Environmental problem worldwide unreversed: PM says

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 ◆ Environmental problem worldwide unreversed: PM says

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji warned Tuesday environmental degradation worldwide has gone on unreversed after 10 years of the Rio De Janeiro Earth Summit.

"While such long-standing problems as poverty, hunger, waste of resources and ecological destruction remain unresolved, abnormal climatic changes, fresh water shortage, spread of HIV/AIDS and other new threats have cropped up," Zhu said at the high-level segment of the Earth Summit in Johannesburg.

"As economic globalization presses on, the gap between the North and South, as well as the digital divide, keeps on widening.

"What merits our particular attention is that terrorist activities, regional conflicts, trans-border crimes, rampant drug trafficking and other threats to peace and security remains quite serious."

The ongoing summit is expected to focus on building a commitment at the highest levels of government and society to better implement Agenda 21, adopted 10 years ago in Rio, as the roadmap for achieving sustainable development.

The Chinese premier told world leaders that the pressure and challenge facing the international community are evidently on the increase, rather than decrease.

Fulfilling the objectives of sustainable development as set by Agenda 21 is still a long and arduous journey, he said.

"Sustainable development is a crucial and pressing task facing all countries in the world," said Zhu.

Meanwhile, according to delegates to the summit, governments have reached agreement on renewable energy sources.

The text calls on all countries to "substantially increase" the global share of renewable energy but fails to set any target percentages or dates.

The agreement is a crucial step on the way to developing a common position for a final overall declaration which delegates hope to sign at the end of the summit on Wednesday.

The European Union had been pushing for the share of renewables in global energy use to be raised from 14 percent to 15 percent by 2010, but the United States and other oil-producing nations have opposed this.