The Minister of Environment, Dr. Taher Shakhshir, stressed that Jordan possesses policies, legislation, technology and human resources that are able to achieve a quantum leap in the field of environment management and the sustainability of resources and at the same time economic and human development. There needs to be a new way to approach and deal with environmental changes, noting that the Ministry of Environment sets policy for the protection of the environment, the preparation of plans, programs and the projects necessary to achieve sustainable development. Furthermore, it prepares of specifications and standards of the elements of the environment and it controls and measures its environmental elements, its components and its follow-up.
During his lecture entitled: “Environmental problems in Jordan”, Dr. Shakhshir pointed out that the Ministry will issue the necessary environmental regulations for the protection of the environment as conditions to establish agricultural, development, commercial, industrial, housing and mining projects and related
Moreover, he pointed out that the rapid assessment study of the effect of the flow of Syrian refugees on the environment in Jordan made by the UN Development Program in 2015 clearly shows the potential impact on the environment. He pointed out that the environmental challenges of Jordan are concentrated in the energy, water, desertification and management areas of residue of all kinds, as well as the loss of biodiversity, pointing out that the rational management of resources can avoid the country's disastrous results that can occur due to the lack of resources and competition in obtaining it.
Dr. Shakhshir showed that the safe disposal of solid medical and hazardous waste remains a source of concern because most of the municipalities dispose of solid waste in open dumps with no lining to these landfills or management sap resulting from these landfills, or collect biogas. Furthermore, hazardous and medical waste management are inappropriate or processed in unsuitable incinerators located in populated areas. Others are mixed with municipal waste in open dumps and according to Dr. Shakhshir, it exacerbated this situation worse with the increase in the amount of medical waste and solid waste and generation of hazardous by about 30% after the flow of Syrian refugees, according to the Ministry of Environment in 2014.
The lecture was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Law, the Faculty instructors and the faculty and administration of the University, in addition to a number of students.