Policy makers need scientific results and evidence to be presented in a concise yet understandable and convincing manner. UNEP’s sixth Global Environmental Outlook Assessment for the pan-European region tries to do exactly thisco-chair of the GEO-6 European Assessment, May 2016
The latest GEO report for the pan-European region paints a comprehensive picture of the environmental factors contributing to human health and well-being at the regional level. Together with UNEP Live, it opens up a world of data and information from national and regional levels providing knowledge insights to underpin and challenge policy- and decision-making.
Regional and global GEO reports examine the global atmosphere, land, water and life on Earth to provide an up-to-date picture of the state of the environment and its trends on topics such as air pollution, biodiversity, and chemicals and waste. As a result, policymakers are presented with a picture of where our planet’s environmental boundaries lie and associated risks and opportunities.
“While showing the region’s resource footprint is unsustainable due to its overuse of natural resources and its trading patterns with other regions, GEO-6 empowers policymakers to take action by identifying gaps and unexploited opportunities for action and synergies between policies and priority areas,” explains Ms Mangalagiu.
“I have collaborated in GEO projects since 1999 and I have experienced how the strong intergovernmental and consultation processes, combined with hundreds of the world's leading scientists who have worked together to provide comprehensive integrated assessments of the state of the environment make an invaluable contribution to keeping the world's environment under review. I can say with confidence that the scientific findings, policy options and insights into strengthening environmental governance are credible, legitimate and salient.” affirms Nicolai Dronin, fellow co-chair of European Assessment Report GEO-6 at Moscow State University.
Thanks to the UNEP Live platform, the data and information that underpins the assessment is being made available online through graphs, maps and reports to increase the transparency of environmental information, as well as, improving accessibility by providing the information in relevant languages.
In this way, the latest scientific knowledge on the environment is being made available at the fingertips of both policy-makers and the general public.
