Environment for development (GEO-4)

In order to build environmental considerations into decision-making there is a strong need to monitor and assess environmental impacts and changes. Without the ability to monitor and assess human development's impacts on environmental trends, navigating the sea of global change would be reduced to reactive crisis management—hardly an effective way to tackle the large policy issues of today.

The United Nations Environment Programme's Global Environment Outlook publications attempt to map out the state of the world's environment, identifying emerging issues that required international attention and provide options for policy making and action planning.

GEO assessments seek to answer the following questions:

• What is happening to the environment and why?
• What are the consequences for the environment and humanity?
• What is being done and how is it effective?
• Where are we headed?
• What actions could be taken for a more sustainable future?

On Thursday, October 25^th, 2007, UNEP launched the Global Environment Outlook: Environment for development (GEO-4). IISD President and CEO, David Runnalls participated in the launch in Ottawa along with IISD associate, Jane Barr. Dale Rothman attended the Washington, D.C. launch of the report.

Jane Barr is an associate with the Measurement and Assessment Team of IISD and was the Coordinating Lead Author for Chapter 6 on Regional Perspectives as well as the lead author for Chapter 6's North American section.

Dale Rothman is a senior researcher with the Measurement and Assessment Team of IISD and was the Coordinating Lead Author for Chapter 9 on The Future Today – Towards 2015 and Beyond.