United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean

UNEP Early Warning of Emerging Environmental Issues

Source: Albatros Media

UNEP Mandate “To keep under review the world environmental situation in order to ensure that emerging environmental problems of wide international significance receive appropriate and adequate consideration by governments”

Types of Early warning of emerging environmental issues Type 1. Rapid/sudden-onset events (ongoing somewhere or other; Typically associated with disasters) i.e. oil spills, chemical plant accidents, geological hazards and hydro-meteorological hazards (earthquakes, volcanic eruption, hurricane, fire, flood) -except droughts.

Type 2. Slow-onset (or “creeping”) issues (Thematic and location specific: What and Where?)

i.e.

climate change, habitat loss, chemicals, waste etc. 2.1 New emerging S& T? issues i.e. associated with Geoengineering, nanotechnology, synthetic biology etc. 2.2 Cross cutting issues and social trends i.e Changing demographics, connectivity and environment, environment and food security, 2.3 Location specific environmental threats i.e. ecosystem changes, coastal erosion etc. 2.4 Contemporary environmental threats i.e. deforestation, declining water quality and quantity, marine pollution, etc.

Why reporting on emerging issues?  Early warning for risk reduction and opportunities for adaptation.

Fuente: Cambio Climático y Desarrollo en América Latina y el Caribe. Una Reseña (CEPAL, 2009)

UNEP Products  Purpose:  Awareness Rising  Sound science for policy making / decision making

The Atlas of Our Changing Environment

Políticas de uso del suelo Frontera Belice – Guatemala

UNEP Global Environmental Alert Service (GEAS)  connecting science with policy for keeping the world informed in a timely fashion about critical environmental developments;

Rapid Assessments: Food crisis Projected Land use Changes

Sustainable Farming: Challenges and opportunities

“…We will need to track and understand the diverse and changing impact of farming practices.

Sustainability Scenarios GEO Scenarios: Biodiversity

REDD Scenarios Global Resource Efficiency Source: LAC Environment Outlook, 2010

How alternative policy pathways may assist in achieving an environmental target

Reporting on emerging issues : Regular reports on significant policy

relevant topical issues (as examples but not limited to…) • Rush to land • Great migration, Lake Turkana, Nile basin • Monsoon and food security • Collapse of honey bee • Thawing of Permafrost • Rare earth minerals and green economy

Principles for involvement: Controversial, local/regional /global significance, of interest to the international community.

Science informing policy making How can better (e.g. relevant, science-based) policy contribute to risk reduction?

Landuse planning (Ordenamiento territorial): Panama

LEY no. 9 (1973): Esta norma del Ministerio de Vivienda prohíbe “terminantemente” edificar en áreas colindantes con ríos y cualquier curso abierto de aguas, en especial en áreas declaradas inhabitables o inundables. …las personas que construyan en estas áreas incurren en desacato y lo hacen por cuenta propia y a su riesgo.

Early Warning or emerging issues....  How many of the products developed can serve as instruments for better policy making? Priorization, planning, monitoring

Early warning for preparedness.... “Se pueden reducir los riesgos si hay colaboración, si hay disciplina y si podemos anticiparnos muchas veces a circunstancias difíciles”, J M Santos (2011).

Graciela Metternicht, Regional Coordinator Early Warning and Assessments United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean www.pnuma.org