At the same time, according to a second EPA report, the “Draft Report on the Environment,” more work must be done. The report is the first step in the agency’s Environmental Indicators Initiative launched in November 2001 and highlights progress made in protecting air, water and land resources. It also notes the need for additional data to answer questions about the links between some pollutants and health effects. In addition, it highlights areas for improving research and data collection, and strengthening data partnerships with federal agencies, states, tribes and others.

Another key report, “World Resources 2002-2004: Decisions For the Earth – Balance Voice and Power,” points to an urgent need for improved environmental governance by all stakeholders, including citizens and government and industry leaders. Published by the World Resources Institute, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Environment Program, the new report suggests that “decisions made with greater participation and greater knowledge of natural systems can help to reverse the loss of forests, the decline of soil fertility, and the pollution of air and water that reflect our past failures.”

Visit www.epa.gov/indicators/roe/html/roeTOC.htm to see the “Draft Report on the Environment.” To learn more about the World Resources’ report, visit http://pubs.wri.org/pubs_description.cfm?PubID=3764.