Dibie to speak on environmental policy in Jamaica
October 13, 2006
KOKOMO, Ind.—The University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, has invited Robert Dibie, Ph.D., to provide the keynote speech for the institution’s annual occupational and environmental safety and health forum, set October 17–20. Dibie is a professor of public affairs and assistant dean of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Kokomo.
In his planned address, “Integrating the State of the Environment and Public Policy: The Dynamics of Sustainable Development,” Dibie will analyze the world’s environmental movement in the past three decades. The movement has transformed several nations’ environment, especially improving air quality, according to Dibie. “Ambient concentrations of sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates—all associated with serious human health disorders—have been reduced significantly.
“While the industrial nations have been able to enact pragmatic environmental policies most developing nations are still lagging behind in taking actions to protect their ecosystem and citizens’ health,” he added. “Global climate change, population growth, the spread of toxic and hazardous chemicals, loss of biological diversity, and air and water pollution all require diverse action by individuals and institutions at all levels of society.”
Environmental policies based on “accurate information and its regular delivery” are essential to help nations achieve sustainable development and minimize the impact of environmental disasters, Dibie said.
IU Kokomo’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs offers undergraduate and graduate studies in environmental policy, public management, public policy, and criminal justice. To learn more about SPEA programs, visit www.iuk.edu/spea or call (765) 455-9417.
