North America's Environment: A Thirty-Year State of the Environment and Policy Retrospective - Softcover

Focusing on UNEP's North American region, comprised of Canada and the United States, this report provides an integrated analysis of the state of resource assets and 30-year trends in nine major themes: atmosphere, biodiversity, coastal and marine areas, disasters, freshwater, forests, human health and the environment, land and urban areas. Rather than offering a comprehensive description and analysis of the state of North America's environment in all its aspects, the report zeroes in on two priority issues for each of the nine themes. Following the approach taken in GEO-3, the specific issues identified under each theme build on those highlighted in GEO-2000 and include critical issues, emerging trends, hot spots, and once critical issues that illustrate successful policy responses. Presented in an integrated narrative, this information shows how environmental issues have been addressed in Canada and the United States over the 30-year period in an iterative cycle of pressures, impacts, and responses. Illustrative boxes provide definitions and highlight subregional issues.