The UNEP Year Book 2008 (formerly the GEO Year Book) is the fifth annual report on the changing environment produced by the United Nations Environment Programme in collaboration with many world environmental experts.

The UNEP Year Book 2008 highlights the increasing complexity and interconnections of climate change, ecosystem integrity, human well-being, and economic development. It examines the emergence and influence of economic mechanisms and market driven approaches for addressin more...

H.E. Mr. Maciej Nowicki, Minister of Environment of Poland and Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, signed the Host Country Agreement between the Government of Poland and the Secretariat concerning the United Nations Climate Change Conference - Poznan, 2008. According to Minister Nowicki, the conference - COP14/CMP4 - will be a "crucial stepping stone" on the way to COP15/CMP5 in Copenhagen. According to Executive Secretary de Boer, "Poznan will be critical to move towards more...

Environment ministers from more than 130 countries are gathering in Bali, Indonesia, from 3-14 December to launch plans for the new international climate change agreement to succeed the current Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012.  
The 2007 U.N. Climate Change Conference hopes to create the “Bali roadmap”, establishing a methodology and schedule to draft the new agreement by 2009 so that gaps can be avoided in technology cooperation, mitigation, adaptation and fina more...

Climate change is the defining human development challenge of the 21st Century. Failure to respond to that challenge will stall and then reverse international efforts to reduce poverty. The poorest countries and most vulnerable citizens will suffer the earliest and most damaging setbacks, even though they have contributed least to the problem. Looking to the future, no country—however wealthy or powerful—will be immune to the impact of global warming.

The Human Development more...

This gallery of 40 winning entries from the 2007 international photo and video contest showcases the intricate link between the environment and public health. This year the focus of the annual contest was on health and environment, as part of WHO's efforts to raise awareness about the importance of healthier environments.

The 2007 entries include positive images that highlight the beneficial effects of safe and healthy environments: children playing in healthy, supportive and enabling more...

In order to feed their burgeoning populations, developing nations will need to double cereal production by the year 2050. This increase will have to come from existing land, as little potential exists for bringing new land under cultivation -- a daunting prospect when one realizes that increased use and significantly higher concentrations of carbon dioxide have led to a severe depletion of the carbon pool in the world's soils. T more...

Living in a changing world presents both challenges and opportunities. The performance of policies and programmes in meeting challenges and capitalising on opportunities for progress will be examined during the World Water Week. Readiness to meet a turbulent future will be assessed. The contribution of all stakeholders, who should play a constructive role in governance towards sustainability, will be highlighted. Scrutinising progress on water-related devel more...

Living in a changing world presents both challenges and opportunities. The performance of policies and programmes in meeting challenges and capitalising on opportunities for progress will be examined during the World Water Week. Readiness to meet a turbulent future will be assessed. The contribution of all stakeholders, who should play a constructive role in governance towards sustainability, will be highlighted. Scrutinising progress on water-related devel more...