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Government slow to grasp importance of Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Summary

This Report from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) assesses the impact of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment on the UK.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was launched by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2001, to provide scientific information to decision-makers and the public on the consequences of ecosystem change.

The Assessment looks at how ecosystem changes might affect people in the future and what could be done at local, national and global levels to improve ecosystem management.

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Law-Making Explained

This is a House of Commons Paper (HC 77): it is a report from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC).

Find out more about House of Commons Papers.

How does it affect me?

If you are interested in the UK’s current and future approach to sustainability and ecosystem management, this affects you.

A key conclusion detailed in this report is that governments and development agencies have been slow to grasp the importance of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Policy-makers need to be made more aware of the direct economic, social and environmental benefits of sustainable ecosystem service management, as allowing ecosystems to degrade will have a fundamental impact on businesses and human well-being.

The EAC also recommends the following:

  • Developed countries, including the UK, must ensure that all developing countries are able to incorporate the environment in development strategies
  • The Government must introduce sustainability as an indicator of economic growth as early as possible.

See more on the EAC’s current inquiries on the UK Parliament website.

Find out how to attend a Select Committee hearing.

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