Policy Briefs

Water

Logo, Programme hydrologique international (PHI)

An overview of selected policy documents on water resources management that contributed to the design of HELP
This publication summarizes various recent policy documents and international conference reports on the subject of water resources management, many of which stress the urgent need for action to address declining global water security.

World Water Assessment Programme Message Series
A host of actors including representatives of government, business and civil society all make decisions which have implications on water use. In an effort to ensure this diverse group of actors understand how their decisions affect water use, the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) has created a series of Messages based on the findings of the Third World Water Development Report.

WWAP Briefing Notes

Ecological Sciences

UNESCO-SCOPE-UNEP policy Briefs
The policy briefs provide "at a glance" information relating to global environmental issues, building on the contributions of international experts at multi-disciplinary workshops. Each brief reviews current knowledge, highlights trends and controversies, and opens perspectives for policy planners, decision makers and stakeholders in the community.

Oceans

The International thermodynamic equation of seawater, 2010
A scientific summary for policy makers

Why monitor the Arctic Ocean?
Services to society from a sustained ocean observing system

Sea-level Rise and Variability  
A Summary for Policy Makers

Ocean Fertilization
A Scientific Summary for Policy Makers

Ocean Acidification  
A Summary for Policymakers from the Second Symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World
(Sponsors: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, Marine Environment Laboratories (MEL) of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research)

Recently published

This UNESCO-SCOPE-UNEP policy brief draws on the results of two international workshops on the Third Pole Environment. The first was held in Beijing, China in August 2009 and the second in Kathmandu, Nepal in October 2010.

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