The Little Green Data Book 2003

The World Bank's mission is to
fight poverty for lasting results. Enhancing environmental
quality, improving natural resource management, and
maintaining global ecosystems are all important steps
towards this goal. Better environmental management can
improve people's livelihoods, health, and security
today and in the future. To achieve these lasting results we
need to start from a sound base of information that helps us
set priorities and measure progress towards environmental
sustainability goals. The Little Green Data Book is a step
in this direction. Under the headings of agriculture,
forests, biodiversity, energy, emissions and pollution,
water and sanitation, and "greener" national
accounts, it presents key indicators of the environment and
its relationship to people for more than 200 countries.
While there are gaps and shortcomings in the data, we hope
it will inspire decision-makers at all levels to use this
information and to seek to fill the gaps for their own
countries. The Little Green Book represents a succinct
collection of information from the World Development
Indicators 2003 and its accompanying CD-ROM. It is a
collaboration between the Development Economics Data
Development Group and the Environment Department of the
World Bank.