Using research results to assess sustainable development issues

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 recommends: (a) coordinating existing systems for gathering data and statistics relevant to developmental and environmental issues so as to support preparation of long-term scientific assessments – for example, data on resource depletion, import/export flow, energy use, health impact and demographic trends; (b) applying the data obtained through research into ecosystems, ecological processes and developmental impact to environment/development assessments at the global, regional and local levels; (c) promoting the wide distribution of these assessments in a form that is responsive to public needs and can be widely understood.