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Oceans
online  The
United Nations has launched an online atlas of the world's oceans, with
the aim of spotlighting the most urgent environmental problems that humanity
is likely to face in the coming decades.The atlas, online at www.oceansatlas.org, contains an initial 14 global maps and links to hundreds of others, including 264 maps showing the distribution of fishery resources and another 100 showing global ice cover, navigation routes, earthquake and volcanic activity, temperature gradients, bottom contours, salinity and other characteristics. It points out how overfishing, destruction of coastal habitats and pollution are endangering not only fish the biggest source of animal protein in the human diet but also marine biodiversity and the global climate. "Ocean-related issues will almost certainly dominate the international agenda later this century if, as predicted, the Earth's continued warming accelerates sea-level rise and adds up to one metre to the height of our oceans," said Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the UN Environment Programme. The new Internet resource is intended for a broad audience, including scientists, policy makers, students and journalists. Portal on Europe A new Internet portal by the United Nations Environmental Programme shows a comprehensive picture of Europe's environment, with separate pages on each nation and another breakdown of the continent by different facets of the natural world. The European Regional Portal aims to provide authoritative information while highlighting problematic areas. It may be viewed online at http://europe.unep.net or www.unep.net, a site still under development, which will eventually cover all the regions of the world. According to Jaap Van Woerden, a Geneva-based coordinator of the project, the European Regional Portal is intended to improve access to information not only on a pan-European level, but also at the sub-regional and even national levels, which should yield specific benefits for Central and Eastern Europe. The UNEP. Net system is developing informational portals for major environmental issues at global and regional levels, by linking and presenting vital graphics, core data sets and background material for efficient reporting and sound decision making. Van Woerden says the site is and will remain a work in progress. However, the most authoritative information products at the European level have already been included, he said. . At present, just Europe and the Arctic are covered by UNEP. Net. But Van Woerden says other regional sites are under development and Africa s will soon be online. REC web site: Gateway to CEE environment The web site of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) offers a portal to environmental information in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). A new feature of the site allows users to search the REC's library holdings online. The site also offers: Databases: Nearly a dozen different regionwide databases help you find environmental experts, environmental NGOs, government officials dealing with the environment and other contacts and basic information about the CEE environment. REC publications: In addition to general information about the REC itself, you will find all of the REC's publications, searchable directories and project information. Find it all at: http://www.rec.org. |
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