State of the Environment Reporting

About State of the Environment Reporting

The Yukon Environment Act requires a State of the Environment Report to be completed once every three years, with interim reports in the intervening years.

State of the Environment (SOE) reporting

• provides early warning and analysis of potential problems for the environment;
• allows the public to monitor progress towards the achievement of the objectives of the Environment Act;
• provides baseline information for environmental planning, assessment and regulation.

The State of the Environment Report does not make recommendations, set policy, or present a report card on the environment. It does, however, provide us with important information to help us make the right decisions to build a sustainable economy and conserve a healthy environment.

The SOE Report answers four basic questions:

• What is happening in the environment?
• Why is it happening?
• Why is it significant?
• What are we doing about it?

Where possible, indicators are used to answer these questions and demonstrate whether environmental changes are either positive or negative.

Interim Reports
Interim State of the Environment Reports provide an update on selected environmental trends and indicators from the broad topic areas discussed in previous State of the Environment Reports (e.g., Air, Water, Climate Change, Land, the Living World).

Available Reports

Yukon State of the Environment Report 1995 The1995 report was the first comprehensive report under Yukon's Environment Act to evaluate the state of Yukon's environment. The 156-page document covers air, water, land, the living world, and focuses on ecosystems. This report set the first big picture of the Yukon environment, and established an all-important baseline information on environmental factors.

Table of contents and download

Yukon State of the Environment Interim Report 1997
"A Focus on Air Quality and Climate Change"
The 1997 interim report provided an examination of the changes that occurred to air quality and climate change since the first Yukon State of the Environment Report in 1995. Specific topics discussed in this 27-page report include global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, long-range atmospheric transport of contaminants, and local issues such as wood-smoke and open burning of solid waste.

Table of contents and download

Yukon State of the Environment Report 1999
The second comprehensive Yukon State of the Environment report set a new benchmark for our understanding of the environmental health of the territory. It measured the progress that we made and addressed environmental challenges. This 144-page report updated or provided new indicators on air and climate change, water, land, the living world and ecosystems.

Table of contents and download

Yukon State of the Environment Interim Report 2000
The 2000 Interim report centered on environmental trends and indicators. Topics in the 29-page report include air quality, Whitehorse air quality, water quality, solid waste, recycling, forests, wildlife, salmon, and fresh water fish.

Table of contents and download

Yukon State of the Environment Interim Report 2001
The focus of this interim report is to provide an update on a selected number of environmental trends and indicators from the main broad topic areas presented in previous State of the Environment Reports. This 10-page document features updates on air quality, water quality, climate change, atmosphere, changes on the land, contaminants in the ecosystem (Wildlife and Fish).

Table of contents and download

Yukon State of the Environment Report 2002
2004. (61 p. booklet) The third overall examination of the Yukon environment. Includes baseline information, emerging environmental problems and cumulative effects as well as community perceptions of environmental change.

Table of contents and download

Yukon State of the Environment Interim Report 2003
2003. (48 p.) Reports on the status of climate change, air, water, land and nature in the Yukon . Includes graphs and charts.

Table of contents and download

Yukon State of the Environment Interim Report 2004
2004. (48 p.) Reports on the status of climate change, air, water, land and nature in the Yukon . Includes graphs and charts.

Table of contents and download

For more information contact:
Yukon State of the Environment Reporting
Policy and Planning Branch V-2
Phone: (867) 667-5634
Toll free (in Yukon): (1-800) 661-0408, local 5634
Fax: (867) 393-6213
environmentyukon@gov.yk.ca