Generalized Linkage to Unrelated Environments

Liaison Conference of Japanese National NGOs at the Special Session of the General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament

19. Calls on the Commission to develop standards to ensure general harmonisation and coherence in the regulation of parking and vehicle access to urban areas, the categorisation of vehicles, the different classes of emissions, road signs, disability-friendly transport systems and technical standards in intelligent transport systems, and to boost the impetus for pedestrian zones and the protection of historical areas and generally improve the environment and public mobility; points out that the keystone of the SUMPs is quality of life, a corollary of which is the emphasis on freeing cities from traffic congestion and planning parking fac ...[+++]ilities to ensure freedom of movement for pedestrians and the attractiveness of city centres; asks the Commission to support coordinated and integrated strategic public transport solutions to relieve transport networks, urban highways and access roads to workplaces in order to improve people’s quality of life and to encourage a better work-life balance, while increasing productivity; also calls on the authorities to increase the use of intelligent technologies that can help solve problems related to urban mobility, such as on-board satellite sensors in vehicles and smart ticketing;

Cheryl Baraniecki, Manager, Environmental Assessments, Environment Canada: The sites specifically that are contaminated with respect to mining, those presently are under the custodianship of INAC, so Environment Canada does have ownership of some contaminated sites, but generally, those are weather stations and some of the DEW Line sites, et cetera.

This morning we have witnesses attending, and we thank them for being here: from the Department of the Environment, Mr. Alex Manson, acting director general, climate change bureau; from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Steve Burgess, executive director, special projects and regional liaison and guidance; from the Department of Natural Resources, Sheila Riordin, director general, energy policy branch; and from the National Energy Board, Robert Steedman, professional leader, environment.

In relation to the threat posed by bottom trawl fishing to deep-sea biodiversity on the high seas, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy notes the call by the UN General Assembly in 2003 to “investigate urgently how to better address, on a scientific basis, including the application of precaution, the threats and risks to vulnerable and threatened marine ecosystems and biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction”.