On behalf of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah Province, inaugurated at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry here Monday the First Environmental Forum and an exhibition held on this occasion. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Makkah Province said, “Countries are incurring great losses and facing health hazards due to environmental pollution.” The Makkah Emir said, “The subject of care and protection of the environment has become among the top priorities of world attention due to the threat posed by the escalation of man's industrial activities and his economic ambitions while neglecting and misusing the environment. This resulted in disturbing the environmental balance and as a result the world has incurred great losses and exposed its peoples to numerous health hazards due to different forms of environmental pollution not to speak of the water crisis that the world is facing.” Prince Khalid added that the Kingdom realized quite early the dangers posed by this situation and carried out an active role to protect the environment at the local and international levels. Also, it participated in many international specialist conferences and forums and joined numerous international agreements related to the environment. At the internal level, the Kingdom issued numerous regulations aimed at protecting the environment. Then it issued the general regulation for the environment as well as its executive regulation. Also, it formed a commission for supervising its implementation under the name “General Presidency for Meteorology and Environmental Protection” headed by Prince Turki Bin Nasser Bin Abdul Aziz. Prince Khalid said the forum is the result of cooperation between the presidency and JCCI. He added that within its keenness for environmental affairs, the government of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is striving to protect Jeddah's marine, industrial, commercial and social environment due to the importance of this city at the world level. In his speech, Prince Khalid warned against neglecting the environment. Prince Khalid also inaugurated the exhibition accompanying the forum in which a number of companies, universities and departments concerned with the environment are participating. __
