His Holiness Bartholomew, the Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch, has praised the Cuban government and people for their sensitivity to and care of the environment at a press conference in Havana attended by President Fidel Castro.

At the event in the International Conference Center, Daniel Codorniú, first deputy minister of the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment (CITMA), gave His Holiness Bartholomew a scenic painting, books and a video on environmental issues.

A critic of the developed world's excessive consumerism, His Holiness is also known as the Green Patriarch because of his constant preoccupation with the serious problems affecting the Earth.

Fabio Fajardo, CITMA deputy minister, emphasized that the patriarch's audience was an educated and respectful people.

The Patriarch expressed his satisfaction at Cuba's interest regarding ecological problems faced by humanity, and for the research undertaken on the island to protect its own environment. He stated that human beings have an ethical responsibility to prevent conduct that endangers the environment.

He added that while it is important to persuade people not to contribute to the deterioration of the environment and persuade those who are linked to pollution to find solutions, this does not excuse the world's biggest polluters from their responsibility.

Cuba is endowed with a beautiful environment, a developed flora and exceptional biological information, His Holiness Bartholomew emphasized during his talk.

The erosion of the Earth's surface, the flooding of fertile lands, the decrease of water, and other problems are leading to a rift between human and animal life, he said, adding that humanity should conduct itself as a real administrator of natural resources and not as a destroyer of those assets.

His Holiness thanked the leaders and people of Cuba for the country having become an example for the rest of the world.

Codorniú responded: "We feel reassured by the fact that there are people like the Patriarch, who share our preoccupation for the legacy of future generations."

The Cuban deputy minister stated that the failure of many environmental policies is due to the fact that they have no economic or social base to sustain them. "Poverty and a healthy environment cannot coexist," he noted.

Patterns of consumption in the developed countries are contributing to the planet's destruction, he observed, adding that Cuba is developing an environment friendly model based on sustainable methods.