The release of the UN Environment Programme report on the state of the planet, Global Environment Outlook 2000, received massive European coverage as the lead story in all the broadcast news and current affairs media. The book presents a region-by-region analysis of the state of the world’s environment; it highlights key global concerns and makes recommendations for policy action. UN agencies, 850 individuals and more than 30 environmental institutes contributed to the book.
In essence, UNEP concludes, “The global system of environmental policy and management is moving in the right direction but much too slowly. Postponing action to solve global environmental problems is no longer an option, and time is running out fast.”
GEO-2000’s recommendations emphasize that the environment must be integrated into peoples’ daily lives. “The environment remains largely outside the mainstream of everyday human consciousness and is still considered an add-on to the fabric of life. Integration of environmental thinking into the mainstream of decision-making relating to agriculture, trade, investment, research and development, infrastructure and finance is now the best chance for effective action.”
They point a number of environmental accomplishments, including:
– protection and recovery of the ozone layer
– first international steps on climate change
– greater public awareness of environmental issues
– corporate sector action to reduce resource use and eliminate waste. Zero emissions is no longer a utopian concept.
– Markedly reduced air pollution in many major cities in developed countries.
– Deforestation has been halted and reversed in parts of Europe and North America.
On the negative side:
– natural disasters are increasing in severity
– supply and demand for the world water cycle is greatly out of balance.
– expanded agricultural areas and increased productivity has not kept up with land degradation.
– tropical forest destruction has gone too far to prevent irreversible damage.
– it is too late to preserve all the biodiversity our planet once had.
– over-exploited fisheries will be slow to recover.
– over half the world’s coral reefs are threatened.
– large cities in the developing world are experiencing critical air pollution problems.
– global warming can probably not be prevented at this point.
Download the report at the UNEP website or order it from Earthscan Publishers.
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