The Global 2000 Report to the President, prepared in response to my 1977
Environment Message, is the first of its kind. Never before has our
government, or any government, taken such a comprehensive, long-range look
at the interrelated global issues of resources, population, and
environment.
The Report's conclusions are important. They point to a rapid increase in
population and human needs through the year 2000 while at the same time a
decline in the earth's capacity to meet those needs, unless nations of the
world act decisively to alter current trends.
The United States has contributed actively to a series of U.N. conferences
on the environment, population, and resources, and is preparing for
the 1981 Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy. Following my
1977 Environmental Message, the Administration development assistance
programs have added emphasis to natural resource management and
environmental protection. My 1979 Environmental Message called attention to
the alarming loss of world forests, particularly in the tropics. An
interagency task force on tropical forests has developed a U.S. government
program to encourage conservation and wise management of tropical forests.
The Administration is encouraging action by other nations and world
organizations to the same purpose. The United States is a world leader in
wildlife conservation and the assessment of environmental effects of
government actions. The January 5, 1979, Executive Order directing U.S.
government agencies to consider the effects of their major actions abroad,
is another example of this leadership.