The third UNEP Global Environment Outlook report ( GEO-3 ) provided an opportune brief for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In terms of the GEO-3 report itself, an overview of major developments between 1972 and 2002 highlights significant milestones and integrates environmental, economic and social factors within a unified world view. The retrospective chapter explores many of these developments in greater depth from global and regional standpoints. The report presents a global overview and also directs a spotlight onto two or three key issues that are considered paramount in each of the seven regional arenas under each of eight environmental themes in turn: land, forests, biodiversity, freshwater, coastal and marine areas, atmosphere, urban areas and disasters.