Annual Report 2000

UNEP/GRID-Arendal Annual Report 2000

Greeting from the Norwegian Minister of Environment

Dependable environmental infor- mation is of great significance for awareness raising, public partici- pation and promotion of environ- mental aspects in the political debate

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The World Commission on Environment and Development emphasised in its report "Our Common Future" the impor- tance of information and participation as prerequisites for ach- ieving sustainable development. GRID-Arendal has a key role in living up to this challenge by constantly improving and in- creasing the dissemination of environmental information to tar- get groups and the general public. Over the last few years, electronic media, particularly the Inter- net, has become increasingly important for reaching both the public in general, the press and specific target groups, amongst which young people are of special concern. GRID-Arendal has proven to be able to be in the forefront of this development in their own work as well as in assisting other countries in estab- lishing environmental information systems, which are made electronically accessible. Dependable environmental information is of great significance for awareness raising, public participation, promotion of envir- onmental aspects in the political debate and as food for the watch-dogs and critics of current environmental policy. In this way GRID-Arendal is also supporting a democratic dev- elopment in many societies.

Good decisions are based on good information. Environmental issues are typically of a complex nature, and frequently have causes and impacts that reach across large areas, often crossing state borders. It is therefore crucial to have reliable, easily acces- sible sources of environmental information, which can present up-to-date and comparable data. This constitutes a sound knowledge base both for decision-makers making choices and - quite as importantly - for those whose lives and livelihoods are affected by these environmental choices.

Siri Bjerke

Front cover and report design was inspired by the artist Lyonel Feininger , 1871-1956, born in New York. Feininger's work was influenced by his very intense study of the natural world, and by the innovations of Cubism which he developed into his own geometric style.

http://sheldon.unl.edu/HTML/ARTIST/Feininger_L/TO.html