KARACHI, June 25: Speakers at a book-launching ceremony stressed the need for promoting environmental education among children.

They were speaking at the launching ceremony of a guidebook for setting up environmental clubs published by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) at one of the Agha Khan University auditoriums on Wednesday.

The speakers were of the view that creating a sense of attachment in the country’s youth to their environment could help improve things.

They opined that unless the entire community began taking practical measures with regards to its awareness of different environmental issues, any significant check on the deteriorating conditions was hard to ensure.

The book entitled Green Club was originally prepared by the Centre for Environment Education, India, and the IUCN Education Programme adopted it with certain changes in view of certain practices in Pakistan.

The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation had extended financial assistance to the 100-page book, which would be supplied to individuals and institutions on subsidized rates, informed Ali Raza Rizvi of the IUCN.

Dr Manzoor Ahmad, who presided over the launching ceremony, said that there was a need to propagate environmental issues in an aggressive manner in the country.

The head of Education, Communication and Knowledge Management Group of IUCN, Hasan Akhtar Rizvi said that he was looking for organisations which could create multiplying effects of environmental education by purchasing the books and help the students in setting up environmental clubs where they could discuss and work for the betterment of environment.

The country representative of IUCN Pakistan, Abdul Latif Rao, also spoke on the occasion.