Pacific Islands Regional Millennium report: development goals 7 -ensure environmental sustainability

Abstract

Achieving environmental sustainability is a crucial aspect of the MDGs, as both human health and development are profoundly linked to the condition of the environment. The actions of all countries influence environmental issues such as climate change and loss of biodiversity, and their impacts cut across both national and regional boundaries. As a result these issues must be addressed cooperatively. Globally, climate change linked to fossil fuel usage is believed to be affecting global climatic and weather patterns,1 with a host of still emerging impacts (e.g. on rainfall, the frequency and severity of storms, and sea levels). Secondary negative impacts — for example, on disease incidence, water supplies, agricultural patterns, the health of coral reefs, and the viability of human settlements — are predicted and may have already begun. Loss of biological diversity, in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems, is increasing worldwide as a result of human activities such as land clearing and ocean harvesting.