Site search

Global warming will surpass 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels during the next decade, due to greenhouse gas emissions. The constant rise in temperatures and related impacts combine with other...

Droughts have deep, widespread and underestimated impacts on societies, ecosystems, and economies. They incur costs that are borne disproportionately by the most vulnerable people. The extensive...

This report is the product of the contributions of nations, public and private risk-related science and research experts, amongst others. It contributes to achieving the Sendai Framework for Disaster...

The central question for this year's report is how governance systems can evolve to better address the systemic risks of the future. In today’s crowded and interconnected world, disaster impacts...

The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) is a major initiative of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). It contributes to the achievement of the Hyogo...

This publication is the third biennial report coordinated by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). The first and second reports focused primarily on public policy and the...

2015 is a critical year for the future of sustainable development. The 2015 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction highlights the connections between disaster risk and development and...

This publication discusses the scientific background of the African elephant and the effect of the ivory trade on its endangered population. A chapter on the counting of elephants provides the reader...

The value of this volume is the summary of the GEMS/Air assessment on the levels and effects of five of the most common and ubiquitous air pollutants: sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide...

The data in this fifth volume in the series of the UNEP/GEMS Environment Library provide a picture of levels and trends of food contamination over much of the globe. Contaminants such as lead, cadmium...

Polluted water has the potential for becoming a global threat. The GEMS assessment provides the first global picture of the state of much of the world's freshwater resources. It outlines the critical...

This volume deals with the effects of ozone depletion on human health and the environment, and outlines ways of reducing damage to the ozone layer. It discusses the effects of ultraviolet radiation on...

This technical document, written to be easily understood by those without technical qualifications, deals with the phenomenon of El Niño as it effects a reversal in the direction of winds and oceans...

Glaciers are important to the environmental health of the planet especially in the regulation of the Earth's heat balance. This volume presents the background and behaviour of glaciers, as they can be...

This volume summarizes the current state of knowledge on climate change and its possible consequences. It draws together scientific research on the enhanced greenhouse effect, global warming and...

Biodiversity describes the diversity of life on Earth encompassing all species of plants, animals and micro-organisms, their genetic material and the ecosystems of which they are part. This volume...

Good management of the world's freshwater resources depends on understanding their value and the major problems confronting them. This publication documents the state of the world's lakes and...

This volume summarizes the potential implications of climate change and variability on fisheries and on the societies that depend on them. It is based on a review of several fisheries case studies and...

Contributing to the scientific investigation of global water resources, this publication summarizes the results of analysis and interpretation for 82 major river basins around the world. It is...

It is urgent that we protect our groundwater supplies with diligence and that everyone understands the importance of doing so. This publication is intended to explain to all readers how important...