3E Intelligence

“Not an environment scare story” is the ironic title of the Independent’s coverage of the fourth Global Environment Outlook: environment for development (GEO-4) assessment published by the United Nations Environment Programme on 25 October.

The report makes indeed for some pretty dire reading. Climate change, population explosion, declining availablity of water, biodiversity loss, growing pollution are just some of the signs that the ecological services from which our world economy draws its life-blood are under serious threat. Published 20 years after the famous Brundtland report, GEO-4 proves that we might have talked a lot about “sustainable development” but our production and consumption practices continue to foolishy pursue their unsustainable “economic growth” path.

How long will our political and business leaders remain in denial? Or do they still not understand that our economy can not be built on an ecological graveyard?

Further reading:

• UNEP: GEO-4: summary for policy makers
• UNEP: press release 25 October
• UNEP: Global Environment Outlook: language versions and background documents
• The Times: ‘Humanity’s very survival’ is at risk, says UN
• James Lovelock: The Revenge of Gaia (Wikipedia)