This publication underscores that environmental audits, such as those conducted by Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) can and do play a crucial and vital role with regard to the implementation of MEAs and can evaluate whether the tools that their governments use to manage and protect the environment and implement MEAs have produced the intended results.

Adaptation is a multidisciplinary undertaking, requiring collaboration from diverse actors operating in different sectors and this makes it critical to share information. While much knowledge exists for successful adaptation, it is often fragmented and not always accessible to diverse stakeholders. The mobilization and sharing of knowledge and experiences is therefore, critical for informing adaptation decision-making, planning and practice. The Global Adaptation Network (GAN) aims to address this need.

Permafrost temperatures have increased during the last
20–30 years in almost all areas of the Northern Hemisphere.
An increase in the depth of the active layer above
the permafrost, which thaws in the summer, is less certain.
Further increases in air temperatures predicted
for the 21st century are projected to initiate widespread
permafrost thawing in the subarctic and in mountain
regions in both hemispheres. Widespread thawing of
permafrost will speed up the decomposition of organic
material previously held frozen in permafrost, emitting
large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Thawing of ice-rich permafrost may also have serious
consequences for ecosystems and infrastructure, and in
mountain regions, may reduce the stability of slopes and
increase the danger of rock falls and landslides

Snow exerts a huge influence on climate, through its
high reflectivity, insulating properties, and cooling of
the atmosphere, and on surface hydrology, through its
effects on water resources in many parts of the world.
Mean monthly snow-cover extent in the Northern Hemisphere
has decreased at a rate of 1.3 per cent per decade
during the last 40 years, with greatest losses in the
spring and summer months. Climate models project
significant decreases in snow cover by the end of this
century, with reductions of 60 to 80 per cent in snow water
equivalent (depth of water resulting from snow melt)
in most mid-latitude regions. Increases are projected for
the Canadian Arctic and Siberia. Higher temperatures
and rises in snow line are projected for many mountain
regions. Changes in snow cover, such as the formation
of ice layers in snow due to increased frequency of snow
thaw, have widespread impacts as snow is an important
ecological factor. Snow-cover changes also have impacts
on human well-being and economic activities, including
water resources, agriculture, animal husbandry, transportation
and winter recreation such as skiing.