April 29, 2003—While only 15 percent of the world’s population live in high-income countries, they contribute disproportionately to global warming – emitting 50 percent of total CO2 and using 50 percent of the world’s energy, according to the World Bank’s Little Green Data Book 2003, launched today at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-11).

And the difference in per capita energy use can be striking: the United States uses 16 times as much energy per capita as India.

According to the report, cities are now home to nearly half of the world’s population, and it is expected that virtually all the population growth in the world during 2000-2030 will be concentrated in urban areas—most of this in less developed countries. As a result, people in poor countries bear a greater burden of pollution than those in rich countries.

"Sustainable development is an issue for both rich and poor countries," stresses Kristalina Georgieva, World Bank Director of the Environment Department. "A major transformation starting in the rich world will be needed to ensure a sustainable future, a development path which decouples growth and environmental impacts, and enhances input efficiency. Sustainability of development is a particular concern in the poorest countries, which exhibit the lowest net savings rates when depletion and damage to the environment are taken into account."

In its fourth annual edition, the World Bank’s Little Green Data Book 2003 is a pocket-sized quick reference on key environmental data for over 200 countries. Country, regional, and income group profiles provide a baseline for comparison on the state of the environment and its linkages with the economy and people.

"Statistics are a record of the past and a guide to the future," says Eric Swanson, Program Manager in the World Bank’s Development Economics Group. "The data in this book tell us that we have a long way to go to achieve our goal of truly sustainable development and reversing environmental losses."

Urbanization and the environment

In developing countries, urbanization is greatest in Latin America, where the urban population accounts for 76 percent of the total. This is comparable to high-income countries where the urban population accounts for 78 percent. In comparison, Sub-Saharan Africa is quite rural with only 32 percent of the population living in urban areas.

The fast growth of urban areas puts strong demands on infrastructure and the environment. The plight of the world’s urban population is highlighted in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with the commitment to achieve a "significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers" by 2020 (Goal 7; Target 11).

In many towns and cities, exposure to air pollution is the main environmental threat to human health. Exposure to small suspended particulates contributes to a wide range of health impacts such as chronic bronchitis, asthma, and premature mortality. The Little Green Data Book 2003 has developed a new indicator based on estimates of particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10) for all cities in the world with a population in excess of 100,000.

It is the urban population in low income countries that bear a greater burden of pollution than those in high income countries with a population weighted average level of PM10 of 64ug/mg – twice as much as that in high income countries. The Middle East and North Africa has the highest level of air pollution where pollution levels are 2.5 times those in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (the region with the lowest average level of pollution).

Shrinking forests and threatened biodiversity

Of the world’s 1.2 billion extremely poor people, 90 percent rely on forests for their livelihood. Forests contribute to supporting the natural systems that prevent land degradation, and preserve water resources. They are central to economic growth in many countries, but in most of them they are shrinking. Over the last decade, 94 million hectares were lost largely in Latin America and Africa.

As forests disappear, so does the diversity of plants and animals they support. Although many countries have a goal of protecting 10 percent of their land area, as shown in the Little Green Data Book, most of them are far from reaching this goal. But even where areas have been officially named as "protected", this is not a guarantee of their actual protection as resources are needed to maintain and look after them. In addition, their creation cannot reverse the loss of biodiversity. Of the world’s species, it is estimated that 12 percent of birds, 24 percent of mammals, and 30 percent of fish are vulnerable or are in immediate danger of extinction, according to the Data Book.

Environmental health

Children are particularly susceptible to environmental health risks. While it is estimated that 28,000 children under five die every day—mostly in developing countries and mostly from preventable causes—progress in improving children’s health has been made over the past decade. Significant improvements were seen in all regions except in Sub-Saharan Africa where only modest reductions in under-five mortality rates were seen (from 178 to 171 per 1,000 live births). Investments in access to safe water and adequate sanitation, which is linked to diarrheal disease in children, has contributed to this reduction in under-five mortality.

Globally, the percentage of the population with access to safe water increased from 74 to 81 percent. The lowest coverage rates, with only slight improvements seen over the past decade, were seen in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, despite the modest progress in Sub-Saharan Africa, there were some success stories. For example, Tanzania is recorded to have made the most progress during the 1990s—increasing access to safe water from 38 percent of the population to 68 percent. While this is still below the average in other regions, it is a significant improvement over the decade.

Energy use and climate change

The use of energy and, even more so, access to electricity, is important in raising people’s standard of living. But generating energy produces emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. An indicator of energy efficiency (GDP per unit of energy use) reveals that Eastern Europe and Central Asia are the most energy inefficient regions in the world. However, some countries have made considerable progress over the past decade. One example is the Kyrgyz Republic, the second most energy efficient country in the region. There are signs of increasing energy efficiency in high-income countries, with GDP per unit of energy use—purchasing power parity (PPP) $ per kg of oil equivalent—rising from 3.8 in 1990 to 4.9 in 2000. However, global energy is expected to increase as demand from low- and middle-income countries rises.

Adjusted net savings—an indicator of sustainability

Adjusted net savings is a sustainability indicator developed by the World Bank that builds on the concept of green national accounts. It measures the true rate of savings in an economy after taking into account investments in human capital, depletion of natural resources, and damage caused by pollution. For the first time this year, estimates of damage from particulates were included in the calculation.

A negative savings rate implies that wealth is expected to decline in the future as a result of decisions made today. Many low- and middle-income countries have low or negative adjusted net savings. On aggregate, the Middle East and Africa are on unsustainable paths as both their savings rates are negative. In addition, both Europe and Central Asia and Latin America have low savings rates.

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals will require sound data and indicators to monitor progress. The Little Green Data Book 2003 makes key indicators widely available to a global audience. A major challenge for the development community is to increase the coverage and quality of environmental indicators in developing countries, by building statistical capacity and expanding the funding for monitoring networks.