Launch of Global Environment
Outlook 1 in North America
UNEP CHIEF SAYS MAJOR ATTITUDE
CHANGE NEEDED TO SAVE ENVIRONMENT
Despite Rio rhetoric, environmental destruction
continues apace
NAIROBI, 27 January 1997 - Human use
and pollution of water, soils, forests, fisheries
and urban air is depleting these renewable
resources faster than they can naturally recover,
according to the new Global Environment Outlook
(GEO-1) released by UNEP today.
"If we allow these trends to continue,
we will ultimately run out of the essential
ingredients for life on this planet. We may
not know when, but it is clear we are on an
unsustainable trajectory," said UNEP
Executive Director, Ms. Elizabeth Dowdeswell,
at the launch of the report in Nairobi, Kenya.
Among its findings, the GEO-1 cites greenhouse
gas emissions as still being far in excess
of internationally agreed targets, biological
diversity as still vanishing at alarming rates,
and hazardous chemicals continuing to contaminate
the environment and damage human health. An
estimated one quarter of the world's population
will suffer from chronic water shortages in
the beginning of the next century says the
report.
The GEO-1 is the first in a series of reports
on the global environment that will be published
by UNEP on a biennial basis. But, more than
simply another downbeat catalogue of the world's
environmental woes, the GEO-1 breaks new ground
in attempting to analyze the effectiveness
of what is being done to address environmental
issues.
The report differs significantly from the
approach taken by other assessments, which
have come out recently. It approaches environmental
problems from a regional perspective.
n preparing the report, UNEP identified 20
internationally renowned environmental institutions
as GEO collaborating centres, and instituted
a mechanism for regional consultations, four
scientific working groups and United Nations
agency participation through the United Nations
system-wide Earthwatch. In all, some 500 experts
were involved in a worldwide drafting and
consultative process to produce the GEO-1
report.
The report concludes that "From a global
perspective, the environment has continued
to degrade during the last decade, and significant
environmental problems remain deeply embedded
in the socio-economic fabric of nations in
all regions."
"It is entirely within human knowledge
and ability to solve even the worst environmental
problems. But, it is simply the will to act
and the funds to do the job that are both
vastly insufficient to the task," said
Ms. Dowdeswell.
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For further information, please contact:
Veerle Vandeweerd Tore
J. Brevik, Chief
Chief, State of the Environment Reporting or
Robert Bisset,
Environment Information and Assessment Info.
Officer
UNEP, P.O. Box 30552 UNEP,
P.O. Box 30552
Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi,
Kenya
Tel: 254-2-62-3527 Tel:
254-2-62-3084
Fax: 254-2-62-3943/4 Fax:
254-2-62-3692
E-Mail: geo@unep.org
E-Mail:
ipa@unep.org
Jim Sniffen UNEP Regional Office New York
Tel: 1-212-963-8094
Fax: 1-212-963-7341
E-mail: sniffenj@un.org
Please Note: Global Environment Outlook
is co-published with Oxford University Press.
To order a copy, contact: Oxford University
Press,
Order Department, 2001 Evans Road,
Cary, NC 27513, USA.
Tel: +1 800 451 7566,
Fax: +1 919 677 1303,
Email: orders@oup-usa.org
Hardback: US$ 39.95 (plus mailing costs)
Paperback: US$ 24.95 (plus mailing costs)
Where GEO-1 can be accessed on the Internet:
USA -
http://grid2.cr.usgs.gov/geo1/
