UNEP Year Book 2009

Article Type: Feature From: Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Volume 20, Issue 4

The UNEP Year Book 2009 presents work in progress on scientific understanding of global environmental change, as well as foresight about possible issues on the horizon. The aim is to raise awareness of the interlinkages among environmental issues that can accelerate the rates of change and threaten human well-being.

This year, the book focuses on the importance of realizing a Global Green New Deal and the urgent need for a transition to a low carbon and resource-efficient Green Economy. The Year Book examines in six chapters new science and developments, and discusses the cumulative effects expected from degradation of ecosystems, the release of substances harmful to those ecosystems and to human health, the consequences of our changing climate, the continued human and economic loss resulting from disasters and conflicts, and the overexploitation of resources. It calls for an intensified sense of urgency for responsible governance in the face of approaching critical thresholds and tipping points. The UNEP Year Book 2009 can be seen at: www.unep.org/geo/yearbook/yb2009/.