Disclosing this, Dr Madhav Mehra, president, World Environment Foundation, London, who is also the chairman of the US-based World Quality Council, said the two-day congress would be preceded by Asia-Europe round table discussion on cooperation for cleaner environment.

The European Commission had approved Asia-Ecobest programme for 1999 with its stress on Asia-Europe cooperation for cleaner environment. Dr Mehra said, the round table, was expected to provide an opportunity for Asia to learn from the mistakes of the West and utilising technologies to turn waste into wealth.

Dr Mehra, who was on a visit to India to acquaint himself with the developments on environment aspects, said the proposed New Delhi Congress would focus its attention on trade and environment to evolve a strategy on promotingenvironmentally sustainable development in the increasingly globalised economy through information, involvement and empowerment.

The congress, he said, was expected at bringing together environmentalists, industrialists, policy makers in the government and related international bodies to sort out action plans to minimise environmental impact of industrial activities through application of co-efficient, environmentally sustainable green technologies.

The environmentalist said Asia was set to be the world's most polluting region in the 21st century with China, India and Indonesia slated to lead the emissions list.

These problems, Dr Mehra said, were enmeshed in a web of interdependent causes but could be solved through integrated actions aimed at sustainable development which was the only future of humanity.

"Past few decades have been characterised by controversy between environment and industry leading to a perception of an adversarial relationships between them," he added.

As the nineties draw to aclose, the business will realise that the greatest opportunity in the creation of new wealth would stem from the environment business. The real challenge is the successful integration of environment issues with the whole business, he said.

The congress, would be addressed by leading world environment experts and representatives of UN agencies such as Klaus Topfer, executive director, UNEP, Van Ermen, executive director, European Partners for the Environment (EPE).

The conference being sponsored by the Union ministry of environment and forests, is co-sponsored by the UK-based World Environment Foundation in partnership with EPE, Dr Mehra added.

Earlier, Dr Mehra conferred with the environment minister Suresh Prabhu and discussed various issues relating to ecology and environment, including the causes and impact of the recent major earthquake that shook northern India's Garhwal hills in Himalayan region.