CAIRO: For millions of people living in Egypt, the phrase "towards a greener Egypt is more than just a cliché echoed by different officials or constantly appearing in headlines. Air pollution has become so overwhelming in Egypt that people struggle for a breath of fresh air. That is why ministers, senior officials, heads of national, regional and international agencies, as well as international donors gathered in Cairo in a bid to get a grip on environmental abuse and abate pollution. "Egypt is one of the most heavily polluted countries in Africa and the most prone to environmental exploitation. And it is about time Egypt and other developed countries did something about it, said Mohamed Farid Khamis, president of the German Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GACIC), at the opening of the fifth International Conference and Exhibition for Environmental Technologies, Services and Funding "Environment 2007 . Organized by the GACIC and held under the patronage of ministers of environment and petroleum, Environment 2007 is takes place from May 21-23. For those suffering from emissions from gridlocked traffic and those engulfed in industrial zones, air pollution abatement is essential, as they are constantly threatened to contract fatal respiratory and lung diseases. Among other things, vehicle fumes as well as agricultural and industrial waste have caused the formation of Cairo's infamous "Black Cloud which has been hovering over the megalopolis every autumn since 1999. "The black cloud is a challenge that the ministry of environment is currently tackling, said Fouad Megahed, managing director of the environmental protection awareness project at the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), the ministry's body in charge of setting environmental standards. Burning agricultural waste, particularly rice husks, is the main cause of the black cloud. "We are currently looking into the idea of converting rice husks and other agricultural waste into biomass energy used to cultivate other agricultural products, Megahed pointed out. Rice husks could be converted into compost and fertilizers very useful for the cultivation of some crops such as mushrooms. "So, basically what we are trying to do is take an environmentally harmful practice and convert it into a friendly and cost-effective practice. But burning vegetative waste is not the only culprit for air pollution in Egypt: industrial waste, solid fuels, burned garbage and industrial detritus, and the list goes on. All this leads to emissions of fine particular matter and carbon mono/dioxides that can potentially result in climate change, inundation of the Nile and changes in rainfall patterns. "Take any industry in Egypt and the whole world, and you will find that in order to produce something you will [either intentionally or not] pollute the environment. Even if it is as simple as manufacturing a fast-food meal, you pollute the environment with improper transportation, inadequate waste management techniques and lack of recycling systems, Megahed said. He explained that the EEAA is trying to educate people that environmentally friendly practices and profitability work together hand in hand and truly complement one another. "Wealth should not be at the expense of the environment. Environment protection and business profitability are actually two sides of one coin, Megahed clarified. "In fact, negligence to environment protection can jeopardize businesses as workers could fall ill due to pollution. It's a win-win situation. Indeed, niche players in the oil and gas industries have discovered that green isn't just an eco-friendly trend - it is also the color of money. "At the end of the day, we live in a business world. We want to save and protect our environment and at the same time generate money for our businesses. This can be re-invented in alternative and renewable energy resources, said Hossam Ezzeldin, senior environmental and sustainable development advisor at Shell Egypt. He highlighted the fact that the segment of clean and renewable energies is promising. "Demand for energy consumption is going to more than double in the next 30 years while supply of gas and oil is decreasing. Therefore, we have to look for alternatives. These alternatives would be clean fuel like natural gas, wind and solar energy. "Picture this. If we build one wind-mill, it will generate five times our energy demands till the year 2010, he said. "Still, we cannot entirely live without consumption of conventional energy resources - oil, gas, and coal. But these are going to die out one day and vanish, Ezzeldin predicted. "The day will come when diesel will be as expensive as gold. We have to prepare ourselves for the day when we will solely depend on alternative and renewable energy resources. That is why the government has spread a good share of natural gas-powered buses in the streets. Gas stations pumping in natural gas in vehicles and buses, rather than oil and diesel, have also been up and running in the country. "We're here today, but we're not going to be here tomorrow. So, we have to think about the future of our children and next generations. If we can't assess our environmental risks today, we can't explore energy for tomorrow, warned Ezzeldin, adding that by the year 2050, Shell would be an emission-free company, without flaring or emitting any sorts of carbon dioxides.
