World Development Indicators 2005

World View : 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8


	Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources.
	Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.
	Achieve significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020.

Using resources wisely

     Sustainable development can be ensured only by protecting the environment and using its resources wisely. Poor people, often dependent on environmental resources for their livelihood, are the most affected by environmental degradation and natural disasters (fires, storms, earthquakes) whose effects are worsened by environmental mismanagement.

     Most countries have adopted principles of sustainable development and agreed to international accords on protecting the environment. But good intentions are not enough. Around the world land is being degraded. Forests are being lost, fisheries overused, and plant and animal species are becoming extinct. And carbon emissions are leading to climate change.

     Rich countries are major consumers of products from the environment. Thus rich countries and poor countries alike have a stake in using environmental resources wisely.

People need safe, reliable supplies of water

Population without access to an improved water source (%)

In Sub-Saharan Africa 300 million people lack access to improved water sources. South Asia has made excellent progress, but contamination of water sources poses new risks.

Sub-Saharan Africa	South Asia

In East Asia rapid urbanization is posing a challenge for the provision of water and other public utilities. With faster progress here and in other regions, the world as a whole will achieve the target.

East Asia & Pacific	Latin America & Caribbean

Data are lacking for Europe and Central Asia in the early 1990s. In the Middle East and North Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco have made the fastest progress.

Europe & Central Asia	Middle East & North Africa

Source: World Bank staff estimates.

Many still lack adequate sanitation

Share of population with access to improved sanitation, 2002 (%)

Source: World Bank staff estimates.

Lack of clean water and basic sanitation is the main reason diseases transmitted by feces are so common in developing countries. While water systems are improving quickly, sanitation systems lag behind. A basic sanitation system provides disposal facilities that can effectively prevent human, animal, and insect contact with excreta. It does not, however, ensure treatment of effluents to remove harmful substances before they are released into the environment.

Urban areas are expanding

Share of population in urban areas, 1990 and 2003 (%)

Source: World Bank staff estimates.

Almost half the world’s people live in urban areas, and the number is increasing rapidly. While the movement of people to cities may reduce immediate pressure on the rural environment, it increases people’s exposure to environmental hazards. UN-HABITAT estimates that nearly 1 billion people live in slums, where they lack basic services, live in overcrowded and substandard housing, and are exposed to unhealthy living conditions in hazardous locations.

More environmental challenges ahead

Almost a third of Earth’s land area is forested, but almost 1 million square kilometers of forest were lost from 1990 to 2000. The largest losses were in low-income economies, which felled 7 percent of their forests.

Forest area, 2000 (% of total land area)

Protected areas and natural reserves can help to preserve habitat for plants and animals. Some of the most important regions of biodiversity are in developing countries, especially those on or near the equator.

Nationally protected areas, 2003 (% of total land area)

Emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change, have increased in most developing regions. But high-income economies remain the largest emitters of carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide emissions, 2000 (metric tons per capita)

More efficient use of energy can decrease the emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. High-income economies are the most energy efficient on average, but developing economies are catching up.

GDP per unit of energy use, 2002
(constant 2000 PPP$ per kilogram of oil equivalent)

Source: World Bank staff estimates.


	People need safe, reliable supplies of water Sub-Saharan Africa South Asia East Asia & Pacific Latin America & Caribbean Europe & Central Asia Middle East & North Africa


	Many still lack adequate sanitation




	Urban areas are expanding




	More environmental challenges ahead Forest area, 2000 (% of total land area) Nationally protected areas, 2003 (% of total land area) Carbon dioxide emissions, 2000 (metric tons per capita) GDP per unit of energy use, 2002 (constant 2000 PPP$ per kilogram of oil equivalent)