30 Years of Innovation and Excellence: GRID-Arendal Annual Report 2019

Contributing to UNEP’s flagship GEO-6 report

GRID-Arendal was a key partner with UNEP in writing the sixth edition of “Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6): Healthy Planet, Healthy People”, which was launched at the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) in Nairobi in March. We contributed content and maps to the 708-page report, the UN’s most comprehensive assessment of the state of the global environment. Our staff members served as lead authors of chapters on oceans and coasts and on cross-cutting issues, and as reviewers for other sections. GRID-Arendal’s Elaine Baker also co- authored a commentary on GEO-6 that was published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet.

KEY NUMBERS

6

number of GRID-Arendal staffers who contributed to GEO-6

708

number of pages in the GEO-6 report

193 70

number of countries that adopted the report

Plastic currents A giant distribution system for marine plastics

estimated percentage of the world’s poorest people who depend directly on ecosystem services for their survival

North Atlantic gyre

North Paci c gyre

South Atlantic gyre

South Paci c gyre

Indian Ocean gyre

Sample points used in the model

Microplastic concentration* Kilograms per square kilometre

0

10

Surface current

Source: Van Sebille, E., et al., A global inventory of small oating plastic debris, IOP Publishing, 2015; Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies

One of the maps GRID-Arendal contributed to GEO-6.

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