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Manuals, Guides and Toolkits
Guidelines for conducting Integrated environmental assessments
United Nations Environment Programme
Integrated Environmental Assessments have been part of the environmental management
landscape following up on the Resolution 2997 of the 1972 United Nations (UN) Conference on
The Human Environment, Stockholm, that stated, in part, that UNEP “should keep the global
environment under review”. These assessments have grown to become a major and common
feature of environmental management conducted by various stakeholders. For these
assessments to be most useful, they must be performed in a consistent manner. For this reason,
Member States of the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) requested
that guidelines be developed for conducting Integrated Environmental Assessments.
These guidelines are advisory and provide approaches for conducting a large gamut of
integrated environmental assessments for different objectives. They are intended to be practical
in application and sensitive to different levels of available resources and objectives and further
complement environmental management monitoring and evaluation programmes.
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2019 |
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Other
Regional Networks of National Ozone Units
United Nations Environment Programme
The OzonAction Programme operates ten Regional Networks comprising 147 developing countries
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2019 |
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Foresight Briefs
We are Losing the "Little Things that Run the World" - Foresight Brief No. 011 - January 2019
United Nations Environment Programme
Insects make up about half of all known living organisms. They play key roles in, pollination, nutrient cycling, food chains or birds and other insectivores, and are one of the pillars of our ecosystems. However, the wide use of insecticides, fragmentation of habitats and climate change are placing multiple threats on them and their populations are under sharp decline. This Foresight Brief explores insect services, threats and solutions to sustain insect populations.
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2019 |
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Reports and Books
Environmental Rule of Law: First Global Report
United Nations Environment Programme
As the first assessment of the global environmental rule of law, this Report draws on experiences, challenges, viewpoints, and successes of diverse countries around the world, highlighting global trends as well as opportunities for countries and partners to strengthen the environmental rule of law. The Report highlights the need to undertake a regular global assessment of the state of environmental rule of law. To track progress nationally and globally, it is necessary to utilize a set of consistent indicators. The Report proposes an indicator framework for environmental rule of law and highlights existing datasets that may be utilized in support of the global assessment.
The Report also calls for a concerted effort to support countries in pilot testing approaches to strengthen environmental rule of law. Such an initiative could support testing of approaches in diverse contexts, and then adapting them before scaling them up. It should also foster exchange of experiences between jurisdictions to foster learning.
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2019 |
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Manuals, Guides and Toolkits
Become a #SolveDifferent Champion: A Guide for Member States
United Nations Environment Programme
This toolkit for Member States contains practical guidance and information for use in the lead-up to and during the Assembly.
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2019 |
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Chapters and Articles
3. Civic Engagement - Environmental Rule of Law: First Global Report
United Nations Environment Programme
Environmental rule of law requires a whole-of-society approach. While substantial emphasis is naturally placed on strengthening governmental institutions at the national, regional, and local levels, civil society also plays an essential role. This chapter focuses on the rights to information and participation in decision making. Access to justice is covered separately in the Justice Chapter, in order to fully cover all aspects of judicial remedies and enforcement as related to environmental rule of law. It is important to recognize that these three pillars of civic engagement—information, participation, and justice—act in a synergistic and mutually reinforcing manner to support increased inclusivity, transparency, and accountability in environmental rule of law.
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2019 |
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Chapters and Articles, Yearbooks and Frontiers
Synthetic Biology: Re-engineering the environment - Frontiers 2018/19: Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern Chapter 1
United Nations Environment Programme
The world is facing unprecedented challenges to a healthy and sustainable future. Habitat destruction, invasive species, and overexploitation are contributing to immense biodiversity loss. Unsustainable, extractive industry practices further burden the environment, and by extension, human welfare. Vector-borne infectious diseases pose a major threat to global health. Rapid climate change is likely to expand the geographical range of tropical diseases and further stress already taxed species and ecosystems. A number of approaches devised to meet these challenges – some proposed and others already implemented – share a common strategy. That is, they depend upon the genetic manipulation of living organisms to acquire new functions that otherwise do not exist in nature, in order to serve human needs.
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2019 |
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Chapters and Articles, Yearbooks and Frontiers
Ecological Connectivity: A Bridge to Preserving Biodiversity - Frontiers 2018/19: Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern Chapter 2
United Nations Environment Programme
Nature was once vast and boundless, but in an industrialized, 21st century world, this is no longer the case. Across the globe,
landscapes and seascapes are becoming more fragmented. Fragmentation is typically a symptom of landscape transformation and destruction. Maintaining or restoring connectivity between fragmented habitats or landscape patches has been identified as the key to counteracting many of the negative impacts of
fragmentation. Connectivity can be defined as the degree to
which landscapes and seascapes allow species to move freely
and ecological processes to function unimpeded.
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2019 |
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Chapters and Articles, Yearbooks and Frontiers
Permafrost Peatlands: Losing Ground in a Warming World - Frontiers 2018/19: Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern Chapter 3
United Nations Environment Programme
Permafrost thaw is seen as one of the most important “tipping elements” that could precipitate a runaway greenhouse effect, or an uncontrollable “Hothouse Earth”. To avoid such a destructive scenario, it is critical that the world’s permafrost and its peatlands stay frozen and retain their carbon deposits.
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2019 |
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Chapters and Articles, Yearbooks and Frontiers
The Nitrogen Fix: From Nitrogen Cycle Pollution to Nitrogen Circular Economy - Frontiers 2018/19: Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern Chapter 4
United Nations Environment Programme
Nitrogen is an extremely abundant element in the Earth’s atmosphere. In the form of the N2 molecule, nitrogen is harmless, making up 78 per cent of every breath we take. The two nitrogen atoms are held together by a strong triple bond (N N), making it extremely stable and chemically unreactive. The planet benefits because N2 allows a safe atmosphere in which life can flourish, while avoiding the flammable consequences of too much oxygen. The environmental interest in nitrogen focuses on the conversion of N2 into other
chemically reactive forms. For simplicity, scientists refer to all other nitrogen forms as “fixed” or “reactive nitrogen” (Nr).
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2019 |
