Measuring Progress: Environmental Goals & Gaps

This report presents the findings of a United Nations Environment Programme study, supported by the Government of Switzerland, that catalogued and analysed global environmental goals contained in international agreements and conventions. It examines why many of these policy instruments have not achieved their original ambitions and concludes that one important reason is the lack of clear, specific, and measurable goals. The report finds that measurable targets have generally achieved stronger outcomes, including the phase-out of lead in petrol, ozone-depleting substances, and certain persistent organic pollutants, as well as targets to reduce the number of people without access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation and to expand protected areas. It further notes that, even when measurable targets were not fully achieved, they often stimulated positive and sometimes substantial environmental progress.