State of the Environment

Human activity places pressure on many aspects of the environment. For instance, deforestation results in the invasion of weed species, habitat displacement, and, when undertaken on a large scale, adversely affects air quality and carbon dioxide sequestration.

Examples of pressures under the Pressure-State-Response ("PSR") framework include: pollutants discharged from factories, or draining into a river from the land; it could be the removal of forest from the land or over-harvesting by fishermen or hunters.^[1]

In this framework, only pressures introduced by human interaction with the environment are considered. Natural pressures such as extreme weather are only considered in the context of human-induced climate change (i.e. global warming).

A "state" is the condition of the environment at a particular time. This is assessed by measuring various aspects of the atmosphere, air, water, land and organisms.^[1]

The European Environment Agency (EAA) has extended the pressure-state-response framework to include driving forces and impacts (see DPSIR). The EAA publishes its most comprehensive ‘state of environment’ report every five years.^[2]

State of Environment reports have been prepared by countries such as New Zealand^[3] and Australia.^[4] State of the Environment reporting is also undertaken fairly extensively throughout New Zealand by territorial and regional authorities.

• State of the World , a series of books published by the World Watch Institute
• Environmental issue