Global Goals and the Environment: Progress and prospects

null

• Global progress on MDG-7 was uneven, and the report concludes that no target was expected to be achieved everywhere by 2015. Data limitations in many countries significantly constrained consistent reporting and the ability to visualize progress.
• Global forest area decreased slightly from 32% to 31% between 1990 and 2010, with significant declines in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Southeastern Asia and Oceania. The remaining forests are often of lower quality due to the rise of industrial plantations.
• Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels rose from 21,550 to 31,387 million tonnes/year between 1990 and 2010. While developed regions saw a 4% decrease, emissions tripled in some rapidly developing regions like Southeastern Asia, and per capita emissions in developing regions grew from 1.66 to 3.16 tonnes/person/year.
• The phase-out of ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) is a major success, with almost 98% of these substances eliminated globally. Developed countries almost completely eliminated ODSs, while developing countries achieved an 86% reduction compared to 1990 levels.
• Marine fish stocks are heavily overexploited, with 29% of the 600 monitored stocks considered beyond safe biological limits in 2009. Only about 10% of commercially valuable marine fisheries are monitored, often irregularly.
• Water stress affects approximately 30% of the global population. In 2006, the global average of total water resources used was 9.2%, but usage exceeded 50% in Caucasus and Central Asia, Western Asia, and Southern Asia.
• Terrestrial and marine protected areas increased from 8.3% to 14% between 1990 and 2012, with the highest growth in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, 6 of 14 global biomes have less than 10% protection, and the proportion of species threatened with extinction rose from 7.9% to 8.7%.
• The target to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water was met by 2010, with global access increasing from 76% to 89%. However, a significant urban-rural divide remains, with 19% of rural populations lacking access compared to 4% in cities.
• Access to improved sanitation facilities is unlikely to meet the 2015 target of 75% for the developing world, reaching only 56% in 2010. In sub-Saharan Africa, access improved by only 4% between 1990 and 2010, reaching 30% coverage.
• While the proportion of urban populations living in slums decreased in most regions, the absolute number of slum dwellers increased from 650 million in 1990 to 863 million in 2012.
• Strong interlinkages exist between environmental goals and human development; for example, in sub-Saharan Africa, improvements in access to clean water and sanitation correlate with significant improvements in maternal health.

APA

Pinter, L., Almassy, D., Offerdahl, K., & Czunyi, S. (2015). Global Goals and the Environment: Progress and prospects. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/global-goals-and-environment-progress-prospects.pdf

Chicago

Pinter, Laszlo, Dora Almassy, Kate Offerdahl, and Sarah Czunyi. Global Goals and the Environment: Progress and prospects. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2015. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/global-goals-and-environment-progress-prospects.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pinter |first1=Laszlo |last2=Almassy |first2=Dora |last3=Offerdahl |first3=Kate |last4=Czunyi |first4=Sarah |title=Global Goals and the Environment: Progress and prospects |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2015 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/global-goals-and-environment-progress-prospects.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pinter2015global, author = {Pinter, Laszlo and Almassy, Dora and Offerdahl, Kate and Czunyi, Sarah}, title = {{Global Goals and the Environment: Progress and prospects}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/global-goals-and-environment-progress-prospects.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }