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‘Clean Up the World’ founder
promotes environmental awareness in Thailand
Ian Kiernan AO, the Australian founder and chairman of the ‘Clean Up the World’ campaign, recently visited Bangkok to encourage the Thai community to take more action to tackle environmental challenges.
Mr Kiernan met Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Mr Kasem Snidvongs, and was a keynote speaker at the ‘Eco-Minds’ conference organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The conference aimed to increase enthusiasm among younger Thais to think globally and act locally to protect natural resources and the environment.
In Bangkok, Mr Kiernan also met the Australian Ambassador, Mr William Paterson PSM, to discuss how the Australian community in Thailand could contribute to this global mission.
“Thailand is very important to Australia. We are very close trading partners and enjoy complementary economic growth. But would that mean anything at all if we could not breathe?” Mr Kiernan asked.
Climate change has become a major global issue as communities around the world face water shortages, increasingly volatile weather conditions, a greater spread of tropical diseases and food insecurity.
Mr Kiernan said he personally became aware of the worsening environmental situation after noticing increasing pollution while sailing in the BOC Challenge solo yacht race in the 1980s. He later initiated the flagship ‘Clean Up’ community event at Sydney Harbour in 1989 and a year later mobilised the whole nation of Australia to join in the ‘Clean Up Australia Day’.
Since then the ‘Clean Up’ concept has become a global project with strong support from UNEP. Since 1993, the ‘Clean Up the World’ campaign has seen over 35 million people around the world actively involved.
“In joining the ‘Clean Up the World’ campaign, we have never told people what to do. Instead, we provide a range of support materials to help drive local activities that address local environmental problems,” Mr Kiernan said.
Globally, activities range from building clean toilets to encouraging the development of broad-based recycling programs in other parts of the world.
Last year in Bangkok, the Australian Ambassador led a group of over 100 people, including staff from the Embassy, local workers and public volunteers, on a walk to collect rubbish in the Sathorn and Bangrak districts. The initiative built a high level of awareness of the Clean Up the World campaign among the Thai public and helped clean up some of Bangkok’s busiest streets.
When asked about what an individual could do to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Mr Kiernan emphasised that positive actions could be as simple as deciding to walk to the local store instead of driving, or reducing energy consumption in the home.
“But the main obstacle that we have been facing is the fact that people just do not accept that the climate change is ‘real’, that the government and industries have to take more serious responsibilities. It is just like a truth that is too inconvenient to know,” Mr Kiernan said, referring to ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, the acclaimed film made by his friend Al Gore.
Recently the ‘Clean Up the World’ project has had very strong support in Asia and Mr Kiernan encouraged all local communities to make each and every day their own ‘Clean Up’ day. “We have been good so far in tackling environmental problems, but we still need to do more.”
If you would like to suggest ideas to the Australian Embassy for possible activities for the Clean Up the World Weekend on 14-16 September, you are welcome to send them by email to charintip.pimphan@dfat.gov.au or fax 02 344 6315.
Want to join the ‘Clean Up the World’ force? Please visit www.cleanuptheworld.org