“Small children should be nurtured with the idea and ideals of caring for the environment, which they will not only cherish and practice until adulthood but will also pass on to the next generations,” he said.

Atienza said Southeast Asia’s environmental leaders must craft programs that would instill “the mindset of protecting the environment” among the youth.

“We witness escalating air and water pollution, we experience depletion of our forests and we suffer lower fish catch,” he said.

“Our potable water is threatened and stockpiles of solid and hazardous wastes continue to grow.”

Atienza asked the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to “all work harder to reverse the region’s environmental degradation and natural resources depletion.”

Industrialization and rapid development have created a tremendous stress on the environment, he added.

Atienza lauded ASOEN’s efforts of mapping out a bright future for the region’s environment to achieve the vision of a “clean and green region” as outlined in the ASEAN Vision 2020.

“Because of mankind’s abuse of the environment and misuse of natural resources, we are now facing the destructive effects of climate change and global warming,” he said.

“Because of this environmental change, one side of the earth is battered by ferocious typhoons that trigger destructive floods while a prolonged and destructive drought prevails on the other side.”

Atienza said Southeast Asia’s 173,000-kilometer coastline accounts for about 14 percent of the world’s marine production and 35 percent of mangrove forests.

Reversing the degradation of the environment would safeguard the region’s forest cover, sustain management of renewable water resources, and protect wetlands and other areas, he added.

The 18th ASOEN assembly will run from Aug. 6 to 8.

The ASOEN comprises senior environment officials from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.