Nairobi, Kenya, 21 October
2010 - This year has seen the world struggle
with a range of environmental and humanitarian
challenges, including floods in Pakistan,
landslides in China, wildfires in Russia
and an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
How to respond to these kinds of disasters
- many of which transcend national boundaries
- is the focus of the Environmental Outlook-5
(GEO-5), the flagship publication of the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
GEO-5, which is due
to come out in 2012 with the recommendations
of the world's leading scientists, environmental
experts and key policymakers, will highlight
how countries can respond on a policy level,
giving key recommendations in line with
global environmental trends.
Earlier this month UNEP
concluded a series of regional consultations
in Africa, Asia-Pacific, North America,
West Asia, Latin America and Europe. The
outcomes of these consultations show consistent
themes and concerns across the regions on
the need for environmental governance, sustainable
water-use plans and the need to protect
biodiversity and support renewable energy.
Consultations in the
Asia and Pacific region identified some
effective policies for addressing environmental
issues, including policies in watershed
management; financial mechanisms, such as
cap-and-trade systems, and crop insurance
schemes in the agricultural sector. These
discussions highlighted the importance of
aligning developmental and environmental
goals, noting that improved food security
and sustainable development is crucial for
preventing environmental degradation.
North America's regional
consultations saw policy-makers identifying
sustainable development and poverty eradication
as top priorities with the goal of advancing
the concept of a Green Economy that will
support new technologies as well as introduce
new jobs.
In Latin America and
Africa, which have been experiencing drought,
desertification and floods as a result of
climate change, the consultations emphasized
the need to minimize these effects (specifically
natural disasters) as a key priority and
called for the need for more conservation
and sustainable use of coastal and marine
ecosystems.
In Europe, air pollution
and air quality emerged as top priorities,
seeking solutions for successful policies
which facilitate integration between air
pollution and climate change policies. GEO-5
will also address chemical and waste management
issues in Europe, issues of responsibility
outside its borders, water contamination
among others.
The last edition, the
GEO-4 published in 2007, and entitled Environment
for Development, focused on unresolved threats
to the planet such as climate change and
the rate of extinction of species. However,
the upcoming report will differ significantly
in that it will shift from assessing priority
'problems' towards assessing priority 'solutions'.
Ultimately, the GEO-5
consultations spotlighted environmental
themes that will be used to identify tangible,
region-specific action plans that can inform
progressive and sustainable environmental
governance and responsible decision-making
from the policy level to the individual
level.
How African countries
can effectively combat desertification,
given that it has been singled out as a
regional concern, or how to solve issues
surrounding the efficient use of fresh water
resources, are just one of the many questions
that will be answered in the GEO-5 in an
attempt to bridge the gap between science
and policy, and ensure that credible science
informs environmental decision-making.
The next stage in the
GEO-5 process will see a selection of world
experts assess policy options that could
help regions speed up the realization of
these goals. UNEP has also selected chapter
authors based on nominations received from
governments and other stakeholder groups.
The full list is now available here: www.unep.org/geo/GEO_Experts.asp
