation will begin with measuring harmful emissions in urban centres through a computer programme that would post emissions on the Internet for comparison purposes. Cities involved in such cooperation will be seeking to increase the efficiency of street lighting, regulate the use of energy in heating and ventilation, introduce efficient systems for using water and generating electricity, and reduce emissions from garbage dumps. "It no longer makes sense for us to debate whether or not Earth is warming at an alarming rate, and it doesn't make sense for us to sit back and wait for others to act," Clinton, the former US president, said at a recent news conference in Los Angeles. "The fate of the planet that our children and grandchildren will inherit is in our hands, and it is our responsibility to do something about this crisis." Clinton called for systematic cooperation among the world's leading urban cities, arguing that it would be better for the international community to act together than for every country to act alone. Members of the US delegation told George that every city involved in the plan has a population of over three million plus a good chance to reduce emissions. The next 10 years may bring about substantial changes in the way energy is used and produced, members of the delegation said. The cooperation programme is expected to give an added boost to Egypt's quest for cleaner technology.
