MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS

The following is a partial and preliminary list of major environmental assessments of recent years from the Earthwatch Web site, organized by chapters of Agenda 21. It would assist coordination and collaboration across the UN system to fill in the gaps and to develop a more complete calendar of the timing and scope of different assessment processes. If such information is submitted to Earthwatch Coordination, it will be posted on the Earthwatch Web site.

General

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK - 1997
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford, 1997 - 264 p.
Web version: http://www.grid.unep.ch/geo2000/
A new edition, GEO-2, is in preparation for 1999.

WORLD RESOURCES 1996-1997: The Urban Environment - 1996
World Resources Institute (WRI)/UNEP/UNDP/World Bank
Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford, 1996 - 365 p.
(World Resources 1998-1999 is in preparation)

THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT 1972-1992: Two Decades of Challenge - 1992
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
M. K. Tolba, O. A. El-Kholy et al., editors
Chapman & Hall, London, 1992 - 884 p.
(The next decadal state of the world environment report is planned for 2002.)

Regional

STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC - 1995
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)/Asian Development Bank
United Nations, New York, 1995 - 653 p.

Sectoral (by chapters of Agenda 21)

2. Sustainable Development

CRITICAL TRENDS: Global Change and Sustainable Development - 1997
Department of Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development
United Nations, New York, 1997, ST/ESA/255 - 76 p.
Web version: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/trends.htm

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT - 1997
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford, 1997 - 245 p.

6. Health

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: - 1997
Five Years After the Earth Summit
World Health Organization, Geneva, 1997, WHO/EHG/97.8 - 242 p.

7. Human Settlements

8. Environment and Development

9. Atmosphere

CLIMATE CHANGE 1995 - 1995
WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Second Assessment Report.  Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
The IPCC Third Assessment Report will cover a range of scientific, technical, economic and social issues. It will consist of reports of IPCC Working Groups I (scientific aspects), II (vulnerability of systems) and III (mitigation), and will focus heavily on regional aspects. The three Working Group reports, which will be approved by late 2000 or early 2001, will be integrated into a policy relevant Synthesis Report, which will be completed by the second quarter of 2001.

OZONE SECRETARIAT ASSESSMENTS
Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion - 1994
Environmental Effects of Ozone Depletion - 1994 Assessment
1994 Report of the Halon Fire Extinguishing Agents Technical Options Committee
1994 Report of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel - 1995 Assessment
1994 Report of the Aerosols Sterilants and Miscellaneous Uses and Carbon Tetrachloride Technical Options Committee
1994 Report of the Methyl Bromide  Technical Options Committee, 1995 Assessment
1994 Report of the Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps  Technical Options Committee, 1995 Assessment
1994 Report of the Flexible and Rigid Foams  Technical Options Committee, 1995 Assessment
1994 Report of the Solvents, Coatings and Adhesives  Technical Options Committee, 1995 Assessment
Technology and Economic Assessment Panel, Part I, II, III, IV, V, and VI, March 1996 Report
UNEP Technology and Economic Assessment Panel, Vol. I & II, April 1997 Report
Issued by the Ozone Secretariat, UNEP, Nairobi.

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF OZONE DEPLETION - 1997
Interim Summary, September 1997.  Issued by the Ozone Secretariat, UNEP, Nairobi.

10. Integrated Management of Land Resources

11. Forests

STATE OF THE WORLD'S FORESTS - 1997
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
FAO, Rome, 1997 - 200 p.

FOREST RESOURCES ASSESSMENT 1990: Global Synthesis - 1995
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
FAO, Rome, 1995 - 102 p.
(the next forest resources assessment is planned for 2000)

12. Desertification

WORLD ATLAS OF DESERTIFICATION - 1997
Second Edition launched 9 October 1997
United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, 1997

13. Mountains

THE STATE OF THE WORLD'S MOUNTAINS: A Global Report - 1992
Peter B. Stone (editor).  Zed Books, London and New Jersey, 1992
(a new report is in preparation)

14. Agriculture and Rural Development

THE STATE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE - 1997
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, 1997
Web version: http://www.fao.org/docrep/w5800e/w5800e00.htm

15. Biological Diversity

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY ASSESSMENT - 1995
UNEP, V.H. Heywood (Executive Editor), R.T. Watson (Chair) and 1500 experts
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1995 - 1140 p.

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY: Status of the Earth's Living Resources - 1992
Compiled by World Conservation Monitoring Centre in collaboration with The Natural History Museum, London, and in association with IUCN, UNEP, WWF, WRI
Chapman & Hall, London, 1992 - 585 p.

16. Biotechnology

17. Oceans

THE STATE OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT - 1990
GESAMP (IMO/FAO/UNESCO/WMO/WHO/IAEA/UN/UNEP Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection)
UNEP Regional Seas Reports and Studies No. 115, 111 p., and Technical Annexes RSRS No. 114/1 and 114/2, 676 p., UNEP, Nairobi, 1990
A new GESAMP State of the Marine Environment report is planned for 2002, following on an assessment of Land-based Activities affecting the marine environment which is presently being prepared.

THE STATE OF WORLD FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE - 1996
FAO Fisheries Department
FAO, Rome, 1996
Web version: http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/FISHERY/publ/sofia/sofiae.htm

The Independent World Commission on the Oceans is preparing a report to the UN General Assembly in June 1998 assessing the state of ocean management.

18. Freshwater

COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE FRESHWATER RESOURCES OF THE WORLD - 1997
Preparation coordinated by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) for UN/UNDP/UNEP/FAO/UNESCO/WMO/World Bank/WHO/UNIDO
Published by World Meteorological Organization - 33 p.
also issued as Report of the Secretary General to CSD 5:  E/CN.17/1997/9
Web version: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/freshwat.htm

19. Toxic Chemicals

CHEMICAL POLLUTION: A Global Overview - 1992
Earthwatch/UNEP, prepared by IRPTC and GEMS/MARC
UNEP, Geneva, 1992 - 106 p.

20. Hazardous Wastes
21. Solid Wastes/Sewage

GLOBAL WASTE SURVEY: Final Report - 1995
Prepared by S. Adrian Ross
International Maritime Organization (IMO), London, 1995 - 293 p.

22. Radioactive Wastes

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF RADIOACTIVE RELEASES - 1995
Proceedings of a Symposium, Vienna, 8-12 May 1995
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1995  874 p.

The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) is preparing an extensive assessment of information on radiation exposure worldwide for the year 2000, along with a comprehensive review of the biological effects of radiation.