The key question to be asked with respect to indicators is, "So what?" - a short version of three questions - (a) So what is happening? (b) So what impact does it have on me? (c) So what do I do? Answering these three questions requires indicators that illustrate conditions and trends, causes, links between human influences and natural processes, ecological, economic and health effects, and implications for planning and policy etc. What are the stresses on the environment due to human activity, the resulting condition or state of the environment, and the policy response to correct undesirable situations?

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GDRC Research Output

The Seven Triads of Sustainability

• A glossary of indicator terms
• The Five Es of Sustainability
• SD Indicators: The Millenium Development Goals
• Bellagio Principles: Guidelines for the Practical Assessment of Progess Toward Sustainable Development

  The Sustainable Development Goals were developed with a comprehensive set of indicators that helps measure and manage the targets set under each goal.

• Ceroi, Cities Environment Report on the Internet
• European Commission: Measuring and Monitoring Sustainability
• European Sustainable Cities Project

• The Global Reporting Initiative
• Intl. Institute for SustainableDevelopment

• Sustainable Community Indicators Catalog
• Sustainable Measures: Indicators of Sustainability
• UN Division for Sustainable Development

• World Bank: Environmental Economics and Indicators
• World Bank: World Development Indicators
• Best Value performance indicators

• Library of local Performance Indicators
• UNDP: Indicators used in the Human Development Report
• Quality of life Project

• Local government legislation
• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development - Environmental indicators
• United Nations Human Settlements Programme (Habitat) - Urban indicators programme
• Worldwatch Institute: Environmental Milestones

Below is a list of environmental issues based on the Infoterra Thesaurus, and each linked to a Google search

• Accounting environmental
• Acid Rain
• Activism
• Agricultural Pollution
• Agriculture
• Air Pollution
• Alternative Technology
• Animal Husbandry
• Antarctic
• Aquatic Ecosystems
• Arctic
• Arid Lands
• Atmospheric Research
• Behaviour
• Benchmarking
• Biodiversity
• Biofuels
• Biogeochemistry
• Bioinformatics
• Biological Collections
• Biology
• Biomass and Wood
• Bioregionalism
• Bioremediation
• Biosphere Reserves
• Biotechnology
• Botany
• Built Environment
• Carbon Dioxide
• Chemical Dumping and Spills
• Chemical Technology
• Certification and Labeling
• Climate and Weather
• Coal
• Coastal Ecosystems
• Coastal management
• Commons
• Community Resources
• Composting
• Conservation
• Coral Reefs
• Cultural and Ethnic Diversity
• Dams and Dikes
• Deciduous Forests
• Deforestation
• Desertification
• Development
• Dunes
• Earth Sciences
• Eco Buildings
• Eco Products
• Eco Rating
• Eco Travel
• Ecofeminism
• Ecological Economics
• Ecology
• Ecopsychology
• Ecosystems
• Ecotourism
• Electric Vehicles
• Endangered and Extinct Plants/Animals
• Energy
• Entomology
• Environmental Accounting
• Environmental Evaluation
• Environmental Chemistry
• Environmental Education
• Environmental Engineering
• Environmental Ethics
• Environmental Information
• Environmental Journalism
• Environmental Labelling
• Environmental Legislation
• Environmental Management
• Environmental Modelling
• Environmental Policy
• Environmental Protection
• Environmental Quality
• Erosion
• Evolution
• Farming
• Fauna
• Federal Government
• Fire
• Fisheries
• Flora
• Forest
• Forest Management
• Forestry
• Fossil Fuels
• Fresh Water
• Gender
• Genetics
• Geographic Information Systems
• Geology
• Geoscience
• Geothermal Energy
• Geothermal Resources
• Global Change
• Global Governance
• Global Warming
• Green Design
• Green Market
• Green Parties
• Greenhouse Effect
• Greenhouse Gases
• Hazardous Waste and Substances
• Health
• Heavy Metals
• Heritage
• Human Rights
• Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts
• Hunting
• Hydroclimatology
• Hydroelectric Energy
• Hydroponics
• Ichthyology
• Indigenous Peoples
• Industry and Business
• Irrigation
• Lakes and Aquifers
• Land Conservation
• Land Development
• Landfills
• Landscapes
• Litter
• Livestock
• Mammology
• Marine Biology
• Marine Research
• Metallurgy
• Meteorology
• Migration
• Mining
• Molecular Biology
• Mountains
• National Parks
• Natural Gas
• Natural Resources
• Nature
• Non-Government Organisations
• Non-Renewable Energy Sources
• Nuclear Energy
• Nuclear Pollution and Waste
• Nuclear Power
• Ocean Farming
• Ocean Issues
• Oceanography
• Oestrogenic Chemicals
• Oil
• Oil Spills
• Organic Agriculture
• Organic Farming and Gardening
• Ornithology
• Ozone Hole
• Ozone Issues
• Paleontology
• Parks
• Participation
• Permaculture
• Pesticides
• Physical Geography
• Plant Sciences
• Plant Wildlife
• Plants
• Polar regions
• Political Geography
• Politics and Legal Issues
• Pollution
• Pollution from Energy Sources
• Pollution Prevention
• Population
• Power
• Prairies
• Radiation
• Radon
• Rainforests
• Recreation
• Recycling
• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - 3Rs
• References
• Remote Sensing
• Renewable Energy Sources
• Risk
• Rivers and Watersheds
• Safety
• Salt Water Ecology
• Sewage
• Small Islands
• Socio-economic
• Soil Science
• Solar Energy
• Standards
• Sustainability
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Sustainable Development
• Taxation
• Technology
• Thermal Pollution
• Tidal Energy
• Toxic Waste
• Toxicology
• Trade
• Transportation
• Urban Development
• Volcanoes
• Waste Management
• Wastewater
• Water
• Water Conservation
• Water Cycle
• Water Pollution
• Water Resources
• Water Sciences
• Watershed Management
• Wetlands
• Whaling
• Wildlife Management
• Wind Energy
• World Heritage
• Zoology
• Zoos

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Contributions to this section are welcome! Please send an email to Hari Srinivas at - hsrinivas@gdrc.org

Return to Sustainable Development Contact: Hari Srinivas - hsrinivas@gdrc.org