Orientation: Writing for

Assessments

Pierre Boileau (GEO Head)

Nov. 11, 2016
 GEO-6 Work programme
Author Draft
of SPM
Review
Progress Draft of
Draft State Report to
Final HLG Draft
and Trends UNEA-3 full GEO Final GEO-6 and
GEO-6 SPM SPM
1st Order Review with Policy
Draft Draft Response
2017 2018 2019
Zero
4-6 October May
Order
Review Period December Review Period
Draft

February May October March November February

UNEA-3 UNEA-4

First global Second Third global Fourth global Review MS SPM

authors’ global authors’ authors’ editors negotiation
meeting authors’ meeting + RE meeting meeting
meeting

HLG SPM
drafting
meeting

Acronyms: High Level Intergovernmental and Stakeholder Advisory Group (HLG),

Global Environment Outlooks (GEO), Summary for Policy Makers (SPM), Review Editors (RE)
 Working Structure of GEO-6
High-level
Intergovernmental UN
Scientific Advisory
and Stakeholder Environment
Panel (SAP)
Advisory Group (HLG) Secretariat

Co-chairs &
State & Trends + Innovative Outlooks
vice-chairs
Policy Response Group
Coordinating Coordinating
Lead Authors Lead Authors

AMDG
Lead Authors Lead Authors

Contributing GEO Fellows Review Editors Contributing

Authors Authors

• Assessment Methodologies, Data and Information Group (AMDG)

 GEO-6 Timeline to February Meeting
Oct. 20 November Nov. 11 DecemberWebinar JanuaryInvitation February March
Writing for Citations, Alternate First
Co-chairs call Nov. 23
Assessments References 2017 Authors SAP Authors
SAP
Meeting

Nov. 5 Webinar Nov. 22 Webinar Webinar Co-chairs

Oct. 24 HLG GEO Jan. 31
Authors Matrix Drafting HLG Charts, Graphs, SDGs &
Fellows HLG
Selected Approach Maps Indicators

Oct. 21 First November Call December Call January Call

Call
February March
Authors Oct. 28 Authors Call Authors Authors Call First
Invitations Second Authors Authors Authors Authors
‘Fresh water’ ‘Outlooks’ 2017 ‘Air’
‘Oceans/marine’ ‘Biota’
Invitations Land Meeting

Authors Nov. 5 Call Call

Call Call Call Call
Authors Authors Authors Authors Authors Authors
timeline Selected ‘Oceans/marine’
Authors
‘Outlooks’
‘Air’ ‘Biota’ ‘Fresh water’ Land

• Monthly HLG planning calls – timeline, deliverables, budget, policy approach etc.;
• Advisory
2 SAP planning calls – guidance to authors, ensuring scientific integrity, SAP interaction with Co-
Bodies
chairs, etc.
• Regular Co-chairs calls (likely bi-weekly) – orientation, co-chair approach, working style with vice- Co-chairs &
chairs and Secretariat; vice-chairs
• Face-to-face Co-chairs meeting in Bonn (mid-Oct.) – Overall GEO-6 planning + coordination with
IPBES; Authors
• 12 Authors calls – overall workplan and timeline + 5 orientation sessions (webinars) to prepare for
February meeting. Secretariat
• Internal UNEP coordination meetings – core focal points for environmental themes and cross-
cutting issues (Economics Division, Ecosystem Division, Law Division, SDGs, etc.) Conventions
• Coordination meetings with science bodies (IPBES, IPCC, BRS, Ozone, etc.)
 Principle Result
gs
Policy Relevant fi ndin Succinct and to
Av
oi d e si s of
h the point
ad Synt
vo
ca
cy
Inde
p
Scientifically ende
nce o
f pro a
is
tion nces
fi c
Credible cess Justi in refere Consolidation of
ained
cont knowledge from
expert community
Respected data sources
Data and Effective Data t
ells a story
Indicators Assessments Timely
information
h Balan
rc auth ced sele
w resea ors a c
No n
e nd vi tion of
ewpo
ed

Based on analysis No ints

tifi

t Accepted by
jus

po
of existing lic user
are

y pr
research
ts

es
community
en

cr
ip
um

tiv
e
Arg

Well referenced Informs Policy

and summarized Development
 Example: Policy relevant but not policy prescriptive
• “In order to ensure protection of land and marine biodiversity,
more land reserves and marine protected areas must be created”

• “Policy options for protecting land and marine biodiversity

include: creating more land reserves and marine protected areas,
acting on the demand-side for biodiversity resources…”

Example: Scientifically credible

• “Population growth and economic development will be
significant over the coming decades, leading to more
environmental degradation”

• “Population is expected to grow by x% between 2015 and 2030,

while gross domestic product is expected to grow by y%. These
drivers could impact the environment in the following ways…”
 Example: Data and indicators
• “The fertility rate in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to decline
and level out over the next decades (World Bank, 2012) ”
 Example: Based on existing research

• Follows scientific publication methodology – Intro, Method,

Results, Discussion, Conclusion

• Extracts Conclusion and cites the relevant research that supports

it.

Example: Well referenced and summarized

• “In many Latin American cities air quality exceeds the norms,
which leads to many deaths.”

• “In most cities exposure to PM2.5 exceeds the international

recommended standards (Green and Sanchez 2012), and many
deaths occur on account of diseases related to air pollution
(WHO 2014c).”
 Writing Style Impact
r fatig
ue Easily extractible
ad e
Non-technical Gr
ad
e6 Avoi
d re – bite/byte size
(where possible) lev
el
En
gli
Clear sh
re
Examples, case comp sults, no an d for
licate dem
studies d te s
Crea action Reach community
of influencers +
teachers, students
For visual learners Ideal f
Graphics, Readable or social
media
charts, maps Assessments Picture is worth a
e
d ie nc thousand words
a u
n ew Eas
y
c ha to
sho
Rea wc
Use new media – ase
es

Ea
Create a real-
u

video, podcasts, sie

iss

r
un to t
re

interactive world feel to

mo

de ran
rst sl
for

websites an ate
d
the findings
ce

&
a
Sp

Keep it short – only More take-up by

enough words to make non-scientists
your point
 Example: Non-technical language
• “If temperature rises, many air pollution models project an
increase in ground level ozone production, particularly in urban
areas and surroundings (Hesterberg et al. 2009). Increased
temperature also accelerates ozone destruction, and it is
believed that the net direct impact of climate change on ozone
concentrations around the world can be reduced (IPCC 2013).

• “If temperature rises, many air pollution models show an

increase in ground level ozone production, particularly in cities
and surroundings (Hesterberg et al. 2009). Increasing
temperature also speeds up ozone destruction, and it is thought
that the effect of climate change on ozone levels around the
world can be reduced (IPCC 2013).
Examples and Case Studies
Example: Graphs, charts and maps
 Example: New media

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OiRvCkitYc
 Example: Keep it short
• “However, current knowledge on the state of fish stocks in
European seas should also be appraised on a sub-regional scale,
because catches of commercially exploited species reveal strong
sub-regional differences. For instance, most stocks of herring in
the North Sea west of Scotland, and the Irish and Celtic Seas, are
fished at or within maximum sustainable yield (MSY).”

• “However, current knowledge on the state of fish stocks in

European seas should also be appraised on a sub-regional scale,
because catches of commercially exploited species show strong
sub-regional differences. For example, most stocks of herring in
the North Sea west of Scotland, and the Irish and Celtic Seas, are
fished at or within maximum sustainable yield (MSY).”
Questions ???