MDG report 2007

The United Nations has released the 2007 Millennium Development Goals Report. 2007 is the mid-point from the time the goals were adopted to their completion date in 2015. The report notes that for Goal 7: ensure environmental sustainability:

• Deforestation continues, especially in biologically diverse regions
• Despite increased efforts to conserve the land and seas, biodiversity continues to decline
• Tree plantations increase while old-growth forest ecosystems continue to be lost
• Growing greenhouse gas emissions continue to outpace advances in sustainable energy technologies
• A global effort to eliminate ozone-depleting substances is working, though damage to the ozone layer will persist for some time
• With half the developing world without basic sanitation, meeting the MDG target will require extraordinary efforts.

For Goal 1, Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, the report finds that:

• Extreme poverty is beginning to fall in sub-Saharan Africa
• The poorest are getting a little less poor in most regions
• Poverty reduction has been accompanied by rising inequality
• Child hunger is declining in all regions, but meeting the target will require accelerated progress.

You can read the report online and more about the MDGs on the UN web site.