'This is a strategy for a kind of development that provides real improvements in the quality of human life and at the same time conserves the vitality and diversity of the Earth. The goal is development that will be sustainable. Today it may seem visionary. but it is attainable. To more and more people it also appears our only rational option.' – from Chapter 1 in 1980, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Wide Fund for Nature, the world's three most powerful organizations dedicated to preventing environmental catastrophe, published the World Conservation Strategy.  It stressed the interdependence of conservation and development, it gave currency to the idea of sustainable development and it made the point that unless the vitality and productivity of the planet are safeguarded, the future for humanity is at risk. Its impact was immediate and worldwide.  Now, ten years later, the same three organizations have formulated a new strategy for the 19905. Caring for the Earth builds on all that has been learned in the last decade about the complexity of the problems and shows how radical and far-reaching are the actions and objectives needed to meet them. Nothing less than a new ethic is required, based on affirming the community of life and cherishing its diversity – an ethic which has to be reflected in our personal attitudes and the organization of our communities as much as in wider policies. Public participation is essential for the success of the strategy, which is addressed to individuals and citizens' groups as well as to governments - whatever their systems. Adopting it will not be easy, but it does provide the agenda for immediate action. Originally published in 1991

Caring for the Earth (Sustainable Development Set)

UNEP

IUCN--The World Conservation Union

Reference

Routledge

Caring for the Earth A strategy for sustainable living

The World Coservation Union (Iucn)

Caring for the Earth: A strategy for sustainable living (Sustainable Development Set)

(Iucn), The World Coservation Union

Evaluates close to 900 studies in an effort to determine the role of various nickel compounds as environmental hazards and causes of human diseases, including cancer. A special effort is made to determine the specific exposure levels for nickel and nickel compounds that pose a threat to the environment, the general public, and workers exposed to nickel-containing dusts and fumes. A section on sources of exposure evaluates both natural and man-made releases into the environment, offering especially detailed information on emissions associated with the nickel industry, the combustion of fossil fuels, and the incineration of sewage sludge and waste. Exposure of the general population is noted to occur via inhaled air, ingestion of food and drinking-water, and dermal contact, particularly with jewellery and coins.

Nickel (Environmental Health Criteria)

Hertel, R F

Environmental & Natural Resources Law

World Health Organization

Evaluates the risks to human health and the environment posed by endrin, an organochlo-rine insecticide used since the 1950s to protect cotton, rice, sugar cane, maize, and other crops against a wide range of agricultural pests. Because of its high toxicity and persistence in the environment, endrin has been banned in many countries and severely restricted in others. Ingestion of contaminated food is the most important route of human exposure.

Endrin (130) (Environmental Health Criteria)

Science & Math

Chemistry

A state-of-the-art review of methods and procedures for assessing the risks to human health posed by environmental chemicals. Addressed to regulatory authorities, risk managers and other decision-makers, the book aims to demystify the principles of risk assessment and thus encourage wider use of this powerful tool for protecting populations. Since the detection of chemical hazards may have socioeconomic and political consequences, the book gives particular attention to methods for the accurate identification of risks and determination of their severity. The book has four chapters covering each logical step in the process of risk assessment. The first, on hazard identification, explains how data on a chemical's toxicity and mode of action can be used to determine whether the chemical will cause adverse effects on health. The strengths and limitations of different types of data are discussed together with criteria commonly used to establish causality. Methods for assessing dose-response relationships are reviewed in chapter two, which explains how to characterize the relationship between the dose administered or received and the incidence of an adverse effect. Exposure assessment is covered in the next chapter, which describes methods for determining the nature and extent of contact with chemical substances and discusses the characteristics of exposure in the general environment, in the workplace, and from consumer products. The final chapter explains the procedure of risk characterization as a decision-making tool that brings together estimates of exposure levels and risks and summarizes sources of uncertainty in the scientific data. Practical options for risk management are presented as a range of regulatory, non-regulatory, economic, and technological measures.

Principles for the Assessment of Risks to Human Health from Exposure to Chemicals - Environmental Health Criteria Series No. 210

Earth Sciences

This position paper outlines the benefits of using the Environmental Risk Assessment Technology (EnRA) as an organizing tool in the UNCHS (Habitat) Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP) strategic planning process. The paper details the conceptual foundation and current practices of EnRA approaches (regarding human health and ecological assessment). Specific attention is directed towards characterizing the iterative steps required to produce valid qualitative and quantitative predictions of risk. The text explains information requirements and uncertainty estimates, provides the means required to communicate risk information to technical and non-technical audiences and illustrates the link between the economic development, capacity building and replicability of strategic planning efforts embodied in the SCP and EnRA processes.

Risk Assessment for Sustainable Cities - IETC position paper

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