The Global Environment Outlook 2007

Posted October 26th, 2007 by Ian Jones
in

Continuing destruction of the natural world is affecting the health, wealth and well-being of people around the globe, according to a major UN report.
It lists degradation of farmland, loss of forest cover, pollution, dwindling fresh water supplies and overfishing among society's environmental ills.
The UN Environment Programme (Unep) says there is a "remarkable lack of urgency" to reverse these trends.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7050788.stm

The 2007 Year Book includes

On November 2nd, 2007 ianjones says:

The 2007 Year Book includes global and regional overviews of significant developments over the past year. It highlights linkages among ecosystem health, human well-being, and economic development; examines new thinking on the value of ecosystem services and the threat from ecosystem degradation; and describes recent research findings and policy decisions that affect our awareness and response to global change.

A special feature focus analyzes the intersection between environment and globalization where ecosystem services and the human well-being that depends on those services are affected by natural resource exploitation in response to global demands. The chapter also explores some of the innovative policy mechanisms that link global supplies of goods and services with sustainable development objectives.

The emerging scientific and policy challenges of nanotechnology are examined from an environmental perspective. Nanotechnology will bring environmental benefits but it is vital that we adopt appropriate assessment and legislative processes to address the unique challenges presented by nanomaterials and their life cycles.

http://www.unep.org/geo/yearbook/yb2007/PDF/GYB2007_English_Full.pdf