Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall, Sha Zukang, Chief Surui and Others Talk About Crucial Importance of Environmental Information

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/eyeonearth/52803

Access to environmental knowledge is critical: wise decision-making depends on it. As the COP-17 climate conference in Durban, South Africa , recently showed it is becoming urgent to address the world's ability to prepare for coming changes to our planet. Environmental information is becoming increasingly precious.

But much of this information is unavailable, even when it already exists. It may be absent, inaccessible or simply hidden. Much of it is held in incompatible standards, 'protected' by bureaucratic complexity, restrained by lack of open access, or kept in the dark through ignorance of its existence.

Emerging economies in particular are at risk of losing valuable assets because of decisions taken without full knowledge. Yet making more environmental information available to them and others need be neither expensive nor especially complicated. What is needed, above all, is collaboration, information and understanding of the problems caused by unavailable data.

Water scarcity, food security and climate change are policy issues that require solutions that extend beyond political boundaries.

This VNR contains short, impactful statements by the following distinguished speakers:

For more information contact:

Video: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/eyeonearth/52803