LOCAL environmental organisation Green Brunei is calling on all relevant agencies to zero in on waste management issues in light of the growing population and housing areas in the country.
Green Brunei President Khairunnisa Ash’ari told The Brunei Times it is imperative to look even more closely on managing waste which can be tied to recycling, so that the country’s waste management system will run more efficiently in the long run.
“Waste management can potentially be a bigger problem in the future if not tackled effectively today. We often read about illegal dumping issues, water pollution and open burning in the media and these are all part and parcel of waste management,” she said.
Khairunnisa said there are many success stories which Brunei can learn from with regards to tackling waste management, as well as renewable energy, public transportation, education and conservation.
“All these have an impact on climate change. We have to look into initiatives that not only tackle climate change, but contribute towards economic development.”
Speaking on climate change, Khairunnisa said Green Brunei has always undertaken smaller-scaled projects where they target the younger generation.
“We are always looking for opportunities to support government initiatives. Climate change is real, and we really cannot wait for major disasters to strike before making real efforts in tackling the issues. Start small,” she said.
She added that Green Brunei wholeheartedly supports any initiative to tackle climate change, and is hoping to have more opportunities to collaborate with different agencies. Currently, they are focusing on climate change education.
“Education has always been the focus of our activities. We have already been conducting talks in schools on climate change by sharing with them the reality of climate change and potential solutions. We will also be organising a youth seminar where climate change is one of the core topics, in partnership with the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism,” she said.
Khairunnisa said they are looking to collaborate more in the future with the relevant government agencies.
Source: The Brunei Times