I would like to thank you for your invitation to attend and welcome today's Students' Conference. It is a great pleasure to be here today to present the environmental activities of a school with the vision of raising awareness among students to love the environment and understand the importance of protecting it. It is now clear to all of us that the environment, health and the economy are concepts that are inextricably linked in the events of modern society and affect the daily lives of all of us and our quality of life.
As a Ministry, but also as citizens of this country, we recognise that the challenges in the field of the environment are many and complex. But we are ready, through the implementation of policies focused on environmental conservation, to transform Cyprus into a clean, green country, with proper management of natural resources, where the environment is protected and preserved for the generations of today and the future.
The environment and biodiversity we enjoy today is the result of 3.5 billion years of evolution and nature has rightly seen to it that all organisms coexist under a delicate balance.
The environment and biodiversity we enjoy today is the result of 3.5 billion years of evolution and nature has rightly seen to it that all organisms coexist under a delicate balance. However, despite its vital importance, the environment is being destroyed at an alarming rate, mainly due to human activities. A change in our lifestyle is essential. We are all part of the solution, organisations, businesses, schools, schools, organisations, we all need to take action and change habits to minimise the negative impact on the environment.
My presence here today shows our willingness to strongly support environmental goals and actions aimed at and enhancing the long-term conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as supporting environmental education through programmes such as Eco-Schools and Young Journalists for the Environment, which have been implemented in schools in recent years. It is gratifying to see your thematic environmental objectives each year, which, with targeted actions and guidance from the overall educational context and spirit of the programme, will enhance your awareness of environmental protection.
This year your thematic unit "Biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea - Marine Mammals and Climate Change", through the Eco-Schools programme, highlights your school's environmental ethos. I am sure that, through your teaching and research, you will be able to understand how important the protection of the marine environment is, and how many efforts are needed to prevent the effects of climate change, but also how these efforts are an individual and collective responsibility to achieve them.
Environmental protection is the basis of a healthy economy and sustainable development of our country.
Protecting the environment is the basis of a healthy economy and sustainable development of our country. Environmental protection is the main pillar and the main objective of development planning on issues such as addressing climate change, protecting the ozone layer, preventing pollution, managing waste and protecting water resources.
I am sure that the presentations that will follow, in the context of today's conference, will be very enlightening, and I believe that they will contribute to the goal of your school's Environmental Program and to the promotion of a responsible and more active
