--------------------------------------------------------------
RRojas Databank Journal/ January 1997
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SHAPING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA OF THE 21ST CENTURY
UNEP CHIEF SAYS MAJOR ATTITUDE CHANGE NEEDED TO SAVE ENVIRONMENT
UNEP'S GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK REPORT SAYS
PROGRESS ON THE ROAD FROM RIO UNEVEN
UNEP ISSUES NEW PUBLICATION ON EMERGING TRENDS
IN CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING
UNEP ISSUES UPDATES OF SOURCEBOOKS OF TECHNOLOGIES
FOR PROTECTING THE OZONE LAYER
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UNEP PRESS RELEASE
SHAPING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA OF THE 21ST CENTURY
UNEP Governing Council to Hold 19th Session Beginning Monday, 27 January
NAIROBI, 15 January 1997 - The nineteenth session of the
Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) - perhaps the most important in the organization's 25 year
history - opens on Monday, 27 January, at UNEP headquarters in
Nairobi. Ministers and high-level government representatives
from over 100 countries are expected to attend the two-week
meeting which culminates in a "high-level" segment from 5-7
February.
"When the Governing Council meets at its nineteenth session,
Governments will not only have the occasion to commemorate the
25th Anniversary of UNEP, they will also have the opportunity and
responsibility to set UNEP on a clear path for the next
millennium", said Ms. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, UNEP Executive
Director. "After all, the Governing Council is the only forum
that environment ministers and leaders have to put in place the
programme, funding and governance that will ensure that UNEP
evolves into a global organization that acts clearly and
unambiguously as the world's environmental agency."
1997 will be a milestone year for the environment. In June 1997,
world leaders will gather at a special session of the United
Nations General Assembly for the sole purpose of reviewing and
appraising the progress of implementation of Agenda 21 - the
Global Plan of Action agreed by Governments at the 1992 Earth
Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This meeting represents a
pivotal point in the future of many organizations which are
critical in the implementation of sustainable development,
including UNEP.
With the June meeting in mind, the "high-level" segment of the
Governing Council will be opened on 5 February by H.E. Ambassador
Razali Ismail of Malaysia, President of the United Nations
General Assembly. During the segment, the focus will be on two
central policy issues. First, ministers will be asked to define
the nature and substance of UNEP's participation at the June
special session. This will require a thoughtful review and
articulation of UNEP's role and mandate. Second, ministers will
review the governing structures of UNEP, and determine what
changes to these structures might be necessary as the
organization moves toward the twenty-first century.
To assist ministers in their deliberations several documents have
been developed, including: an appraisal of UNEP's efforts to
implement Agenda 21; the first edition of the biennial world-wide
environmental assessment report, Global Environment Outlook
(GEO); and a paper on the future of UNEP, in which the option to
radically redesign, reorient and refocus UNEP is outlined.
"In one way or another, assessment of the environment; analysis,
evaluation and the development of policy instruments, and
building consensus among Governments have always been regarded
as UNEP's mandate", said Ms. Dowdeswell, "but they should be
redefined, restructured, refocussed, given new vitality, and
pursued with new vigour."
"Notwithstanding an impressive slate of achievements, it is clear
that far-reaching reform is needed in UNEP", said Ms. Dowdeswell.
"In Rio, and Stockholm before it, UNEP was given an almost
impossible task. My hope is that Governments attending the
Governing Council will embark on bold reform that will result in
a strong and comprehensive environmental organization. UNEP
needs to be given the tools to become the strong and vibrant
organization Governments agree the world needs."
The first week of the Governing Council will be devoted to work
in two integrated committees that will consider administrative
and budgetary matters, and also new substantive programmatic
issues, including the chemicals agenda, environmental law, and
the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine
Environment from Land-based Activities.
Another key issue will be adequate and predictable financing of
UNEP. UNEP is witnessing shrinking financial resources at a time
when its workload is increasing as a response to serious
environmental problems worldwide and to countries' demands. A
"pledging session" will be held on the evening of 5 February
whereby Governments will be invited to announce their pledges for
1997 and for the coming biennium, 1998-1999.
Also attending the meeting as observers will be representatives
of UNEP National Committees, other United Nations organizations
and accredited non-governmental organizations. As a complement
to the formal agenda of the Governing Council, a special panel
discussion on "Global Environmental Citizenship: UNEP's Special
Contribution to Agenda 21" will be held on 4 February. Mrs.
Bella Abzug, Chair of the Women's Environment and Development
Organization (WEDO), and Mr. Tom Spencer, President of GLOBE
International, will participate and speak about the partnerships
that UNEP has fostered in order to deliver on Agenda 21.
Exhibitions profiling the work of UNEP will also be prominent at
the session.
For more information, please contact:
Tore J. Brevik Jim Sniffen
Chief, Information and Public Affairs Information Officer
UNEP Headquarters UNEP Regional Office
P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya New York
Tel: 254-2-62-3292, Fax: 254-2-62-3927 Tel: 1-212-963-8094;
Fax: 1-212-963-7341
Email: Tore.Brevik@unep.org Email: sniffenj@un.org
UNEP News Release 1997/2
Note to Editors
Located in Nairobi, UNEP is headed by an Executive Director, Ms.
Elizabeth Dowdeswell. Its Governing Council, the members of which
are elected by the United Nations General Assembly for a four-year
term, assesses the state of the world environment, establishes
UNEP's programme priorities and approves the budget. The Governing
Council is composed of 58 members selected on the following basis:
16 seats for Africa; 13 seats for Asia; 6 seats for Eastern
Europe; 13 seats for Western Europe and other States; and 10 seats
for Latin America and the Caribbean.
UNEP is built on a heritage of service to the environment. As
one of the productive consequences of the 1972 Stockholm
Conference on the Human Environment, UNEP provides an integrative
and interactive mechanism through which a large number of
separate efforts by intergovernmental, non-governmental, national
and regional bodies in the service of the environment are
reinforced and interrelated. UNEP was established as the
environmental conscience of the United Nations system, and has
been creating a foundation for comprehensive consideration and
coordinated action within the United Nations on the problems of
the human environment.
From the very beginning, UNEP recognized that the environment
could not be compartmentalized. The environment is a system of
interacting relationships that extends through all sectors of
activity and to manage these relationships requires an integrated
approach. Recognizing that environment and development must be
mutually supportive, UNEP advocated a concept of environmentally
sound development, which later led to the adoption of the
"sustainable development" concept in the Brundtland Commission
Report and the United Nations Environmental Perspective Document
for the Year 2000 and Beyond. This concept was embodied in an
action programme called Agenda 21, which was adopted at the 1992
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.
UNEP's uniqueness lies in its advocacy of environmental concerns
within the international system. In this, it makes a particular
effort to nurture partnerships with other United Nations bodies
possessing complementary skills and delivery capabilities as well
as enhancing the participation of the private sector, the
scientific community, NGOs, youth, women and sports organizations
in the achievement of sustainable development.
One of the most important functions of UNEP is the promotion of
environmental science and information. The United
Nations-system-wide research and synthesis of environmental
information, promoted and coordinated by UNEP, has generated a
variety of state-of-the-environment reports, and created
world-wide awareness on emerging environmental problems - some
of which triggered international negotiations of several
international environmental conventions.
UNEP derives its strength and influence from the authority
inherent in the importance of its mission - environmental
management: the extent to which Governments face common
environmental problems, are disturbed by environmental threats
beyond their jurisdiction, or need to harmonize policies relating
to the environment. In this, UNEP has and will continue to play
a pivotal role.
UNEP's integrated work programme for the biennium 1996-1997
emphasizes relationships between socio-economic driving forces,
environmental changes and impacts on human well-being. Equipped
with stronger regional presence and marked by a process of
continuous monitoring and assessment of its implementation,
UNEP's programme of work for 1996-1997 focuses on the following
areas: sustainable management and use of natural resources,
sustainable production and consumption, a better environment for
human health and well-being; and globalization and the
environment.
UNEP's programmes are financed by the Environment Fund which is
made up of voluntary contributions, and by trust funds,
counterpart contributions and the United Nations regular budget.
Budgetary appropriations for the Environment Fund for financing
UNEP's programme activities for the biennium 1996-1997 were
approved by the 18th session of the Governing Council at
US$90-105 million.
* *** *
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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.
In 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.
*************************
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:
Japan http://www-cger.niesgo.jp/geo1/
Kenya http://www.unep.org/unep/eia/geo1/
Mexico http://www.rolac.unep.mx/geo1/
Norway http://www.grida.no/geo1/
Switzerland http://www.grid.unep.ch/geo1/
USA http://grid2.cr.usgs.gov/geo1/
UNEP News Release 1997/3
.
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UNEP INFORMATION NOTE
UNEP'S GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK REPORT SAYS
PROGRESS ON THE ROAD FROM RIO UNEVEN
Governments need to adjust course and map out new strategies to
meet environmental challenges in the next millennium
NAIROBI, 27 January 1997 - Five years after the groundbreaking
"Earth Summit" at Rio de Janeiro, "the global environment has
continued to deteriorate and significant environmental problems
remain deeply embedded in the socio-economic fabric of nations
in all regions", concludes the Global Environmental Outlook
report released today by the United Nations Environment Programme
at Nairobi.
"Internationally and nationally, the funds and political will
remain insufficient to halt further global environmental
degradation and to address the most pressing environmental issues
- even though the technology and knowledge are available to do
so", the reports explains. The report points out that "the
recognition of environmental issues as necessarily long-term and
cumulative, with serious global and security implications,
remains limited..... The continued preoccupation with immediate
local and national issues and a general lack of sustained
interest in global and long-term environmental issues remain
major impediments to environmental progress internationally".
The report singles out worldwide progress in the realm of
institutional development, international cooperation, public
participation and the emergence of private-sector action as an
indicator of growing environmental awareness. Legal frameworks,
economic instruments, environmental impact assessment
methodologies, environmentally sound technologies and cleaner
production processes are being increasingly developed and applied.
"As a result" the report points out, "several countries reported
marked progress in curbing environmental pollution and slowing the
rate of resource degradation, as well as reducing the intensity of
resource use. The rate of environmental degradation in several
developing countries has been slower than that experienced by
industrial countries when they were at a similar stage of economic
development".
The Global Environment Outlook report produced by UNEP differs
significantly from the approach taken by other assessments, which
have come out recently. The report approaches environmental
problems from a regional perspective. This methodology stems from
UNEP's unique experience in dealing with regional environmental
issues over the last twenty five years.
In preparing the report, the United Nations Environment Programme
identified 20 internationally renowned environmental institutions
as Global Environment Outlook 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, including many government experts, participated in
the preparation of Global Environment Outlook report.
The report argues that although there is repeated acknowledgement
of both the vicious cycle of poverty and its intrinsic linkages
with the environment and the urgency to address poverty
alleviation, little evidence had emerged from the regional reports
that effective and concerted actions have been taken since Rio to
ensure that environmental policies benefit the poorest members of
society. "A vacuum still remains at the national level for linking
environmental protection to social investment, such as education,
better health care and employment generation for the poor,
especially women", says the report.
At the same time, the report sees encouraging signs in the
empowerment of communities and the growth of environment-oriented
non-governmental organizations in civil society and their
increasing recognition in all regions as powerful mechanisms to
advance sustainable development. The tendency to strengthen
regional and subregional cooperation worldwide is another
heartening signal which "might well prove to be one of the most
powerful mechanisms to move national and global institutions
forward towards sustainable development".
The Global Environment Outlook identifies principal environmental
issues confronting the major regions. In regions where food
security and poverty alleviation are priorities, such as Africa,
West Asia and parts of the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America,
the primary concern is related to land - its availability, the
prevention and control of land degradation, and efficient land and
water management. "Half a billion hectares of land in Africa is
moderately to severely degraded. Some 47 per cent of Latin
America's grazing lands have lost their fertility as a result of
erosion, overgrazing, salinization and alkalinization" says the
report. The limited availability of arable land and loss of land
to urban expansion are of particular importance to small island
States and the West Asia region. Degradation of drylands is an
urgent global problem, placing some one billion people in 110
countries at risk, mainly in developing regions. In highly
industrialized regions, ameliorating soil contamination and
combating acidification are priorities.
A decline of some two per cent in the area of the world's forests
and wooded land over the last decade is another aspect that the
report touches upon. While the area under forest cover in
developed regions remained fairly unchanged during this period,
natural forest cover in developing regions declined by eight per
cent. African forests are the most depleted of all the tropical
regions, with only 30 per cent of historical stands remaining,
the report points out. Asian timber reserves may last for no more
than a further 40 years. West Asia has lost 11 per cent of its
remaining forests during the 1980s. In Europe, air pollution
(including acid rain), pests and diseases, and forest fires were
the main causes of forest degradation. The report recognizes
that, whilst total deforestation has been greatest in Latin
America and the Caribbean, deforestation rates have decelerated
as a result of international initiatives and national programmes
to abolish subsidies, tax incentives and special credits that
encouraged deforestation. Biological diversity is of particular
concern in both the Latin American and Caribbean region and the
Asia and Pacific region, which together house 80 per cent of the
world's ecologically megadiverse countries. Worldwide habitat
loss and fragmentation, the lack of biological corridors and the
decline in biological diversity outside protected areas
constitute the primary threats to biological diversity.
One common factor that links all regions is the problem related to
either groundwater or surface water, or both. Every day, 25,000
people die as a result of poor water quality. Some 1,700 million
people, more than one third of the world's population, are without
a supply of safe water and, in the absence of an adequate
sanitation infrastructure, the problem of pathogenic pollution is
severe in many developing countries. An estimated one quarter of
the world's population will suffer from chronic water shortages in
the beginning of the next century. The development and efficient
management of water resources are of particular concern in West
Asia, Africa and Asia and the Pacific. In Europe and North
America, the protection of water resources from contamination,
acidification and eutrophication feature high on the agenda. One
million rural Americans are without piped water and supplies to a
further 5.6 million do not meet safe drinking water standards.
Water supply to regions hosting megacities is a worldwide concern,
mainly with regard to groundwater resources, the intrusion of salt
into freshwater supplies and land subsidence. More than 1,500
million people depend on groundwater for their drinking water.
"Other global priorities are the equitable distribution of water
between riparian countries sharing international river basins and
the impacts of major dams and diversion projects. The depletion of
aquifers on the western side of the Persian Gulf, for example,
is leading to the loss of a unique ecosystem of natural
freshwater springs. Many countries in West Asia suffer from water
scarcity, with Bahrain having less than 18 per cent of the
minimum threshold; yet levels of water consumption are now very
high - ranging from 300 to 1500 liters a day per capita", the
report points out. Currently, Africa has 19 of the 25 countries
that have the highest percentage of populations without access
to safe drinking water.
The report points out that one third of the world's coastal
regions are at high risk of degradation, particularly from land-
based activities. Currently, about 60 per cent of the global
population lives within 100 kilometres of the coastline and more
than three billion people rely on coastal and marine habitats for
food, building sites, transportation, recreation, and waste
disposal. European coasts are the worst affected, with some 80 per
cent at risk, followed by Asia and the Pacific, with 70 per cent
at risk. In Latin America, some 50 percent of the mangrove forests
are affected by forestry and aquaculture activities. Oil spills
are particular threats in West Asia and the Caribbean, while
infrastructure development for the tourism industry is placing
severe stress on natural coastal areas around the world,
particularly in small island developing states. There is
widespread anxiety in Asia and the Pacific, North America, Europe
and West Asia regarding the over-exploitation of marine fisheries
and the consequent decline in stocks of commercial fish species.
Globally, over 60 per cent of marine fisheries are heavily
exploited.
Acid rain and transboundary air pollution, once considered a
problem only in Europe and parts of North America, are now
increasingly apparent in parts of Asia and the Pacific and Latin
America. Large regions are at risk from the effects of both
climate change and acidification. All major cities in the world
suffer urban air quality problems. In Eastern Europe, air
quality is considered the most serious environmental problem.
Despite coordinated action worldwide, damage to the ozone layer
continues faster than expected, with the next ten years predicted
to be the most vulnerable. Non-compliance and growth in illegal
trade in ozone depleting substances are emerging problems.
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay experience the
effects of increased ultraviolet-B radiation due to ozone
depletion more acutely than any other inhabited region. All
regions express concern over global warming but special emphasis
is placed by the developing countries on the need for adaptive
mechanisms to cope with accompanying climate variability and sea-
level change.
"The rapidly rising demand for energy to fuel economic
development will aggravate these problems," states the report,
"particularly in Asia and the Pacific, where a 100 per cent
increase in energy use is predicted for the period 1990 - 2010
and in Latin America, with a predicted energy growth of 50 -77
per cent for the same period".
Currently, the impacts of current consumption and production
patterns and associated waste generation, particularly on
personal health and well being, are high on the priority list of
both North America and Western Europe, and of concern to the
other regions as well. Subregions with emerging economies, such
as those of Eastern Europe, South-East Asia, and parts of Latin
America and West Asia, face problems associated with rapid
industrialization. The accumulation of radioactive waste and the
continued impacts of the Chernobyl disaster and the effects of
past radioactive spills remain of particular concern in Eastern
European countries. These problems are compounded by rapidly
increasing urbanization, particularly in coastal zones, and the
widening gap between the rich and the poor.
The polar regions, representing the largest remaining natural
ecosystems on Earth are also coming under increasing stress,
particularly from long-range pollutant transport and deposition.
"Their crucial role in climate regulation and the vulnerability
of their fauna and flora warrant special attention". recommends
the report.
The Global Environment Outlook identifies seven fundamental
global environmental trends that could be crucial in halting
environmental degradation and implementing sustainable
development:
(a) Current use of renewable resources, land, forest,
freshwater, coastal areas, fisheries and urban air which is
beyond their natural regeneration capacity and therefore
unsustainable;
(b) Emission of greenhouse gases which are still being emitted
at levels higher than the stabilization targets internationally
agreed upon under the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change;
(c) Natural areas, and their attendant biological diversity
which are diminishing as a result of the expansion of
agricultural land and human settlements;
(d) The increasing, pervasive use and spread of chemicals which
are causing major health risks, environmental contamination and
disposal problems;
(e) The continued heavy reliance on hydrocarbons in the energy
sector to fuel economic development - a practice which is
clearly unsustainable;
(f) Rapid unplanned urbanization, particularly in coastal areas,
which is placing severe major stress on adjacent ecosystems; and
(g) Interactions among global biogeochemical cycles which are
leading to widespread ecosystem damage and change.
The report also explores four key priority areas for action by the
global community that emerge from the Global Environment Outlook
report. "Current patterns of energy use require drastic changes,
because of their destructive impacts on land and natural
resources, climate, air quality, rural and urban settlements, and
human health and well-being. Alternative energy sources need to
be vigorously pursued and their application enhanced. Energy
efficiency still needs to be greatly improved, and emissions need
to be reduced". The second priority relates to the need for a
wider dissemination of appropriate and environmentally sound
technologies worldwide. "Despite years of deliberation, countries
have yet to agree on how to reach consensus on international
mechanisms to serve the vital interests of both developers of
technologies and those countries that need access to them, as well
as on international finance mechanisms".
The report lists Global action on fresh water as its third
priority. Greater efforts are needed to resolve issues related
to land-based sources of pollution, non-point source runoff from
agricultural and urban areas, protection of groundwater reserves,
water pricing, the impact of development projects on ecosystems,
and competing demands for water among different social sectors,
among rural and urban communities, and among riparian countries.
Fourthly, the report identifies the need for investment in new
and better national data collection methods and in the
acquisition of global datasets and in enhanced capabilities for
integrated assessment and forecasting, and the analysis of the
environmental impact of alternative policy options.
Releasing the report, UNEP Executive Director, Ms. Elizabeth
Dowedswell said, "The analysis of the state of the environment in
the Global Environment Outlook takes us into several fields. It
takes us into politics, because environmental policy is made in
an intensely political atmosphere where interests and values
often collide. It takes us into science, which enables us to
understand problems and attempt to solve them. It takes us into
the field of ethics, because few areas of policy present more
difficult choices: how to preserve shared resources, how to
distribute costs and benefits, how this generation's actions will
affect future ones. It also takes us into economics, because a
society's choices about the environment relate directly to how
it produces, consumes and preserves its resources".
"Solutions to environmental problems do not come from awareness
alone", Ms. Dowedswell remarked. "They have to be relentlessly
sought after and striven for. Rio was the start of a process: a
unprecedented basic framework was agreed upon and many important
commitments were made, but some vital issues remained to be set
in place. UNEP's Global Environment Outlook report confirms that
there still remained an unfinished agenda".
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:
Japan http://www-cger.niesgo.jp/geo1/
Kenya http://www.unep.org/unep/eia/geo1/
Mexico http://www.rolac.unep.mx/geo1/
Norway http://www.grida.no/geo1/
Switzerland http://www.grid.unep.ch/geo1/
USA http://grid2.cr.usgs.gov/geo1/
UNEP Information Note 1997/1
.
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UNEP INFORMATION NOTE
UNEP ISSUES NEW PUBLICATION ON EMERGING TRENDS
IN CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING
PARIS, December 1996 -- "Engaging Stakeholders" is a two-volume
report published by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and SustainAbility Ltd., with the active support of 16
sponsoring companies and more than a dozen organizations whose
work increasingly involves using the environment reports produced
by companies worldwide. Volume 1 is entitled "The Benchmark
Survey: The Second International Progress Report on Company
Environmental Reporting", and Volume 2 "The Case Studies: Twelve
Users Respond to Company Environmental Reporting".
Building on the internationally recognized 1994 UNEP Technical
Report: "Company Environmental Reporting: A Measure of the
Progress of Business and Industry Toward Sustainable
Development", the latest publication focuses on emerging trends
and requirements in corporate environmental reporting from both
the report writer's and the report user's perspectives.
Volume 1 examines the latest developments in company
environmental reporting (CER) from the angle of the report-maker,
emphasizing the role of external stakeholders, such as markets
and public authorities, and demonstrates that leading-edge
companies are breaking through the traditional boundaries of
green reporting to bring a social dimension and a new
"stakeholder" focus to their reports. A key feature of Volume 1
is an updated five-stage benchmarking tool which maps out
sustainability -- or Stage 5 -- reporting. Volume 1 also
features a revised set of 50 reporting elements -- or ingredients
-- and presents the findings of the 1996 CER Benchmark survey of
the 40 report-makers at Stages 3 and 4 in 1994, and reports on
how they fare against the new tools. It concludes with a
discussion of 10 key transitions in environmental management and
reporting, outlining the emerging agenda for report-makers.
Volume 2 focuses upon the emerging agenda from the perspectives
of report-users, and includes key recommendations on how
companies can better grasp and address evolving stakeholder
needs. In Volume 2, the perspectives of "report-users" are
explored by means of 12 case studies ranging from Greenpeace to
the Thai Stock Exchange. Volume 2 argues that a better
understanding of emerging stakeholder expectations and agendas is
a vital starting point for expanding and improving the reporting
process. In particular, the issue of how to create demand for
CERs and how to widen their appeal needs to be tackled if
companies are to continue reporting, and if the resulting data is
to be of real value in helping to manage the transition to
sustainable development.
Five years after the first corporate environmental reports,
"Engaging Stakeholders" demonstrates that the public reporting of
company environmental performance is a rapidly evolving and very
powerful environmental management tool.
UNEP Information Note 1996/26
ORDER FORM
Volume 1: ISBN 0 9521904 3 5 and Volume 2: ISBN 0 9521904 4 3
Price:200 FF / 50o per copy or 80o for both
To order "Engaging Stakeholders", please fill in the form on the
reverse and send to:
SMI (Distribution Services) Limited
P.O. Box 119 Stevenage
Hertfordshire SG1 4TP England
FAX: +44 (1438) 748 844
About UNEP Industry and Environment
UNEP established its Industry and Environment office (UNEP IE) in
1975 to bring industry and Government together to promote
environmentally sound industrial development. UNEP IE is located
in Paris. Its goals are: 1) to encourage the incorporation of
environmental criteria in industrial development plans; 2) to
facilitate the implementation of procedures and principles for
the protection of the environment; 3) to promote preventive
environmental protection through cleaner production and other
pro-active approaches; 4) to stimulate the exchange of
information and experience throughout the world. UNEP IE
provides access to practical information and develops
co-operative activities backed by regular follow-up and
assessment. To promote the transfer of information and the
sharing of knowledge and experience, IE has developed three
complementary tools: technical reports; the quarterly "Industry
and Environment" review and a technical query-response service.
Some recent UNEP Industry and Environment publications
"Industry and Environment", a quarterly review. Each issue
focuses on a specific topic and also covers news and events in
the worldwide industrial environment. Contact UNEP IE for
subscription information.
"Cleaner Production Worldwide", Volume II, 48 p., 1995. Price FF
100/US$ 20
"Energy Savings in the Transport Sector", Technical Report no 25,
79 p., 1995. Also available in French. Price FF 150/US$30
"Environmental Codes of Conduct for Tourism", Technical Report no
29, 70 p., 1995. Price FF 150/US$ 30
"APELL Annotated Bibliography", Technical Report no 21, 117 p.,
1994. Also available in French. Price FF 175/US$35
"Health Aspects of Chemical Accidents. Guidance on Chemical
Accident Awareness, Preparedness and Response for Health
Professionals and Emergency Responders", Technical Report no 19
(a joint IPCS/OECD/UNEP/WHO publication: OECD Environment
Monograph no 81), 147 p., 1994. Free of charge
"Company Environmental Reporting: A Measure of the Progress of
Business and Industry Towards Sustainable Development", Technical
Report no 24, 118 p., 1994. Also available in French. Price
FF250/US$50
"Hazard Identification and Evaluation in the Local Community",
Technical Report no 12, 86 p., 1992. Price FF 200/US$40
"Company Environmental Reporting: A Measure of the Progress of
Business and Industry Towards Sustainable Development" (TR 24),
1994, 118 p., Price FF 250/US$50
To order "ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS" or other UNEP IE publications,
please fill in and return the following form.
Please send me ____ copies x 640 FF per volume or 400 FF per volume
OR o50 per volume or o80 for both OR $128 for both or $80 each of
"ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS". Discounts are available for students,
non-for-profit organizations and for bulk orders.
Total amount: _________________
Please send me ____ copies of (title)
Total amount: _________________
Cheque to the order of SMI (Distribution Services) Limited
enclosed. Institutions and public libraries may request billing.
Commercial firms and individuals, please send payment along with
order form.
Name: Date:
Title:
Department:
Organization:
Address:
Country: ____________________________ Tel/Fax:
.
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UNEP INFORMATION NOTE
UNEP ISSUES UPDATES OF SOURCEBOOKS OF TECHNOLOGIES
FOR PROTECTING THE OZONE LAYER
PARIS, December 1996 -- The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) has issued updates to its Technology Sourcebook series
which facilitate the transfer of environmentally-sound
technologies to developing countries which seek to phase out the
use of various ozone-depleting substances (ODS).
Produced by the Paris-based OzonAction Programme of UNEP's
Industry & Environment Centre, and funded under the Multilateral
Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol on
Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the updates involve
sourcebooks dealing with aerosols, foam and specialized solvents
industry use sectors.
Information about where to obtain specific technologies, as well
as guidance about how to select an appropriate one, is not always
readily available to developing countries. These sourcebooks
meet that need by bridging the information gap between the
technology suppliers (mostly in developed countries) and those
who seek such information to assist industry and government
decision-makers in their countries.
Originally released in 1994, the revised sourcebooks now include
up-to-date data provided by hundreds of companies worldwide that
supply non-ODS technologies, equipment and chemicals to replace
ODS controlled under the Montreal Protocol. The publications
were reviewed by a team of internationally-recognized experts
drawn from and led by chairpersons and members of the UNEP
Technical and Economic Assessment Panel and its Technical Options
Committees. Other reviewers with specific technical expertise
came from the World Bank's Ozone Operation Resource Group, and
dozens of representatives of individual companies and leading
industry associations, such as the Alliance for Responsible
Atmospheric Policy and the International Cooperative for
Environmental Leadership.
Each sourcebook consists of:
- Introduction & Guide for Selecting an Appropriate
Alternative, which assists in the selection process by
providing technical, environmental, health and safety, cost,
availability, and legislative considerations of the
alternatives.
- Datasheets and/or Supplier Lists, which identify worldwide
sources of alternative technologies, as well as the suppliers
of equipment and chemicals.
- Sources of additional expert assistance worldwide, in both
the private and public sectors.
UNEP Information Note 1996/27
"Aerosols, Sterilants, Miscellaneous Uses & Carbon Tetrachloride
Sourcebook": 470FF/US$85
"Flexible & Rigid Foams Sourcebook": 470FF/US$85
"Specialized Solvent Uses Sourcebook": 385 FF/US$70
To order any of the three "Sourcebooks of Technologies for
Protecting the Ozone Layer", please fill in the form below and
send to:
SMI (Distribution Services) Limited
P.O. Box 119 Stevenage
Hertfordshire SG1 4TP England
Fax: +44 (1438) 748 844
These sourcebooks are part of the information exchange services
provided by UNEP to developing countries to help them meet their
obligations under the Montreal Protocol. The OzonAction
Programme also provides other clearinghouse services (training &
networking of ODS officers) as well as assistance with the
development of national ODS phase out strategies (country
programmes) and institutional strengthening support. For more
information, please contact the OzonAction Programme at: UNEP IE,
Tour Mirabeau, 39-43 quai Andre Citroen, Paris 75739 cedex 15,
France or Tel: (33.1) 44.37.14.50, Fax: (33.1) 44.37.14.74,
email: ozonaction@unep.fr, http://www.unepie.org/ozonaction.html
SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS ADDRESSED BY THE SOURCEBOOKS
"Aerosols, Sterilants, Carbon Tetrachloride, and Miscellaneous
Uses"
- Aerosols where ODSs are used as propellants and/or solvents.
- Sterilants, where CFCs are used as a carrier gas.
- Cleaning applications where carbon tetrachloride (CTC) is
used as a solvent.
- Tobacco expansion where CFCs are used to restore the volume
of tobacco leaves during the production process
Flexible and Rigid Foams
- Flexible polyurethane foam: slabstock and moulded foam, used
as cushioning material for furniture, bedding, vehicle
interiors, as carpet linings, and for packaging.
- Rigid polyurethane foam: injected foam,
boardstock/flexible-faced lamination, sandwich panels, spray
foam insulation, slabstock, pipe-in-pipe/preformed pipe, and
one-component foam.
- Phenolic foams: open-cell and closed-cell foams used in the
construction industry, for roof and wall insulation, and for
pipe insulation.
- Polystyrene foams: extruded polystyrene sheets, used for
food packaging, and extruded polystyrene board, used for
building insulation.
Specialized Solvent Uses
- Aerosol mould release agents
- Printed circuit board "freeze sprays" & use in semiconductor
manufacturing
- Aerosol dusters & fabric protectants
- Aerosol cleaners/flux removers & film cleaning
- Aircraft windshield sprays & coatings
- Typing & writing correction fluids
- Mobile air conditioning flushing agents
About UNEP Industry and Environment
UNEP established its Industry and Environment office (UNEP IE) in
1975 to bring industry and Government together to promote
environmentally sound industrial development. UNEP IE is located
in Paris. Its goals are: 1) to encourage the incorporation of
environmental criteria in industrial development plans; 2) to
facilitate the implementation of procedures and principles for
the protection of the environment; 3) to promote preventive
environmental protection through cleaner production and other
pro-active approaches; 4) to stimulate the exchange of
information and experience throughout the world. UNEP IE
provides access to practical information and develops
co-operative activities backed by regular follow-up and
assessment. To promote the transfer of information and the
sharing of knowledge and experience, IE has developed three
complementary tools: technical reports; the quarterly "Industry
and Environment" review and a technical query-response service.
To order "SOURCEBOOKS OF TECHNOLOGIES TO PROTECT THE OZONE LAYER"
or other UNEP IE publications, please fill in and return the
following form.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - -
Please send me ____ copies x 470FF/US$85 of the Aerosols,
Sterilants, Miscellaneous Uses & Carbon Tetrachloride Sourcebook
Please send me ____ copies x 470FF/US$85 of the Flexible & Rigid
Foams Sourcebook
Please send me ____ copies x 385FF/US$70 of the Specialized Solvent
Uses Sourcebook
Total amount: _____________________ Cheque to the order of SMI
(Distribution Services) Limited enclosed. Institutions and public
libraries may request billing. Commercial firms and individuals, please
send payment along with order form.
Name:
Date: ___________________
Title:
Department:
Organization:
Address:
Country:
Tel/Fax:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
RRojas Research Unit/1997
United Nations Development Programme
Sustainable Human Development
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reconciling Economic Reform and Sustainable Human Development: Social
Consequences of Neo-Liberalism
by Lance Taylor and Ute Pieper
This paper offers a "state-of-the art" summary of the literature on
evaluating structural adjustment programmes. It argues that such programmes
have not performed well when it comes to social indicators - leading to
worsening income distribution and, in certain cases, more poverty. Even in
their own economic terms the programmes have often had an unimpressive
record of slower growth, higher inflation, lower rates of investment and
financial instability. The paper analyses how South and East Asian
countries have managed to stay immune to these ills. It assesses both the
economic and social effects of structural adjustment programmes and
discusses what alternative programmes of "adjustment with development"
might be possible.
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This database is maintained by the UNDP Webmaster webmaster@undp.org
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United Nations Development Programme
Sustainable Human Development
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ODS LECTURE SERIES
1. Paul G. Hoffman Lecture 1995: "The Arms Bazaar"
by Oscar Arias Sanchez
2. Paul G. Hoffman Lecture 1996: Global Competitiveness and Human
Development: Allies or Adversaries?"
by Robert Kuttner
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This database is maintained by the UNDP Webmaster webmaster@undp.org
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RRojas Research Unit/1997
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