Climate change and food prices put pressure on GMS environment

(KPL) Laos is one of country in Great Mekong Sub-region is facing new challenges as both climate as climate change and the current food crisis stress the environment, according to press release of Asian Development Bank.

Concerning over the vulnerable matter, the GMS governments are exploring ways of responding to this, among other ways by incorporating climate change adaptation measures into national development plans.

This was one of the outcomes of the 14th Working Group on Environment Meeting which took place in Luang Prabang province on 1-2 July.

Participants included senior government representatives from the six GMS countries, representatives from NGOs, academic institutions and researchers, and during the two-day meeting environment programme directives for the subregion were discussed and endorsed.

"In Lao PDR, we are aware that the climate changes that will occur in our region will touch and change many people's lives, affecting vulnerable and poor communities the most", says Mme Keobang-a Keola, Acting Permanent Secretary, GMS-National Coordinator, Water Resources and Environment Administration (WREA).

"By integrating climate change in our development planning proves at this early stage, we cannot reverse the speed of climate change but we can be better prepared to face the consequences".

Presentations at the meeting treated issues such as climate change and the impact it will have on different sectors in the GMS, food process and the priority need for resource use efficiency in agriculture and natural resource management.

The participants also discussed how the strategic collaboration embodied by the Working Group on Environment and the Environment Operations Centre can be taken further, and the long-term goal of a common GMS secretariat of the environment was one model that was debated.

At the 3rd GMS Summit Leaders Meeting held in Vientiane in March 2008 the importance of involvement with the private sector, a tronger focus on climate change, the continued involvement of youth as a central stakeholder in environmental issues in the GMS as week as the strengthening of trans-boundary and cross-sectoral aspects of environment were all part of the directions that were laid out.

"The current global agenda items o climate change and variability as well as food prices must be responded to with one common goals in mind: to reduce vulnerability," say Urool S. Malik, Director, South East Asia Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, ADB.

"Inherent in the response is the importance of environment for development; we must strengthen agriculture by working on strengthening productivity and supply as well as continuing to give environment priority both in national development plans and in regional cooperation without environment there will be no development"