UN Environment’s sixth Global Environmental Outlook (GEO6) was published at UNEA4.
GEO6 is the most comprehensive report on the global environment since 2012.
It: covers air, land, oceans/marine, freshwater and biodiversity; shows that the overall environmental situation is deteriorating globally; and that the window for action is closing.
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Simon Birkett, Founder and Director of Clean Air in London, said:
“In my view, having been involved in GEO6 for four years, one of the most important innovations and achievements of GEO6 is to demystify ‘climate change’ which has conflated or oversimplified a number of issues into two words for far too long. It’s no wonder that people have been confused.
“GEO6 does this simply by: treating ‘air’ as one theme that combines local air pollution and greenhouse gases; identifying current and ongoing greenhouse gas emissions as one of five drivers of environmental mega trends; and looking at the impacts of changes in the climate on the environment, economy and society. The results are scary.
“The most important lesson from GEO6 is the need for urgent, transformative and inclusive action by every country across every aspect of human endeavour to improve our air, land, freshwater, oceans and biodiversity and achieve science based targets. Let’s hope we get it this week at UNEA4.
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Notes
1. GEO-6 publications
https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/global-environment-outlook-6
2. Future of GEO
3. Committee of Permanent Representatives
https://www.unenvironment.org/cpr
Climate change_Draft 20.01.19_V2
4. Guidelines for conducting integrated environmental assessments (April 2019)
