Number of questions: [9]
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Posted on 27/10/2007 12:58:24 |
Peter,
I've downloaded the GEO4 report all 500 plus pages and browsed through it. I'm a volunteer with Somerset Wildlife Trust. The report is very impressive in its coverage and I'm bit at a loss to know what I can do , apart from personal efforts , to help get the UK to get moving.
Can you suggest some ideas for individuals to do based on the report. E.G write to our Prime Minister and what would I ask him to do? or something else!
PS where can I see a hard copy of the report?
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David German (from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
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Thank you David for your practical question.
The GEO-4 report provides, in every chapter, a section on not only challenges, but also opportunities available in addressing issues of land, water, biodiversity, atmosphere and so on. It also provides policy options in Chapter 10 as well as in the Summary for Decision Makers report which is also available on the website
Environmental, social and economic issues are interlinked and impact upon each other. Solutions must take interlinked relationships into account so that solving one problem does not create another. Understanding these interlinkages and the issues that we face today is necessary if we hope to find lasting solutions.
The GEO-4 report is not a prescriptive report as solutions to problems must be adapted to local and regional realities. It however provides options and tells us what has worked (proven solutions) and what the emerging problems are.
Some ideas of what you can do include:
-Raising awareness of the issues of concern. Building up a critical mass of those who want to make a difference and identifying priority actions with targets.
-Talking to young people and involving them in community action. GEO-4 has many examples of how effective community action really is in bringing about positive change.
-Encouraging the replication of positive actions and adapting and applying proven solutions and policy approaches.
-Policy makers have access to a wide range of tools and innovative approaches to deal with different types of environmental problems. We as citizens, have a responsibility to help them make choices that prioritize sustainable development. We must for instance, advocate early, rather than delayed (and costly) action.
-Urging government, private sector to find solutions to emerging problems.
GEO-4 provides many concrete examples which we hope you will find useful. Other resources include fro instance, UNEP’s collaborating centre, UNEP/World Conservation Monitoring Centre (http://www.unep-wcmc.org/) which is a centre for excellence on global biodiversity knowledge and provides timely information at the national, regional and international levels to use in the development and implementation of policies and decisions.
You may also wish to see the work being done by our Collaborating Centres (http://www.unep.org/geo/).
The hard copy of the report can be ordered through our website from the following link. http://www.unep.org/geo/geo4/media/
Click on the Earthprint which will take you to our online Bookstore order form
Thank you for your interest.
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Posted on 26/10/2007 18:16:19 |
Dear Dr. Gilruth-
I am a professor at Hamline University's Center for Global Environmental Education in St. Paul Minnesota, USA. I currently tech a course about Ecological Footprints to masters students in our program.
My question has to do with our capacity to rethink cultural norms. We have had quite a lively discussion in this class about how to rethink how we do development in ways that encourage us recalcitrant Westerners to behave more responsibly with resources. Not many of us would opt for changes that feel like deprivation, but it is clear we cannot continue to conduct development as usual.
In your opinion, what are the handful of changes to development practices we should be thinking about that promise to have the biggest impact on our overall footprint?
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Peggy Knapp (from United States of America)
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Dear Peggy,
Thank you for your question.
Change is always difficult, but the human capacity for adapting to change is also great. We must first make changes in our own lives, which in turn influence changes in consumption patterns and in development options. Just switching off a light when leaving a room can make a huge difference if everyone did it.
Some development changes include how we use energy, what and how we consume and how we deal with our own wastes – without shifting the burden of many of these problems to other countries.
I invite you to look at the GEO-4 Chapter 8 on Vulnerability as well as Chapter 10 on Policy Options. You will also find Chapter 9 very illuminating as the Scenarios really do illustrate that the decisions (and lifestyles choices) that we make today will lead us to different tomorrows. You and your students may wish to try the scenario exercises for your local area to see how they could play out in the future.
Hope this helps.
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Posted on 26/10/2007 17:34:42 |
My concern is the loss of arable land to a) expanding urban areas, b) industrial development, c) resource extraction, d) housing construction.
Do you have global statistics on each of the above over the last 10 years? I am especially interested in (d) above.
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John (from Canada)
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Dear John,
Thank you for your question.
The GEO-4 report is rich in information in these areas and I would suggest that you look at Chapter 3 on Land as well as Chapter 6, which provides a North American perspective on urban and exurban sprawl.
Hope you enjoy reading GEO-4 and find it a valuable resource.
Another GEO resource which may be of interest to you is the GEO Data Portal. It is a free online statistical database which contains a broad range of data sets at the global, regional, national levels, often with a time series of 1970’s to the latest available data. The URL is: http://geodata.grid.unep.ch/
We hope you find these tools useful.
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Posted on 26/10/2007 17:31:52 |
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I am very concerned with the environment and I know that the United States carries a ton of world political power. I have the fortune to live in this country where I am permitted to vote and I am always hopefully that my vote counts. America is responisible for more than its fair share of waste and pollution and should be the country to set positive environmental policies. In your opinion, which current presidental candidate has the most concern for the environment and seems to be the one to most likely take action to help the environment?
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Amy T (from United States of America)
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Dear Amy,
Thank you for your question.
As citizens, we must all be concerned and aware of the issues our politicians stand by. Our choice of leaders should be based on how they intend to address issues of concern such as those you mentioned and others in the GEO-4, as they affect us all. We too have a role as citizens, to ensure that our governments are equal to their responsibilities and the promises they make and that they are accountable for the decisions and actions they take.
We do not advocate any particular candidate but hope that the GEO-4 helps you and others frame the type of questions for which you need answers and which allow for sustainable development.
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Posted on 26/10/2007 08:53:19 |
I want to commend you Sir for your efforts and contributions so far. I am a Nigerian by birth from Eket, Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria.
How can development be posible in a situation of financial ignorance, a situation where you can reach out to funds and capitals to carry out your plans out side the government?
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Daniel Edoho (from Nigeria)
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Dear Daniel,
Thank you for your question.
GEO-4 says that while governments are expected to take the lead, all stakeholders are equally important in ensuring success in achieving sustainable development. We have seen many recent examples in which the private sector, or NGO’s been instrumental in making positive changes in this respect. GEO-4 provides many such examples.
One that comes to mind and which can be found in Chapter 7 of the report is where local communities in Fiji
established “locally managed marine areas” to replenish marine stock which were being heavily depleted and which affected their livelihoods and health (due to loss of nutrition which they used to get from fish).
Without much financial investment and with full participation in the decision-making and management of these areas, these local communities and individuals were able to influence tremendous positive changes which not only increased household income but improved nutrition.
Local action is a powerful tool for change and when supported by governments, sustainable development is not an unreachable goal.
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Posted on 26/10/2007 01:22:01 |
Over-population seems to be the "elephant in the room" of many conversations around sustainability. But the latest UNEP report cites over-population as one of the key issues facing us today.
Is it time for world leaders to start discouraging their people from having children? As it stands, having children is still seen as a positive thing to do for your country - unless you live in China.
The global population is projected to reach 8 billion by 2050. Won't this number negate even significant greenhouse-gas reductions?
As a thirty-something male, I have been NOT fathering children since puberty, yet no congratulations have been forthcoming.
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Donn (from Australia)
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Dear Donn,
Many thanks for your question.
Global population is indeed a major driver for environmental change and environmental degradation. While it would be easier to ask people to stop having children, in most countries this would not be considered an ethical, practical or realistic solution. Sustainable development, after all, is in part, to ensure that our children’s needs are also met.
It should be noted that population growth rates have come down in many parts of the world as a result of people’s own choices. However, it is certainly true that with more people and with the further projected increases in population in the future, it becomes more difficult to live within the Earth’s capacity. It also becomes more imperative that we do everything humanly possible to stop the degradation of the environment, which impacts adversely on OUR well-being and on development options.
What GEO-4 recommends instead, is to enhance human well-being by making rational and wise use of the natural resources we have. We DO have solutions – but they must be applied widely.
By recognizing that the environment is the foundation for development and for our well-being, we will find ways to stop degrading it, despite our large numbers.
The choices we all make individually affect us all collectively.
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Posted on 25/10/2007 21:26:55 |
Dear Mr Gilruth,
Whereas GEO is definitely a very valuable document and also very scary, I do feel I have heard more if not all of this before. What is new about this report and what is its relevance? Is it really a good use of the United Nations scarce resources?
Thank you and kind regards
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Lisa (from Austria)
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Thank you for your question.
The GEO-4 assessment report is part of UNEP’s mandate of keeping under review, the state of the global environment. By its very nature, an assessment draws upon a wide range of scientific and policy research and analyzes issues in a holistic and integrated way. It also presents policy relevant findings and information that allow for more effective decision-making. It is therefore not surprising that you have come across much of the information, however, the way it is analyzed, the findings and the expertise involved in the assessment make GEO-4 is the most comprehensive assessment on the global environment to-date.
The GEO-4 is more than a report – it is also a process which brings together different stakeholders into the assessment process. They include governments, the scientific community, NGO’s, IGO’s, other international organizations and UN agencies, the private sector and civil society. The issues assessed were selected by these stakeholders. The assessment process involved over 1,000 reviewers and the report was authored by 388 experts!. In addition to the report, governments negotiated and endorsed the Summary for Decision Makers which provides key Policy options for sustainable development.
The GEO-4 assessment has a very specific time frame –20 years since the Brundland report was published. It provides trends and an outlook for the future. In addition, it has assessed issues of land, water, biodiversity and atmosphere in the context of Human well-being, asking how environmental change impact on our health, security, livelihoods and also how vulnerability to environmental changes can be lessened.
Therefore, the GEO process and the GEO-4 report is not just one organization’s views on the environment, but a forum that enables all stakeholders to be fully involved in the assessment as well as in decision-making. This is what we refer to as “environment for development” as we believe that we are all part of the change we need to make.
Strong assessment processes such as GEO are essential for sound decision making and effective policy implementation. Without understanding the state and trends of the environment and the interlinkages inherent in economic-environment-society interactions and how they impact on each other, we will not be able to ensure human well-being.
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Posted on 25/10/2007 07:42:46 |
je suis etudiant de driot de l'environnemnent a l'universite de Shahid Beheshti en Iran.
Aujourd'hui dans le monde, il y a beaucoup les discussions, les conférences environnementales dans lesquelles les gens parlent pour les défis comme le changement climatique et autres sujets ou été véritablement important. Maintenant je vais vous poser le question sur ce sujet que pourquoi les pays develope et les pays industrielles après son progrès dans le différent secteurs et vraiment après le effondrement de l'environnement, pense et parle sur le quelques programmes comme développement durable et le protection de l'environnement! Pendent son progrès scientifique et industrielles le l'environnement n'étais pas important mais maintenant ce important ? Quelle les rasons ? pouqoui ?
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hosseini mohammad mehdi (from Iran, Islamic Republic of)
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Cher Monsieur Mehdi,
Tout d'abord un grand merci pour l'interêt porté aux questions environnementales et surtout à notre nouveau rapport mondial sur l'environnement. Votre question est tout à fait pertinente et a souvent était posée. La première chose et de dire qu'effectivement les pays industrialisés ont pendant longtemps promulgés la croissance économique au dépend de l'environnement. Et souvent ont a entendu parler de cette soit-disant courbe inversée de Kuznet où une fois qu'une certaine croissance économique, un pouvoir d'achat et progrès industrielles ont été atteints, les gens prendraient enfin conscience de leur environnement.
Le GEO-4 et beaucoup d'autres rapports similaires sur l'environnement ont en fait démontrés que très souvent cette théorie ne tenait pas. Ceci étant dit, le GEO aussi démontre que les pays en voies de développement non pas ce luxe, dût au fait que notre environnement s'est dégradé à un tel point qu'il serait suicidaire de poursuivre une telle route. En effet, une meilleure gestions de nos ressources naturelles (dont les plus pauvres dépendent à plus de 90%) est une nécessité économique et sociale. Les ressources naturelles représentent environ 26% de la richesse totale des pays en voie de développement (voire le rapport de la Banque Mondiale publié en 2006).
La stabilité de notre environnement ne devrait plus etre analysé dans un contexte pays développés contre pays sous-développés mais plutôt dans une optique de gestion à long terme d'un capital extrêmement important tant pour notre bien-être que pour le développement de nos pays. Le GEO-4 encourage cette ligne de conduite. Notre avenir en dépend!
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Posted on 25/10/2007 07:26:42 |
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Hello, I am Aisha from Vienna. I am very interested in the GEO-4 report as it reports on environmental issues the world over. I would like to know about matters close to me. Please let me know how climate change will impact the canals? Thank you.
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Aisha Slana (from Austria)
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Dear Aisha,
Thank you for your question.
Climate change is an issue that should matter to us all. The impacts of climate change are assessed in Chapter 2 of the GEO-4 report. There is also a special section in Chapter 6, for Europe, where Climate Change and Energy has been highlighted as a priority issue. I invite you to take a look at these and other chapters of the GEO4 report which are available on our website at: http://www.unep.org/geo/geo4/media/index.asp
You may also be interested in another GEO publication called GEO Outlook for Ice and Snow available at: http://www.unep.org/GEO/GEO%5FProducts/Thematic%5FReports/ which provides further information on the impacts of climate change.
With respect to your question on canals, climate change does not directly impact canals as these are highly regulated and changes to water levels can be adjusted and controlled by people.
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