Project Atmospheric Brown Cloud
"As our present effort shows, ecological degradation calls for united international action. For, international ills cannot be fully contained or cured within the borders of a single state"
President Maumoom Abdul Gayoom, Republic of Maldives
INDOEX Opening Ceremony, February 15, 1999
"Looking at the long-term warming effect from greenhouse gases and the relatively acute, short-term effects of air pollution [aerosols], and their interaction at regional levels, is an important area of further research, particularly if the hydrological cycle and human health are affected"
Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director, UNEP
UNEP Press Release, April 9, 2001
"we must clean our air, and we must address the issue of global climate change my government is following through on our commitment for climate observation systems in developing countries that will help scientists understand the dynamics of climate change."
President George W. Bush, USA
Announcement of Clear Sky and Global Climate Change Initiatives,
February 14, 2002
"This cloud of pollution is a direct consequence of the unsustainable use of energy in the region. It causes respiratory disease and it wreaks havoc on agriculture. And it is also something we can do something about, if we are committed. The Brown Cloud does not recognize borders, and it indiscriminately hurts people, in their health and in their livelihood, wherever they live."
Nitin Desai, Secretary General, World Summit on Sustainable Development
WSSD Press Release, August 16, 2002
"3.3.2.4 where Congress welcomed the close cooperation of GAW with the atmospheric
sciences and environmental protection, by encouraging GAW stations to be used as
aerosol and chemical composition platforms for the Atmospheric Brown Cloud project."
Resolution from the recent 14th WMO Congress
• World Summit on Sustainable Development official website news,
"Causes of Asian Brown Cloud Must Be Addressed by Johannesburg Summit",
August 16, 2002.
• "The
V. Ramanathan, P. J. Crutzen, A. P. Mitra and D. Sikka. Current Science, 83(8):947-955, 2002.