DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT “AZERBAIJAN - 2020: OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE” Project information carriers and increase state support for private entities operating in the cultural sphere. 11. Environmental protection and ecological issues One of the main targets of the concept is to achieve sustainable socio-economic development from an ecological point of view. The necessary measures will be continued in the future to protect biodiversity, neutralize the negative impact of the fuel-energy complex on the environment, eliminate the pollution of the sea and its basin and protect them, restore green areas and effectively protect the existing resources. In the sphere of creating and restoring forests, the correlation of forests to common areas will increase, road-protecting green areas will be created to protect roadside areas and the atmosphere and to reduce traffic noises. National standards will be prepared and applied in line with European standards adopted on poisonous substances released into the atmosphere. During the period covered by the concept, it is planned to bring the amount of energy used for the production of one unit of GDP and the amount of carbon dioxide in line with the appropriate indicator of member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and this is important in terms of implementing the development goals of the millennium. Necessary work will be carried in order to save, neutralize and utilize raw materials, make effective use of natural reserves, protect the environment and apply technologies that produce little or no waste. Progressive methods will be used to manage waste and enterprises will be established to recycle industrial and domestic waste. Zones where emergencies are expected due to floods will be identified and forecasts will be regularly made to be used by relevant organizations. In order to make effective use of land resources, measures will be implemented to prevent desertification, rehabilitate lands that have become unusable as a result of the activities of major industrial and mining enterprises, improve the system of using lands suitable for agriculture and strengthen the protection of lands from anthropogenic contamination. Over the past 10 years, Azerbaijan’s urban population has relatively increased. The tendency towards urbanization is expected to continue in the coming years, and this puts forward new requirements for the formation of the urban infrastructure. Requirements for environmental protection will be prioritized to prevent damage to the environment during 33