Information for decision-making in health and environment

Issue title: Environmental Statistics

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Mikkelsen, Lene^{; 1}

Affiliations: Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Statistics Division, Bangkok, Thailand

Note: [1] The author is grateful to Carlos F. Corvalán of World Health Organisation (Geneva) for commenting on the draft.

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of some of the main environmental threats to human health and discusses the need for improving information required for decision making at all levels. Issues related to measuring and monitoring the effect of the environment on health and well-being are also raised. The paper likewise draws attention to the key role of indicators for the monitoring and assessment of policies. Although monitoring systems cannot replace policies and actions directly aimed at improving environmental health conditions, such systems should nonetheless form an intrinsic part of the decision-making process from the very beginning. Governments are increasingly recurring to quantitative targets and benchmarks as a way of enhancing credibility, and indicator development and performance monitoring have become integral to the overall planning process and good governance.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-2002-191-208

Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 19, no. 1-2, pp. 79-92, 2002