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"All challenges facing the world today remind us, that taking care for our environment, air, water, forest, soil should be the top priority issue for us" stated Levan Davitashvili
"Environmental protection is becoming increasingly important. All challenges facing the world remind us that caring for the environment, air, water, forest and soil should be the top priority for us.
This year, among other environmental issues, the world is paying special attention to the importance of biodiversity, as far as, biodiversity ensures the sustainability of ecosystems and plays a vital role in the formation and development of the environment and natural resources. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture takes responsibility to preserve and protect the unique and rich natural environment of our country. However, upholding the responsibility, we have developed and adopted a number of legislative acts in accordance with the European standards and experience.
We have adopted a new forest code, that establishes the principles of sustainable forest management in the country and pushes the forest management system to move to a new phase. In 2019, we banned the use of plastic bags, which was a very timely, significant and necessary step.
The policy approach for Extended Producer Responsibility has been launched, which is an important step taken forward to protect the nature and encourage the development of alternative economic activities in the country. The enactment of the law on Extended Producer Responsibility will ensure, that batteries, accumulators, wast tires, used vehicles, oils, packaging waste, electrical and electronic waste will no longer pollute the environment. Furthermore, we have enhanced the water and atmospheric air monitoring system and created an atmospheric air quality portal.
We have implemented significant reform in the Department of Environmental Supervision. It should be noted, that employees of the Department of Environmental Supervision are fighting against illegal logging and most times have been putting their own lives at risk while protecting our forests. We have significantly strengthened inspection services across the country. The plans are set for large industrial enterprises which are revealing themselves as the biggest polluters of the environment, furthermore, according to these plants, the industrial companies should make corrections and improvements in their activities within a reasonable time frame. Moreover, maintaining a clean environment is significantly related to raising man environmental awareness. Hereby, we have included environmental issues in the preschool curriculum.The next generation is the future of our planet. They should increase their knowledge about the potential of our country and define ways, how to use this potential.
Ultimately, we should develop the economic system of the country by means of using the principles of sustainable development and lessening our impact on the environment, which means, that Georgia will become an economically strong country on the one hand, and ecologically clean and attractive on the other hand ”said Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.