Sustaining the environment to fight poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals

Abstract

This article outlines the results of analytical work carried out in preparation for the United Nations 2005 World Summit, held in New York in September 2005. The authors (with David Pearce, who passed away shortly after leading a major part of this study) addressed two questions of critical importance to efforts to achieve better integration of environmental issues into policies and processes targeting poverty reduction: • Is it possible to demonstrate credible rates of return from investments in environmental resource management and, if so, what are the implications for policy makers and others focusing on reducing poverty? • What approaches and tools can help measure and assess the links between poverty and the environment, and how can these be understood and applied by policy makers and affected communities? Findings from this work were presented at an international dialogue hosted by the Poverty-Environment Partnership (PEP) during the UN summit. This article also outlines key issues raised at that event and commitments to further action agreed by members of the PEP. © 2006 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.