2003 Overview

• Global:
  Dramatic changes in Arctic sea ice since 1979
  Tornado damage in Oklahoma City, May 9, 2003
• Africa:
  Africa regional targets: annual increased access to safe water and improved sanitation
  Africa´s uprooted people: the toll of conflict
  Several African countries announced new protected areas
• Asia and the Pacific:
  Air pollution is a major environmental issue, particularly in Asian cities
  
• Europe:
  Two firemen dwarfed by giant flames during forest fires in Southern France.
  Rail is one of the main modes of transport in Europe
  
  Latin America and the Caribbean:
  Satellite images of deforestation 2000–2003

World’s highest ski slope in Bolivia soon to disappear
• North America:
  The development and application of hydrogen fuel cell technologies
  Forest fires in California
• West Asia:
  Satellite images of smoke from oil trench fires
  Streets of Alriyadh city, central Saudi Arabia, after flash floods on December 3, 2003
  Satellite images of sandstorms in West Asia in 2003
• Polar:
  Projection of Arctic sea ice extent by 2030
  The 2003 ozone hole over Antarctica dark blue denoting high levels of ozone depletion was very large, close to the all-time record.
  
• Small Island Developing States:
  Bleached Anemones caused by ocean warming
  Hurricane Fabian struck the Caribbean in September2003
  

Feature Focus. Freshwater: meeting our goals, sustaining our future

• The world’s water cycle
• Aral sea degradation
• Estimated water use by sector
• Hypoxia in the Northen Gulf of Mexico
• The price urban residents pay for water in selected regions
  

Emerging Challenges - New Findings

• The nitrogen cascade
• Patagonian toothfish
• Fishing down marine food webs
• On the way to the aquarium
  

• Energy use per US$1 000 Gross Domestic Product
• Total carbon dioxide emissions, 1989–2000
• Total carbon dioxide emissions per capita, 1989–2000
• Consumption of chlorofluorocarbons,1988–2002
• Location of glacier measurements
• Glacier mass balance, global average, 1980–2001
• Number of people killed, 1975–2002
• Number of people affected, 1975–2002
• Proportion of land area covered by forest, 1990 and 2000
• Threatened animal species in 2003
• Threatened plant species in 2003
• Protected areas as percentage of total land area
• Catch of living marine resources, 1970–2002
• Per capita water use in 2000
• Water use as percentage of quantity of annual renewable water resources in 2000
• Population with access to improved water supply, 1990 and 2000
• Population with access to improved sanitation , 1990 and 2000
• Number of parties to multilateral enviromental agreements