A Wealth Of Environmental Information In One Place

Media contacts:
In Washington, DC        
Sergio Jellinek
1-202-458-2841
Sjellinek@worldbank.org
Tracey Osborne
1-202-473-4033
Tosborne@worldbank.org
In Paris
Kristyn Ebro
33-(0)1-40.69.30.38
Kebro@worldbank.org

BANGKOK, November 23, 2004―Almost 80% of the world’s forests are in the developing world … Russia and Brazil together account for one-third of the world’s forests … every year, an area the size of Portugal is deforested … there are almost 5,000 mammal species in the world – in 2003, 23 percent of these – or 1,130 species –  were considered to be threatened … CO₂ emissions by the United States are equivalent to the total emissions of East Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa …  

…These and many other environmental statistics and facts can be found in the World Bank’s new Green miniAtlas, launched today at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Bangkok.

“Concern for the environment is viewed by many as a rich-country luxury,” said Warren Evans, World Bank Director for Environment.  “It is not.  Environmental degradation has the greatest impact on the world’s poorest people in the world’s poorest countries.  At the same time, poverty is one of the greatest threats to our planet’s environment.”

“Taking an in-depth look at such critical issues as agriculture, forestry, biodiversity, energy, emission and pollution, water and sanitation, and protected areas at both the global and local levels,” said Miguel Araujo, IUCN Director of Corporate Strategies, “the Green mini-Atlas is a unique and timely resource for better understanding the world’s most urgent environmental challenges.”

With the goal of creating awareness of important development issues in students and youth, and available in English, French, and Spanish, the miniAtlascontains easy-to-read maps, tables, and graphs highlighting key environmental data for over 200 of the world’s economies.  The information in the Green miniAtlasis a quick reference for monitoring environmental performance across countries.  It links the environment to the broader development challenges of improving health, raising productivity, and fighting poverty. 

“The World Bank has long been an advocate of environmentally and socially sustainable development,” emphasized Evans.  “One of the great challenges facing both rich and poor countries is finding a path for development that improves the lives of people and preserves our environment.  The Green miniAtlas seeks to raise awareness of the economic and social forces affecting the global, regional, and local environment.  Only by acting with awareness and respect for the environment can we reduce poverty, protect ecosystems, and sustain our future.”

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