'The current biofuel policies of rich countries are neither a solution to the climate crisis nor the oil crisis, and instead are contributing to a third: the food crisis. In poor countries, biofuels may offer some genuine development opportunities, but the potential economic, social, and environmental costs are severe, and decision makers should proceed with caution.'

This publication from the Independent Evaluation Group examines IFC and the World Bank's support for environmental sustainability from 1990 to 2007.

While there are difficulties in comparing the experience in the public and private sectors, the report assesses the Bank Group's effectiveness as a whole. It also attempts to identify the main constraints and suggests ways to enhance the Bank Group's effectiveness in coming years.

Achim Steiner, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), attended the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony on 8 August as part of UNEP's continuing support for the Greening of the Games. UNEP has been working with the Beijing Olympic Committee for the last three years in order to help make the Summer Games environmentally-friendly.

The Chinese government has spent US$17 billion on a large-scale green drive ahead of the Games, including a series of long-term envir more...

Online Access to Research in the Environment (OARE), an international public-private consortium coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Yale University, and leading science and technology publishers, enables developing countries to gain access to one of the world's largest collections of environmental science research.

Over 1,300 peer reviewed titles owned and published by over 340 prestigious publishing houses and scholarly societies are now available in more than 100 more...

'Trends in Sustainable Development, is a colorful compilation of maps and graphs devoted to the discussion of interrelated challenges being addressed at the 14th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (May 1-12, 2006). The four areas are: energy for sustainable development, industrial development, atmosphere and air pollution, and climate change.'

Dear Members,
With reference to all your dg write-up on climate change, pollution, and ghg emissions, the time to take action is now. The problem is execution of plan to combat climate change as against economic growth with high energy cost. As energy cost goes up, the demand for oil have not drop drastically. More oil use will result in more co2 emissions.Part of the solution to combat climate change is to be more energy efficient and use solar energy to supplement the current oil crisis.The h more...

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is an international non-governmental non-profit organization, founded in 1894. It is the foundation of the Olympic Movement. The main responsibility of the Committee is to supervise the organization of the summer and winter Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee is UNEP's first, and perhaps the most influential partner on sport and the environment

UNEP and the IOC have been working together since 1994 when they signed an Agreement of Coope more...

This report provides a snapshot of Asian Development Bank (ADB)'s strategies, assistance and activities to address the environment- development nexus in Asia and the Pacific.

Melbourne offers the best environmental qualities of all major cities in Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. At the bottom of the table of 21 cities are New Delhi and Mumbai. Only months before this year’s Summer Olympics, host Beijing occupies a lowly 15th place. Johannesburg and Singapore are placed second and third respectively. Cities are ranked highest to lowest in terms of environmental quality as measured by water potability and availability, sewage system, waste removal, air qual more...

Since the 1970s, the Marshlands have been damaged significantly, due to upstream dam construction and drainage operations by the former Iraqi regime.

Extensive ecological damage to the area, with the accompanying displacement of much of the indigenous population, was identified by UNEP and the United Nations/World Bank Needs Assessment Initiative for the Reconstruction of Iraq as one of the country's major environmental and humanitarian disasters.