The GEO Year Book 2007 is the fourth annual report on the changing
environment produc- ed by the United Nations Envir- onment Programme
in collabo- ration with many world environ- ment experts.
The 2007 Year Book includes global and regional overviews of
signifi cant developments over the past year. It high- lights linkages among
ecosys- tem health, human well-be- ing, and economic develop- ment;
examines new thinking on the value of ecosystem services and the threat
from ecosystem degradation; and describes recent research fi- ndings and
policy decisions that affect our awareness and response to global change.
A special feature focus ana- lyzes the intersection between environment
and globalization where ecosystem services and the human well-being
that depends on those services are affected by natural resource
exploitation in response to global demands. The chapter also explores
some of the innovative policy mechanisms that link global supplies
of goods and services with sust- ainable development objectiv- es.
The emerging scientific and policy challenges of
nanotech- nology are examined from an environmental
perspective. Na- notechnology will bring env- ironmental
benefi ts but it is vital that we adopt appro- priate
assessment and legis- lative processes to address
the unique challenges presented by nanomaterials
and their life cycles. |